IndiEclectic musicians do end-run around distribution

Like music? Want to hear some more music like the stuff you like? IndiEclectic, which launches this week after a lengthy beta period, taps a powerful fount of musical knowledge: Actual working musicians. The site features independent artists who are recommended by, and in turn recommend, artists who have something in common with what they do.

Visitors can preview tracks; in our quick visit, all the tracks we previewed played full-length songs, not 30-second samples. For $20/year, members can download everything they find on the site, which is driven by the Artists Recommending Artists search engine. It's also sorted into categories, and the database is searchable by artist (including many who are on the site specifically to make recommendations, not sales).