Free Music Samplers from Amazon

Amazon.com, still a relatively new player in the online music market, is carving out quite a niche for itself with the release of several free samplers from various record companies. A lot of it is indie rock, so if you are into that, you can check out a wide variety of new tracks. There is also a variety of other genres available as well. They are giving these collections away, no doubt, in an attempt to entice you to buy more music by the featured artists. It's a great way to explore records that you might not otherwise hear. Three of my favorites:

The Koch Records jazz sampler is a mixed bag, with some instrumentals, some vocals, and a bit of smooth jazz. I do, however, really like the tracks by Vinicius Cantuaria (some nice samba), Jason Miles (a cover of "Stolen Moments"), and Jenny Scheinman (jazz violin).

I'm always looking for interesting music from cultures beyond my own, so any world music sampler is highly appreciated. The Rough Guide series is an excellent introduction to exotic sounds. This small sampler of their many, many discs goes from Guinea, South Africa, and Madagascar to Latin America and Arabia with a nice variety of Afropop and salsa.

Finally, Daptone Records offers some great funk and soul that sounds like it's straight out of the 1970s. If you want to hear some greasy horn vamps and hip vocals, check this one out!

Click on any of the album covers to go to the webpage and start downloading!