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At £4.99 Go out & Buy Computer Active's Book on Websites-
It's well worth the money
MUSIC
818Music
www.818music.com
818 Music is dedicated to giving new artists a break by letting the listening public download their music as MP3 files. As you might expect, 818 Music keeps growing and there are now there are even more MP3s to download and listen to! Visitors are invited to listen to tracks selected by 818music before buying a hard copy direct from the 818music online store. The site's artist development program is growing larger with each day and provides a relatively simple path to recognition that many musical artists are seeking.
The Dance Music Resource Pages
www.juno.co.uk
On first impressions the dance music resource pages don't look up to much, because there is little colour, no images and no logo. In fact this site is exactly what it says it is, a resource, pure and simple. All the latest dance music releases can be viewed by genre and by the release date over the last week, two weeks etc. In addition to viewing a list of the latest releases, 40 second 'taster' MP3's are available for each tune, which can then be bought direct from the website's online store.
Monster Guitars
www.monsterguitars.com
Offering purely MP3's of guitar players Monster Guitars is aptly named. There's no upload feature, this site is based quite simply on people downloading MP3's, which are sorted by the artist that created them. Design, it has to be said, isn't the greatest in the world, with all of the content being squeezed onto a single page. However, as all of the available MP3's are recorded by professional guitarists, the quality is very good, and makes up for the appearance of the page. With a little work, and with the design tidied up this site good be even better than it already is.
AMP3.com
www.amp3.com
AMP3.com offers over 1 million downloads, so whatever genre of music you're into, there's bound to be tracks here to suit your taste. The site is mainly text based, so the pages load quickly. Every day there's a featured artist as well as a 'pick hit' to have a listen to. AMP3 is designed with artists in mind as well as music lovers, and to that end has a Pay for Play program where artists get compensated for all their hard work. You'll also the usual software, hardware and music reviews to help you choose the best of what's available.
Sonicnet - The online music network
www.sonicnet.com
Sonicnet provides a complete information service for all the latest music news, as well as MP3 and music video downloads by a wide selection of well-known artists. The search facility allows you to quickly find what you're looking for and read a biography, among other details, while listing to samples of the bands latest releases. The website itself is very stylised with great looking graphics and images on the home page, which don't seem to slow down the site when clicking through the numerous different sections.
MP3.com
www.mp3.com
MP3.com is one of the more popular MP3 site around, mostly due to it's highly obvious Web address, but also because it has an absolutely vast database of music that would keep even the fussiest of listeners busy for hours. Not only does MP3.com allow you to listen to and download songs, but you can also link direct to their online store and buy the CD for those times when you really must have it. Perhaps the most dynamic aspect of MP3.com is that, as an artist, you are able to promote your music, your live performances and sell your CDs for free!
Audiofind
www.audiofind.com
In simple terms, Audiofind is a massive online database of music and artist information with sample songs, which can be played online or downloaded in MP3 format. An artist or song can be found by searching by artist name and by browsing by initial or date. The results are displayed in list format with an icon links to an additional information page and the MP3 sample song. Although the homepage looks pretty flash, the website itself is kept simple to minimise the download time for each page and the search results. Nevertheless the site still looks stylish and is easy to navigate.
Peoplesound.com
www.peoplesound.com
Peoplesound enables amateur artists to submit their music in various formats to be downloaded and heard by anyone and everyone who's interested. New artists can be found by browsing your favourite kind of music or by conducting a search of the massive Peoplesound database. Entire songs can be downloaded for free in MP3 format or played online, if you like what you hear you can buy the CD direct from peoplesound.com.
Ministry of Sound
www.ministryofsound.co.uk
Having grown from a humble nightclub into a global empire, Ministry of Sound has branched out onto the web in a big way. This busy site features the latest dance music news and features but that's just the tip of the iceberg. 
A streaming radio station pumps out banging tunes 24 hours a day, while Ministry TV utilises Realplayer technology to deliver video interviews with some of the biggest DJs in the world.
Opera Base
www.operabase.com
The popularity of Classic FM and the omnipresence of opera music on adverts and television programmes proves that opera is no longer thought of as only for people with diamond tiaras and weekend retreats in the country. 
This sprawling site will delight anyone with even the slightest interest in the art form, with reviews of the latest productions and a useful guide to more than 500 opera houses worldwide, complete with maps and booking details.
CDDB
www.cddb.com
This is the world's largest database of CD titles and tracks and no matter how hard you try to stump it, from the most obscure artist to the most famous, it's likely to have a listing.
Best of all, though, is the way that it will automatically identify audio CDs played in your CD-ROM drive. Just download a compatible player from the site and every time you listen to a CD, the artist, track titles and times will appear as if by magic.
Ultimate Band List
www.ubl.com
This site started out as a simple yet effective way of listing every single music and fan site on the web but has mutated into so much more. Not only will it helpfully direct you to a plethora of sites devoted to your favourite artist but also includes its own informative content and an online shop. Yet it still serves its primary function very well, helpfully grouping sites into those which have multimedia content, those which are run by fans and so on.
Warp Records
www.warprecords.co.uk
A leftfield dance label from Sheffield, Warp has used the web as something more than a mere promotional tool by imbuing the whole site with a real sense of identity.
Stylish design and good use of animation draw you in, while generous archives of video clips and sound files from the likes of Aphex Twin will either be music to your ears or frighten you to death, depending on your tastes. If you like what you hear, you can browse for those rare singles in the online shop.
Roots World
www.rootsworld.com
This fascinating site is devoted to world and 'roots' music, covering artists from the four corners of the globe. 
Alongside reviews and interviews with the artists concerned, you'll find loads of streaming Real Audio clip, so you can try before you buy. The colourful layout and regularly updated content make this a site you'll be keen to return to again and again. There's also the option to sign up for a weekly email newsletter.
Classical Net
www.classical.net
If your passion is classical music then there's no better place to start surfing than Classical Net. Providing a point of entry to thousands of reviews, articles and informative overviews of major and lesser-known works, it can greatly enhance your understanding and appreciation of a composer. 
There are also links to other classical music sites on the Internet, allowing you to learn at your own pace away from the sometimes stuffy and oppressive atmosphere of the concert hall.
Global Music Network
www.gmn.com
The Global Music Network can really enhance your understanding of a piece of music, whether through listening to it for the first time, watching a background video or reading more about the performers and composers. 
From early baroque through to Dixieland jazz and right up to the present day, you're sure to find something that takes your fancy. It's also nice to see that lots of thought has gone into the design of the site in order to ensure that the impressive multimedia elements don't obscure the excellent content.
Bowie Net
www.davidbowie.com
The Thin White Duke has embraced the Internet with a fervour unmatched by any other artist. 
This portal site gives access to six sites relating to all things Bowie. One offers you the chance to view his artwork online while another is a more typical site giving you news on his latest releases, a biography and so on. 
Perhaps most interesting, however, is Bowie Net, an ISP set up specifically for Bowie fans. Members can read extracts from David's own personal diary and even collaborate on songs with him.
Love 4 One Another
www.love4oneanother.com
He might be completely bonkers, but Prince (or the squiggle by which he prefers to be called these days) certainly knows how to put together a web site. Aside from being graphically sumptuous and purely icon driven, Love 4 One Another also has a serious point to make about the greed of the record industry.
Together with articles promising a brave new world of democratic music distribution, you'll find several exclusive and unreleased tracks available for download.
Radiohead
www.radiohead.com
This critically lauded band are having a few teething troubles with their fourth album. We know this because their excellent website features a regularly updated online diary from guitarist Johnny Greenwood. 
Giving fans a real insight into the workings of the band, he pulls no punches and also uploads photographs regularly to the site. A well used message board, the latest news and a smart design in keeping with the band's image complete a great site.
Steps Official
www.stepsofficial.com
If you're fed up with pompous rock bands and monotonous dance music then turn to every schoolgirls favourite band for a little light relief. 
Colourful and fun, this official site is well stocked with Steptacular content. The diary will keep you up to date with bands antics while the extensive profiles of each band member will tell you everything from their height to, inevitably, their favourite colour. There's even animated instructions to their dance routines so you can jump around in front of the mirror to your hearts content.
Manic Street Preachers
www.manics.co.uk
Following their Millennium Eve extravaganza, the much loved Manics have vowed not to play live again this year. So this smoothly designed website is probably the closest their fanatical followers will be able to get to the Welsh trio.
With more history and baggage than many other bands there was always going to be scope to produce a good site, but the designers here have done an excellent job in capturing the spirit of the band.
Blur
www.blur.co.uk
One of the most consistently excellent British bands of the last 10 years, Blur have produced a similarly excellent site here.
The design is slightly obtuse and hard to navigate but then even that mirrors the band's recent musical direction. Aside from up to date news of tours, releases and so on, the main attraction is the video wall, which takes advantage of some neat embedded technology to showcase the band. 
Then there's music and video clips galore, an illustrated discography and a well written potted biography.
The Oasis
www.theoasis.co.uk
As is so often the case on the web, this unofficial site run by a besotted teenage fan knocks spots off the official version.Slavishly updated every day with even the merest sniff of any news about the Gallaghers, you'll also find a comprehensive discography and some highly entertaining Real Audio files of Liam in full flow. You can test your devotion in the Oasis quiz and chat about how they're not as good as they used to be on the message board.
Public Enemy
www.public-enemy.com
They may not be the incendiary musical force they once were but the members of Public Enemy still influence just about every hip-hop act in the world today.Leader Chuck D is also in the vanguard of the online music revolution and you'll often find new tracks available here months before they're released in the shops. The stylised design suits the content well and you'll also find all the usual biographies, news and discographies.
MTV
www.mtv.co.uk
The MTV UK site does not follow the normal pattern of news and album reviews. Instead you it has some information on the shows and the presenters, plus some cool interactive features which let you create you own dance music online. You will need the Macromedia Shockwave plugin for that, but it is fun to play with. And to top it all off there are a few interviews with artists like Jamiroquai, Suede and Boyzone.
Music999.com
www.music999.com
Whatever you are looking for, you'll find it here on Music999. It has the latest news from the world of music, as well as reviews of albums and singles. But it also has a huge amount of links to other sites. There are hundreds of links to band sites, so you can find all your favourite items, and there are links to all the important MP3 sites. You can even find links to festival sites and the music industry.
S Club 7
www.sclub.com
If you want to see this site in all its glory you will need Macromedia Flash, and the files do take some time to download, but they are probably worth the wait. In addition to biogs on the members of the band, you also get to read the lyrics to their song, and of course there is a large section devoted to the band's TV series, Miami 7. And as if that is not enough you can join the club, registering online to get all the latest S Club 7 news mailed to your inbox.
Spice Girls
www.virginrecords.com/newspice/index.html
There are no end of unofficial sites devoted to the Spice Girls, all put together by ardent fans, but this is the official site. There are the usual pictures and biographies and a link to the SpiceWorld The Movie site, but most fans will come here for the downloadable video and audio clips. There are plenty of videos of the band being interviewed and live versions of their songs, and when we visited the site you could see the new Spice Girls video for their single Goodbye exclusively online.
B*Witched
www.b-witched.com
If you are a B*witched fan you probably already know all about this site. It has the usual stuff here, including the story of the band, profiles of the girls and news of their upcoming records. You can download wallpapers and screensavers and you can even nominate yourself to be featured on the site itself by filling in an online questionnaire explaining why you think you are the world's greatest B*witched fan.
Blur
www.blur.co.uk
Most music stars' web sites are a little thin on content and the design is pretty unimaginative. Blur stand out from the crowd with this extremely cool site. The graphics are impressive, but so is the content. There are loads of samples of tracks to listen to in RealPlayer format and the Blur VideoWall may take a while to download, but it is well worth the wait. It is cobbled together from Blur's videos, but it is so imaginative that the result is fascinating.
Steps
stepsofficial.com
Listen to the music, do the dance. Not only do you get the usual photos and band profile on the official Steps website, you get to learn how to do the dances. There are eight tracks listed, including Tragedy and Last Thing On My Mind, and for each song there is a written description of the steps, but you also get a little rolling slideshow of Steps themselves doing the dance, so you will get a much better idea of how it goes. There is also a lively forum session and online chat with other Steps fans.
Top of the Pops
www.totp.beeb.com
There is far more to the Top of the Pops site than just seeing who is going to be on the show next week. There is a busy news section full of showbiz gossip, interviews with the stars, a run-down of the current chart and news of who is touring at the moment. If you want to get more involved you can ask a question of Pop Sherlock, enter one of the competitions or even post your own reviews on the site. Phew!

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