There are always some trail blazers in any industry; there are also those that don’t want to move out of their comfort zone for fear of failing. The music industry is no different and the particular trail that is currently being blazed by some is that of free music downloads.

Free music downloads came about through services like Napster, Ares and all manner of torrent sites. Whilst the legality was dubious, it remains popular to this day. Instead of trying to fight this progress as was the tactic of the RIAA, some services have arisen that embrace it. We7 offers free music downloads (ad-supported) downloads to its members.

Some bands have seen the light and are offering similarly free music downloads: Nine Inch Nails and Radiohead offered their last albums for free download, and Coldplay have recently started offering the first track from their new album for immediate download. Free music downloads? Free publicity? You bet.