Music lovers have embraced the Internet, and there are a whole range of great sites where you can check the latest tunes, find new recommendations, and chat with other music enthusiasts about the next big thing. Of course Orcon broadband makes finding and listening to music online an awesome experience. Here are a selection of great sites to help you with your music fix (completely legally of course).

The Hype Machine

The Hype Machine keeps an eye on a whole range of awesome music blogs, and aggregates them. So the hottest artists and tunes float to the top. You can create an account, keep track of your favourite tunes, and get your own customised view of what is hot. You can click through to purchase a lot of the tunes from some of the most popular digital download sites.

Soundcloud

Soundcloud is a web tool that allows artists to share their music with the world. I guess it is kind of a community built around music. You can follow your favourite artists and see their latest tunes pop up on your dashboard. You can also comment on their tunes, and even download some of them for free (if the artist allows it). It is also hooked up to a whole lot of the digital download sites, so you can click right through and buy music.

Last.fm

Last.fm keeps track of what you are listening to, and in the process learns what you love so that it can make you great recommendations. It can also create a fully personalised radio stream for you to listen to based on the songs that you love. The more that you tell it, the more it figures out what you do and don't like. There are free tunes to download, and heaps more like alerts for gigs in your area that you might like. Clever stuff.

Noise Porn

If you like your music electronic, the Noise Porn is a must read blog. The latest from the rising (and established) stars from across the electronic music spectrum. Don't let the name put you off (or get you too excited?), the only obscene things are the beats.