Catching The Waves reviews free albums from the netlabel/Creative Commons community, although it sometimes publicises free releases from the big, bad world of commercial music. CTW carries no advertising, requires no registration and does not take money from anyone, though it is willing to make an exception for the Eurolottery. *scrunches ticket and says a prayer*
All of the music is released for free with the full knowledge and approval of the musicians, who give it away for various reasons: it's fun; it might encourage grateful people to give them a donation; and it helps to drum up publicity for any commercial records in their current (or future) resumé.
Most of the albums are released under a Creative Commons licence, meaning that you can download albums for free and distribute them amongst your friends, families and that hot girl who lives down the street. Depending on the particular licence, you may even remix the tracks and/or use them for your personal projects, although artist attribution is usually a requirement. However, should you wish to use the music for commercial purposes, you must contact the artist and get their permission. If you have any queries, please note the particular licence on the artists' release pages and consult http://creativecommons.org/ .
Please remember: I'm just an online idiot who is recommending music that he likes. Catching The Waves is not a comprehensive review of netlabel releases. I hope you agree that the CC music world is music's best-kept secret but that it deserves to be secret no more.
Finally, all comments, emails and offers of no-strings sex are most gratefully received.
