Genres

A guide for Music fans

How to preview great new music with eListeningPost

Tell me more about...

The info

Downloading previews
eListeningPost enables you to experience great new music from all sorts of artists without registering with anyone then, if you like what you hear, gives you the chance to buy the track with just a few clicks on the mouse. First things first, you need to download the eListeningPost ‘preview’ (a special digital track) for the song you want to check out. You can do this from the eListeningPost website or, normally, the website of the artist you are interested in hearing. Or you might have received the preview already by email. Previews are available in both a Windows Media and Real format - you use whichever you like best (if you’ve been emailed your preview, it may be attached in one format, but there’ll be a link where you can get the other should you want it).

Playing the preview
Once you have downloaded a preview you will see the file on your desktop (or wherever you asked for it to be saved). If you’re using a preview you were emailed you probably want to drag the actual file ‘off the email’ and onto your desktop before you start. To kick things off double click on the file (though you could possibly have guessed that bit!).

Media players
Windows Media Player or Real Player will automatically open, depending on what kind of preview you have chosen and/or how your computer is set up. (If you don’t have either of these players, or you don’t have the latest versions, you will need to install or upgrade them. But it doesn’t cost anything to do either of these things – click here for details on how to do this. (Oh, even if you have the latest versions of the player on your PC, if you have never played a secure song before, your player might need to ‘update itself’ to make the preview work – but this will normally happen automatically).

Mac users
If you have a Mac you can use RealPlayer 10 to play the previews and will have the same experience as what the PC users get. You will need to download the free RealPlayer 10 for the Mac.

Advertisements
A short ad may also play before your preview. By watching this ad you are supporting the artist whose music you are previewing, because 60% of the revenue from it goes directly to the artist. Though, just so you know, the ad that plays is picked at random from our library of ads - the artist has not selected the ad that you may see.

Artist feedback
When you go to play the preview a third time you will be asked a few questions, so that you can give the artist some much appreciated feedback. You can also opt to be added to the artist’s fanbase and receive more information and music from them.

Buying a track
During the preview you can opt to buy the song by clicking the ‘buy’ button. Or, at any time, you can click on the ‘buy’ button associated to the song on the eListeningPost website. eListeningPost doesn’t take any of the money from the sale of the artist’s music although we will help them sell it using PayPal (meaning you can pay by credit card or your own PayPal account) or from any place they want to sell it. If they choose to sell it through eListeningPost this transaction is done directly with the artist or their label - meaning they get 100% of the money you pay, less PayPal’s nominal transaction fees. We do manage the payment process and ‘activate’ or ‘supply’ your downloadtrac – so you’ll get access to the song you buy immediately, even if the band themselves are off on tour, or locked in a studio, or lying in a gutter somewhere.

Registering with eListeningPost
You will not be required to register with eListeningPost to preview or purchase tracks. We will ask you for your email address when you buy a track, but this is so we can securely send you details of how to access your track once you’ve paid for it.

Activating a track once you have bought it
If the artists is not selling an MP3 you don’t need to download a new track – you can transform the ‘preview’ already on your computer into an unlimited play file with an 'activation code' which we will email you. To activate the song, you need to click on the preview again, only this time press the 'activate' button underneath the advert as soon as it appears. You will then be asked for the code. This will ‘unlock’ the song for good - you will be able to play it as many times as you like, and you won't ever see our licence or ad screen. We recommend you move the activated file to wherever you store your music on your PC. You will not be able to burn this track to a cd.

MP3s
That said, some tracks are also available directly from the artist in an MP3 format. This you will need to download. We will tell you how to do this once you have paid. It’s really simple.

More, more...
Most artists will have several tracks available to preview and buy via eListeningPost - so do check their websites for more previews. Alternatively, check the eListeningPost website where you'll also find them, and loads more great music from loads of great artists - every single one giving you free previews of their music without having to register with anyone.

Sending it on  
eListeningPost, and all our artists, want you to share the experience with your friends. You can email any eListeningPost preview to all the people you feel will like it, and they too can preview the songs up to five times each without having to register with anyone. You can email the actual preview file, or email links to the page on the eListeningPost or artist website where the previews are stored.

Discover the most popular new music in the easiest possible way
If you let us know your favourite genre(s) and your email address once a week we will send you previews of the music from that genre that has been forwarded from friend to friend the most and listened to by the most people. Music fans around the world will select the best new music and we send it directly to your inbox. We will not use your email address for anything else nor will we provide it to anyone.

Cleaning up
Once you have enjoyed your preview, we’d recommend deleting the file off your desktop, or wherever you stored it, to save hard disk space. Unless you are planning on buying it of course, then you should click on the preview again and press the buy button. (Though if you do delete a preview and then decide you want to buy it, you can always redownload the preview from the eListeningPost website and go through the buy process described above).