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Showing posts with label free Music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label free Music. Show all posts

Monday, April 11, 2011

Songs For Japan and MP3 Bargains

Some of you may have noticed the small ad on the right side of the screen that lets you make a donation towards the relief effort in Japan. This is, like many in the past, being administered by Amazon (and I feel confident it all goes there, unlike some places that collection donations). However, if you want more to show for your support than a warm feeling, you might want to look at the Songs For Japan album in their MP3 store. I first saw this at Starbucks, via an ad on their internet access welcome page to buy it from iTunes for $9.99. I was tempted, but only had my iPad with me (and now that the CloudDrive is at Amazon, I'm even more likely to get my MP3's from Amazon). I'm glad I waited, as the price at Amazon is $7.99 (looks like Amazon is dropping their profit on this one). I thought I paid $9.49 for it a few days ago, but my receipt shows that they dropped the price, even though it was higher when I clicked. I've been listening to this all afternoon (literally; there are 38 tracks total, with a run length of 2:44:34) and it's a good album, even if the artists and record labels were not donating a portion of the proceeds to the relief effort (there are a lot of labels on this one and some are donating all of their proceeds). Remember, if you purchase any MP3 album from Amazon for the rest of the year, you get a free upgrade to 20GB on your Cloud Drive (and your MP3 purchases at Amazon never count towards your total, if made after the CloudDrive was introduced).

While I was working on this post, I noticed that Amazon has brought back several of their 99 Most Essential albums at rock bottom prices: 4 at 99 cents and six more under $2.50. One of the best features of the Cloud Drive is that I no longer have to wait for these huge albums to download (I lost one, once, as the download didn't complete and I could not get the download reset, only my money back as the price had gone up in the meantime), as they literally would take hours on my slow connection in some places. These are, of course, all Amazon Exclusives, so you won't find them elsewhere at any price. Five of these are newly discounted (How can I tell? Those are the five I don't already have! LOL!), while four have been discounted in the past (these generally sell for $5.99 to $7.99, it appears).

Those aren't the only bargains, of course. Here are a few others (and only one classical, for those who want a different genre):
Of course, there are also a few new free albums of note:
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Monday, February 14, 2011

Free Music Reminder

Today is Valentine's Day, which is the last day to use the $2 free MP3 credit that Amazon is giving everyone. I first wrote about it here and since then have determined that you can actually add the credit to your account, without sending a gift, then use the credit on any MP3 at Amazon. Which means, you get two songs for free (using the averages 99 cents/song Amazon charges), two bucks off an album such as Frank Sinatra's Songs For Swingin' Lovers! ($3.99) or even a free album if you buy something like Crowd Scene ($1.78) or The Git Go-live At The Village Vanguard ($1.78) by the Mal Waldron Quintet (both are 45-50 minute long jazz albums with two cuts, originally one per side of an LP).

All you have to do is go to the Redemption page, click on the Enter Your Code button, enter the promotion code VDAYMP3S and you'll get $2 to spend on MP3's at Amazon. The only catch? You have to use it today.

Stumped for an album to buy? You might want to pick up something by Jazz pianist George Shearing, who passed away today, at 91. Most of it was recorded long ago (some on 78's), so don't expect the pristine sound of today's studios, but do plan on some excellent piano playing. Or, explore this month's $5 albums from artists such as Norah Jones.

I've also turned up a number of additional free songs and albums for you to download. I've put the heavy metal towards the end (it's not my style) and the more jazz/valentine's day selections towards the top and middle.
Remember, to enjoy these on your Kindle, all you have to do is drag them into the Kindle's \music folder while connected via USB. You can use the Amazon Downloader to open your music folder and just drag over entire directories, since the Kindle doesn't care about folders and ignores them. This makes it easy to copy over a few artists, then remove them and add new ones when you are tired of those.
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Monday, February 7, 2011

Give (or Get) $2 in Free MP3's from Amazon

Celebrate Valentine's Day with $2 in Free MP3's from Amazon using code VDAYMP3S (valid through February 14). The only restriction is that you have to give the music as a gift; there is, however, no restriction against giving the gift to yourself.

While you are thinking about which songs to buy, you can pick up these for free. All are titled appropriately for Valentine's Day (but are not necessarily appropriate for the occasion or all ages).
If you are looking for a really great album, already marked at a bargain price (which becomes a really great prices with the additional $2 off), check out some of the $5 albums currently available:

Instructions
  1. Browse for music at Amazon MP3. All Amazon MP3 downloads play on virtually any MP3 device, including the iPod®.
  2. Find the MP3 album or song you want to give. Click the "Give album or song as a gift" button (or the "Give song as a gift" button).
  3. Follow the instructions to personalize your MP3 gift and click the "Proceed to Checkout" button. (If you do not currently have a credit card and billing address associated with your account, you will need to add them.)
  4. On the checkout page, enter code VDAYMP3S in the box labeled "Have any gift cards, gift certificates, or promotional claim codes?" and click the "Apply" button. Your $2 credit will be added. If you receive an error, make sure you've entered the code correctly and that the promotion is still valid and has not expired.
  5. After you've entered the code, click on the "Give song as a gift" button. On the Thank You page, if you like, you can click the Facebook or Twitter buttons to tell your friends about the MP3 you chose and pass the word along about this offer.
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Monday, January 17, 2011

Free Amazon Prime Shipping for Students

Amazon is extending their free prime shipping offer to all college students with their new Amazon Student program. If you are a student and have a valid .edu email address, you can sign up for a year's free Prime shipping. It can't be shared with other family members, as the regular Prime shipping can, but it also won't cost your $80 for the year. If you are already a Prime member, you can still sign up; you'll get refund of any remaining time on the Prime membership. You'll also get alerts as to other deals aimed at students on that .edu email, such as the current deal (see below) for free music and movies to go with your textbooks.

Don't forget, student or not, today is the last day to get 130 Essential Guides free from Kaplan (Kindle,  B&N, Sony/EPUB or iPad) for free, as well as the last day on the $99 Kobo WiFi Reader!

  • Purchase $50 or more in eligible textbooks shipped and sold by Amazon.com to your Shopping Cart by 11:59 p.m. PST on January 17, 2011. Eligible textbooks are those that display the offer message on their product information pages.
  • Complete your purchase, or complete your purchase through 1-Click ordering.
  • After shipment of your purchase, you will receive two separate e-mails indicating that a $5 credit for Amazon MP3 music downloads and a $5 credit for Amazon Video On Demand have been automatically applied to your account. The e-mails will provide instructions for redeeming your credit. If you have not received your e-mail within 72 hours of your qualifying purchase, please contact us.
  • Use of the Amazon MP3 service is subject to the Amazon MP3 Terms of Use.
  • Use of the Amazon Video On Demand service is subject to AVOD Terms of Use.
  • Promotional offer limited to one promotional credit per customer.
  • Promotional offer is valid from December 27, 2010 through January 17, 2011 and subject to change. You must redeem the credits by February 17, 2011.
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Friday, December 24, 2010

$2 MP3 Credit, $4 & $5 MP3 Albums, $5 VOD Credits


First, Amazon wants everyone to know that you can give MP3 music downloads as gifts, so they are giving everyone a two dollar credit that can be used to "gift" MP3 songs or albums. There are no restrictions, so you can, in fact, give the album to yourself, by simply using your own email address when sending it. Go to the Get $2 in MP3 Downloads page, enter the code GIVEMP3S after clicking on the Enter Your Code button, then give any MP3 albums or singles as a gift; the credit will be used first (if the purchase is for more than the credit amount, the rest will first hit any gift certificate balance, then your default one-click payment method).

Once you have your credit, check out the Gold Box Deal of the Day: Ten 2010 Albums $3.99 Each (today only) or the newly set up $5 MP3 Album page, which thru January has over 1,000, rather than the 100 that Amazon typically has marked down. You'll need to act fast, though, as the credit above expires at midnight PST, December 26, 2010.

If you haven't been keeping up, be sure you also stop by the 25 Days of Free page, where Amazon is on the next-to-last day of free holiday singles. Also, I found these free holiday albums to add to your collection:

If any of the albums you pick up are $7.99 or higher (before the credit), then you'll get a $5 credit for Video on Demand (qualifying albums will have the following text under Special Offers, just below the track list: "Get a $5.00 promotional code for use on Amazon Video On Demand when you buy a qualifying album or playlist for $7.99 or more on Amazon MP3 during the promotion. Limit of one code per customer.") The credit on this promotion must be used by February 28, 2011.

You can get an additional credit by linking your Amazon and Twitter accounts, then click on the Tweet and Get $5 button. This credit expires much sooner, January 1, 2011, and there are apparently some Video on Demand titles which don't qualify for promotions (they should be marked as such, on the detail pages). You can use this credit for purchases or rentals, so you could use it to pay for individual episodes of shows, as part of a purchase of a season pass or rent five different 99 cent movies for the holidays. It looks like we may be snowed in this weekend, so that may be where my credit goes (if we still have power!).
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Sunday, November 28, 2010

Today's Two Buck Music and more

Black Friday is over, but Amazon has already started their Cyber Monday deals. Five new $1.99 albums, a few freebies and some bargain albums I've found are all in this post.

First, a few freebies I found today: Best Song Ever by Katie Armiger, Blue Collar King by Family Reunion and Asphalt EP by Matt Thibideau

In Between Dreams, by Jack Johnson, is the $1.99 album that tempts me the most, today. You'll be singing along to cuts such as Banana Pancakes and Good People, after just a few listens.

The other four albums in today's Black Friday Week sale:

Lisbon (Amazon MP3 Exclusive), by The Walkmen
Transference, by Spoon
As I Call You Down, by Fistful Of Mercy
How I Got Over [Explicit] [+Digital Booklet], by The Roots


These are all currently discounted at great prices for some great music:

Blues On The Bayou, by B.B. King ($3.99)
Legend, by Bob Marley ($3.99)
The Very Best Of Booker T. & The MG's, by Booker T & The MG's ($3.99)
Rare Genius: The Undiscovered Masters, by Ray Charles ($4.99)

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Saturday, November 27, 2010

Today's Two Buck Music + One Free Song

Amazon is continuing their Black Friday Week in the MP3 store, with five new $1.99 titles today and a free Christmas song, Dream Child by Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

Today's list makes it tough to pick a favorite, but I settled on John Mayer's Battle Studies, only because I already have more than one version of Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon.

The other four albums in today's Black Friday Week sale:

Dark Side Of The Moon, by Pink Floyd
You Are Not Alone, by Mavis Staples
xx, by The XX
High Violet, by The National

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Tuesday, November 23, 2010

$3 in Free MP3's, Free Music & Music Gifting

It's another early Christmas gift from Amazon today, with another free three dollar credit in the MP3 store! First, go to this page and enter the code GET3MP3S after clicking on the Enter Your Code button. You'll see the credit you have at Amazon (including, perhaps, some Video on Demand credit you may have forgotten about; I found $4!) and it will automatically be applied as you shop in the appropriate section of Amazon. I'd suggest that your first stop be on the Black Friday Deals at Amazon MP3 page, as Amazon is marking down selected albums to $1.99 each day. Today's list, for example, includes Chronicle: 20 Greatest Hits, by Creedence Clearwater Revival. You may also want to check out this month's selection of 100/$5: 100 Albums for $5 Each, which includes a number of Christmas albums, as well as a number of other genres. In any case, don't delay too long, as this credit must be used by November 29!

Overlooked in all the publicity over being able to give Kindle eBooks as gifts, Amazon also implemented the ability to give MP3 downloads as gifts, as well. Here are the details from Amazon:
Now you can surprise and delight all the music lovers on your list with an instant MP3 gift. Giving MP3s is easy and risk-free: Your gift recipient can always exchange MP3 gifts for an Amazon.com gift card.
  • Search for the song or album you want to give. All songs and albums sold by Amazon MP3 can be given as gifts.
  • When you reach the detail page, click Give Song or Album as a Gift. You'll be asked to sign in and we'll ask you to personalize the gift by adding a special message.
  • Once you've completed these steps, your gift recipient will be sent an email letting them know they have a gift waiting for them.
If you want to give someone a musical gift this Christmas, but aren't sure just which album to pick, Amazon has thought of that as well, with their MP3 Gift Guide, which has sorted a number of albums and artists into categories based upon the person's relationship to you or their age group. If you are just looking for something to spruce up the mood this season, check the Holiday MP3 Store.

Another way you can get some "free" music is to send a $1 MP3-Themed Amazon.com Gift Cards to 5 Facebook friends. The first 10,000 Amazon customers that do so will get a $5 MP3 music downloads credit for themselves. Follow the steps on the Amazon Facebook Gift Card page, starting with connecting your Facebook profile to Amazon. You need to create all five gifts (of $1 each) on the same order and it has to be people on your Friends list.

I've also turned up a few more free albums and singles at Amazon, in addition to the ones on this earlier post. First the holiday themed and then a few others I stumbled past.


Music World Holiday Sampler
Nettwerk Holiday Sampler 2010
Acorn Music Free Holiday Sampler
Do You Hear What I Hear (Featuring Patrick Wilson), by Mary McBride
Christmas Anthem, by Landon Smith & The Real Matt Jones
Fruitcake, by The Superions

Too Big To Fail : The Tompkins Square Label 5th Anniversary Amazon Sampler
Bloodshot Records Label Sampler
Free Sampler - A Westside Fabrication
Per Capita Records Amazon Sampler
Ninja Tune XX - Free Music Compilation [Amazon MP3 Exclusive]
Born Fresh, by Elemint
Nort at Night EP, by Adam Marshall
Boriken Groove, by Reso
Whiskey Holiday, by The Shooters
Winter Night, by Little & Ashley
Mazinka, by 11 Acorn Lane
Heartbreaker, by Girls
A Fire Burns For Freedom, by Ziggy Marley
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