Save Paste Magazine, Get Free Music!!
I’ve been writing for Ink19 for over five years now and it has been wonderful. When I first started, I barely knew anything about the albums or artists that I received. That all changed when I subscribed to Paste Magazine over two years ago. That magazine does not focus on celebrities or who’s the “it” artist- or group-of-the-moment. They focus on music and the artists that make it. Paste has made me a much more knowledgeable reviewer. I had not heard of a lot of the artists before subscribing, but now I have heard at least one of their songs thanks to the monthly sampler consisting of anywhere from 19 to 22 songs per month. It’s where I first heard Bon Iver, Janelle Monet, Okkervil River, Virginia Coalition, as well as new music by Tift Merritt, Willie Nelson and dozens of others. Did I (and do I) like every song on the samplers? No, but I can at least say that I’ve heard something by these artists, most of them don’t even have a blip of coverage in most mainstream magazines. (Yes, I’m talking about you Rolling Stone and Spin.)
So why do I post this? Because Paste Magazine is in trouble. They are in dire need of some financial help. Yes, there are a lot of magazines that have gone online-only or just folded all together, but this one is the first magazine I’ve received as an adult that I read cover to cover every single time. The writing is superb (just like the writing here on Ink19) and they profile many artists that I would not know anything about otherwise. So I’m asking anyone reading this to go to this site and help out if you can. I am also running on a very tight budget, but I donated $1. Yeah, I know, it doesn’t sound like much, but it helps and it comes with some serious rewards, which makes this entirely worthwhile.
For every donation, you get a password to unlock a download vault of rare and unreleased tracks from artists like The Decemberists, The Avett Brothers, Of Montreal, Brandi Carlisle, Neko Case and G. Love amongst many others. So far there are over 75 songs that are FREE just for making a donation. As more songs become available, you will have access to those as well. So, you get butt-loads of free music for donating a couple of bucks to a magazine that is one of the best in the music business. I don’t normally do this, but I think that this cause is well worth it. If nothing else, check out the site and see what Paste is all about. You will not be disappointed.
