DMOZ - Arts: Music: Sound Files

This area is for web broadcasting stations (streaming) and sound file collections, full-length songs only, please.

If you offer short clips to promote sales of your recordings, those aren''t sound files, they''re advertisements, so please submit your site to the appropriate record label or Bands and Artist category.

Sites with roughly equal numbers of files in several formats usually end up in the main category, so please don''t submit to every category that you have file types for.

Sites with more of one file type than another usually go into the category for the predominant file type.

ASF

ASF is an audio format produced by Microsoft with the ability to stream music from the internet or download and play offline. The primary audio player used for this format is Windows Media Player.

Please only submit sites here that are offering ASF (Windows Media) sound files for listening.

If the site contains information about the file-format, then it belongs here.
If the site is offering software of some sort, then it belongs here.

Classical

For classical sound files.

MIDI

MIDI, or Musical Instrument Digital Interface, is a protocol for sending digital information between electronic music instruments and equipment, including computers and signal processors (devices that modify sounds by adding reverberation, modifying pitch, and other means). The basic protocol addresses common functions, such as notes, timing, pitch, and pedal information. MIDI keyboards, guitars, violins, and drums have become as common as the synthesizer in electronic music. MIDI permits such instruments to be connected to one another and to computers, which are often used as sequencers (devices that control the output of musical instruments and signal processors).

Submit sites primarily concerned with the MIDI file type here. If your MIDI files are full-length, your site will probably be welcome here.

If you offer only short clips of MIDI sounds in order to advertise longer ones, you are primarily a sales site, not a music site, and you should submit your site to Shopping/Entertainment/Recordings/Music/Sound_Files/MIDI/.

Sites containing information about the format or software/hardware used in conjunction with it belong in: Computers/Multimedia/Music and Audio/MIDI.

MOD

Tracking is a highly creative form of computerized musical composition that involves the creation or tweakage of every aspect of musical information including the sounds themselves. For more information on getting into Tracking, visit the sites in this category. Most are very helpful.

Submit sites here that relate to Tracking and its many associated file types.

This category is for sites containing tracked music files in the form of .MOD, .XM, .IT . MED and .S3M.

If a site is about tracked music by an artist or band, please submit it to Arts: Music: Sound Files: MOD: Bands and Artists.

MP3

We list sites here that are predominantly concerned with anything having to do with the MP3 sound files.

If your MP3 files are full-length, your site will probably be welcome here, but if you offer only short MP3 clips in order to get people to buy longer ones or CDs, you are primarily a sales site, not a music site, and you should submit your site to the appropriate category under Shopping.

Please try and find a sub-category for the site before submitting here. Nearly all sites submitted to this directory are moved to a sub-category anyway.

Only sites which feature a whole range of things to do with MP3, such as news, reviews, hardware, etc. will be accepted here. Even if the site has a few different sections featured, if downloads is the main one, it should be listed under Downloads.

RealAudio

This category contains sites offering files for download or listening via streaming in the RealAudio (.RA and .RM) format.

If your files are full-length, your site will probably be welcome here, but if you offer only short RealAudio clips whose purpose is to advertise longer ones or CDs, you are primarily a sales site, not a music site, and you should submit your site to the appropriate category under Shopping.

Please only submit sites that are offering sound files (stream or download) in the RealAudio format.

If your site deals with information about the format, please submit here.
If you site deals with software, please submit here.

Samples and Loops

This category is for web sites offering samples and edited loops for musicians to use in their recordings. Full-length songs are not listed here.

If you offer short clips to promote sales of your recordings, those aren't useful for this category, they''re advertisements, so please submit your site to the appropriate "record company" or "bands and artists" categories.

Please be sure that this is the right category for your submission. You may want to check these other categories to see if your site doesn't fit better there:

Business/Business_Services/AudioVisual/Production/Audio/ Computers/Multimedia/Development_Frameworks/Flash/Resources/ Arts/Music/Bands_and_Artists/Unsigned_Band_Resources/ Shopping/Entertainment/Recordings/Audio/Music/Specialty/Backing_Tracks/ Computers/Multimedia/Music_and_Audio/Software/Synthesizers/ Arts/Performing_Arts/Theatre/Stagecraft/Sound/Effects/ Business/Arts_and_Entertainment/Equipment/Effects/Sound/ Recreation/Humor/Audio_and_Video_Clips/

Also, please ensure that you write a clear and descriptive summary for your link, please avoid hype (i.e. "the best" " massive" "top") and please also avoid specific quantities. (i.e. "over 1000" "hundreds of" "CD''s by xyz, abc")

By following these guidelines, you ensure that your submission gets listed at the earliest opportunity.

VQF

VQF is a new music compression format. Compared to MP3, quality is claimed as good and the file size is smaller, but the processing of the files is more CPU-intensive.

WAV

For sites which feature music in WAV format.

This category is only for sites which feature music in WAV format. If the site contains music in any other format, you can find the appropriate category in Arts/Music/Sound_Files.

If the site contains audio other than music or is not limited to music (for example famous lines from a movie or television program or humorous WAV files), it does not belong in this category. Other categories to consider include: Arts/Movies/Multimedia/Audio and Computers/Multimedia/Audio/Sound_Archives/General_Collections.