Oink is gone.

10/28/06
With the demise of Oink, I have been searching for new sources of music. The problems that face me are three:
1. it’s difficult to find good music amidst the preponderance of crap that is pushed by the big record labels.

2. I have resolved not to support RIAA member labels, which is almost all of them (most smaller lables are owned by one of the “Big Four”), by buying from them.

3. The bitrate (quality) of commercially available MP3’s on the internet is very low compared to what one could get for free on Oink (and to a lesser extent, can still get elsewhere).

Here is a helpful site for solving problem #2, whereby it is possible to determine if a given album was released by a RIAA member.
http://www.riaaradar.com/

10/26/07
Oink was taken down by British and Dutch police a few days ago, and I am mourning its tragic loss. It was an incredible library of music from the whole world, and a tremendous human achievement. It was a glimpse of the utopian potential of the internet, and hopefully a preview of the future of music distribution.

10/18/07
The new Pulse Prophets CD “Breathe” will be available for sale any day now. They’re printing up the first 1000 copies in New Jersey as we speak.