PUBLIC MARKS with tags mp3 & kexp

Not to be confused with the Live Music Archive (see the MP3 Hub section, above), the Free Music Archive is a new (in 2009) resource of free and legal MP3s that was launched by the venerable NYC-area public radio station, WFMU (which is, you should know, the longest-running free-form radio station in the US). The Free Music Archive describes itself as "a social music website built around a curated library of free, legal audio." Featuring downloadable songs placed online by WFMU, KEXP, and a handful of other interesting musical organizations, the Free Music Archive can be browsed by curator or genre, but you have to thumb through a lot--there are no easy indexes to get a broad look at the offerings. And while the site claims to have more than 5,000 MP3s available, what's here is decidedly idiosyncratic. Still, as a large repository of free and legal MP3s, it's worth a visit every now and then. [review from www.fingertipsmusic.com]