Pondering a New Kind of Netlabel

Lately, I have become interested in the concept of the netlabel. I have downloaded music from various netlabels of different genres. For those unfamiliar with netlabels, a netlabel is basically a record label, except it releases its music mainly, if not exclusively online- free for digital download (often under the Creative Commons license). You can find a listing of different netlabels at Netlabels.org. One of the most interesting (note that interesting does not mean good) netlabels I have come across is the dramacore netlabel. This netlabel releases "dramacore music" a self-defined genre. The sound is a mixture of noise, industrial, chiptune, and hardcore. The only artist that I actually like from the site is ehafh, who uses some interesting sampling techniques in his works. Though I cannot claim to be a giant fan of the music, I love the concept- that one can create a new genre and release new, interesting works.

My question is why the concept of netlabels hasn't crossed over to publishing. I wonder why there are no "netpublishers" that publish free books/stories online. Why are there not new, experimental, genre-pushing publishers? Setting up a netpublisher would not require any effort, nothing more than a blog and an archive.org account. I would love to see the creative works that would come out of such an effort.

-techierant.muzik

P.S. More reviews coming soon.

CIRCA VITAE ep

Today I went to the Jamendo blog where they have posted some excellent playlists. On playlist #3 I struck gold (also check out the hip-hop in playlist #4). Circa Vitae is a band that's hard to categorize. They possess an experimental Radiohead sound, and seem to mix that with a college rock vibe. Circa Vitae released their CIRCA VITAE ep in December, and I recommend you download a copy. My favorite track on the album is "Pterodactyl", I also like "Tower." Male vocalist Britt and female vocalist Anna have a beautiful, contrasting sound over powerfull lyrics. The EP also sports transition tracks that mix a noise/classical sound. This EP is likely unlike anything you have ever heard, and a worthy add to any collection.