By Chris Lindsey Wed, August 27, 2008, 12:01 am PDT

Lost in music (Photo by Gary Simmons) Over the last few years, I've reduced my net weight by a trunkload by moving my CD collection onto my computer. But this creates a new problem: What if I want to bring a CD to a friend's house, or to work? The solution lies in a relatively new Internet business model: the online music storage locker. These browser-based businesses allow music lovers to upload and/or access their entire collections from any Internet access point on Earth. Online music storage lockers come in a few varieties. Some, like Streampad, Simplify Media, and Orb Networks, let you remotely access the music stored on your home computer. These services create a private or sharable network between your home computer, your hand-held device, and/or any other computer with an Internet connection. It's almost like running a tube from your home computer to another computer (hmmm... maybe Senator Ted Stevens was right, after all). Dot.Tunes and nuTSie work in a similar manner, allowing you to access and share your iTunes collection from anywhere. Others within this milieu -- like Anywhere.fm, MP3tunes, and MediaMaster -- allow you to upload all of your MP3s and ripped CDs to their servers (for a reasonable fee) so that you can stream or download your audio files on any Internet-enabled device. MeTracks provides this service for free, but storage space is limited to one gigabyte. And once you have your music uploaded to your favorite storage locker, Mixwit will help you create a web-based mixtape for that extra special someone. If you're ready to give your music collection wings and liberate those audio files from the hard drive prison they've been languishing in, visit our Online Music Storage Lockers category in the Yahoo! Directory. Suggested Sites... Sideload - stream music from online music storage lockers other than your own. Mixx Maker - create online mixtapes with music uploaded by you and your friends. Share and access your mixtape from any Internet connection. Ivoon - upload music and create playlists that can be streamed from anywhere or played on your MySpace, Tagworld, Stickam, Hi5, or Facebook profile. Lala - upload your music, purchase online-only songs, share songs with friends, and discover new music through the Lala community. My Collection of Recorded 78 RPM Records - download free mp3s of this person's vast collection of rare and previously digitally unreleased songs from old 78 rpm records.

Directory categories: Online Music Storage Lockers, Online Mix Tape Makers, Social Music, Music Storage, Personal Information Management

Archived under: Collecting, Computers, File Sharing, Internet, Music, Social Networking, Web 2.0

Post a comment | Email this posting | The Spark Home