All music has to come from somewhere. It comes from things like the hi-hat, the snare, the ambient violin, or sometimes the electric guitar.
Note: This is an article I wrote that was published elsewhere first. It has been republished here for archival purposes
Every song had to be pieced together and mixed down to that track to make it sound great. Instruments, samples and more is what SampleTorrents aims to provide. All the content being provided by the community is also supposed to be legal.
“Sample torrents was created because of a conversation at Kvraudio.com” explained Brent Randall, owner of the site. “There used to be a couple free samples sites, but they are very outdated and not as useable as they used to be.”
Samples are particularly useful to web DJs who make remixes or original tracks. They are like building blocks that they can build with while mixing music.
As Brent explains, it’s much more than simply music samples. “Although the name does say “sample” in it, it’s actually much more then that. Samples are the primary thing that gets uploaded there, but there is also some software, with more to come.”
Of course, BitTorrent is known for saving bandwidth on servers. It’s not always easy to host larger files without burning through some cash. Sample Torrents is following that solution to the bandwidth problem, “The site was created to save developers bandwidth, as well as give people a way to get their stuff out there if they don’t have any web space.”
Users can also expect to not get into legal tangles considering that this is an authorised content website. “Much of what is released does have the Creative Commons and such, but it’s not restricted to that. You can actually use any license you want with the custom license feature.” Brent said, “We are very serious about staying legal. It’s just there to give people an idea of what is allowed with the uploads, as well as a way to deter many of the warez uploaders. But you can upload anything there with any license you choose.”
The website has been around for a year and a half, and Brent told Slyck that it has already gotten the attention of software businesses as well. “A couple companies are getting their larger demo downloads to me for inclusion on the site. It’s basically for anything that you want to give away that is music related, from samples to software to music.”
Brent wasn’t alone in making the website either. “It was created by myself, a musician and someone who appreciates when people give things away for free. It’s another way to give back.”
Some critics say that if the music isn’t commercial, then it isn’t worth listening to. Brent argues, “I disagree. There are many talented people around, and they are very generous. Some of the free stuff around I would put right up there with the commercial stuff.”
This website clearly gives those who create music a new resource for making their music a step closer to reality.
Drew Wilson on Twitter: @icecube85 and Google+.
