Tradition is all well and good, but it's a shame the creators of Billboard Online chose to so closely mimic the site's precursor, Billboard Magazine. Sure, the print publication has been around for decades, and it has earned a reputation as a music industry insider and newsstand staple. But the plain appearance and predictable approach of the print mag does not translate well into cyberspace, where music news resources abound, and many make the most of the medium. Billboard Online offers such standards as music reviews, industry news, and a look at the charts, but its lack of imagination makes the content seem conservative and colorless. - Katherine Stevenson
Lee "Scratch" Perry is a Reggae legend-at least according to Mick Sleeper, this site's creator and Perry's number-one fan. Perry-also known as Little, the Upsetter, Small Axe, and a host of other funky nicknames-has led quite an interesting and event-filled life, including threatening to kill Bob Marley over stolen band members and later becoming his producer. Fans will also find a discography, photos, and related links. Overall, this is a nice tribute to Lee Perry, although the Reggae-speak gets a little tiresome after awhile. You dig, mon? - Rachel Saidman
MxPx-formerly Magnified Plaid for those in the know-is a punk band from Bremerton, Wash., that started playing together when its members were 15. I'm not familiar with their music, but the site's creator compares them to Green Day, with the notable exception that many of their songs have Christian themes. Read the interesting interviews to fully understand this seeming contradiction in terms. Fans can also find tour dates, photos of the guys, lyrics of selected songs, and RealAudio clips of their music. In short, a few intriguing tidbits and a pretty zippy design make this a nice introduction to this young band. - Rachel Saidman
This light-hearted music zine features several personalities who discuss the latest and greatest of the alternative-band scene, all from a Canadian perspective. While visiting this site, you may stumble across the next big name in alternative rock or catch a live online interactive interview with the currently featured band. Streaming video makes the chat room all the more interesting. Don't fret if you miss an issue; you can catch up with past features in the Back Issues section, where Soda archives all of its previously featured goodies. - Kevin Cooke
This high-bandwidth site makes use of every kilobyte your modem can muster. Filled with RealAudio samples, Javascripts, and text-based chat, Skold touts an enhanced representation of the musical artist that shares its namesake. You'll experience Skold's wares in QuickTime movies, AIFF format, and a PICT slideshow that would choke any 14.4. However, this site's aesthetic prowess makes it worth the visit. If you're looking for spastic imagery that demands the very best in browser technology, launch Netscape Navigator, because while Skold will light up your screen like a Christmas tree, it won't support MSIE. - Jason Michaels
Hobnobbing with Bing Crosby, playing aunt to "ER"-stud George, and generally singing like hell since the 1940s, Rosemary Clooney earned this Web site. A promotional venture, yes, but the site has an elegance that makes it read more like a tribute than an advertisement. Fans can read a short bio of the jazz singer, view a list of her albums, listen to a few samples, or browse various articles written about her in other media. A complete time line follows Ms. Clooney's rise to stardom, from her first hit in 1951 to her first made for TV biography in 1982 to this year's album about motherhood. The site doesn't offer a whole lot to keep fans coming back, but simplicity is part of its charm. - Robert Capps
TSOL probably never predicted their screaming noise would be blasting across phone lines and out tiny computer speakers. It would be very ... well ... unpunk. But here they are. Through the magic of RealAudio, Sam and Ella dish out old and new hardcore. Obviously the pair hammered for hours in front of a screen to create this delicious Web site-a very unpunk notion in itself. Sam and Ella will never exude everyone's definition of that nebulous, dead-yet-alive music genre, but come listen to their jukebox of classic and new-many of them unknown-noise bands. They may just throw your garage project into the next mix . - Robert Capps
Netcasts have come a long way, baby. Video still looks like a disjointed slide show at best, but streaming audio no longer reminds one of AM radio. For a bit of the best in online music multicasting, check out Live Online's collection of Webcasts from all over the Net. Search the archives by genre and listen in on fine recordings of Allen Ginsberg, Porno for Pyros, Poppa Chubby, and hundreds of other artists. Also worth a look is the guide to music Web sites. Before you fire up the sound card and get rockin', however, you might want to buy yourself a magnifying glass, because this site uses a font size so small it'll burn out your retinas. - David Pescovitz
Site of the month!!
I was driving in my car when I heard the bad news: Miller Brewing Company, in a blaze of marketing brilliance, had jumped on the alternative-music bandwagon and was now sponsoring and giving away tickets to small, private concerts of big-name alternative bands such as Bush. Not since the Chili Peppers wrote a best-selling hit for the Coneheads soundtrack had the music industry shown itself to be such a ridiculously commercial business. Disillusioned and depressed, I finally admitted that alternative music, an oxymoron if ever one existed, had finally died. Or had it? Now that alternative music has gone more mainstream than McDonalds, you really just have to dig a little harder to find something that won't eventually make it to the top 40. And if you want something that will probably never make it to radio at all, you'll want to dig on over to Nine Up, because these kids know raw, uncommercial talent when they see it. The Nine Up Web site, an integral part of an independent rehearsal studio in Hunters Point, San Francisco, features live Web casts of three great SF bands every other Saturday from 4 to 8 p.m., as well as a decent-sized archive of past shows that will keep you rocking in your booties while you sit at your computer. If you live in or near San Francisco, I suggest jogging on over to the Nine Up studio one Saturday to watch the shows in person, because let's face it-Web casts have a long way to go before they come close to recreating a live performance. But if you don't live within driving distance of the Bay Area, just cruise on over to the Web site, plug in your RealAudio and VDO Live, grab something out of the fridge other than Miller Genuine Draft (Nine Up suggests Pabst), and listen and watch the shows from the comfort of your home. You'll hear talents you just can't find on KROQ. Check out who's playing next, and while you wait for the show to start, browse through the archive to get a sampling of some of the best bands San Francisco has to offer. You don't want to miss See Jane Run's sensuous performance, Engine 88's edgy songs, Baby Carrot's catchy tunes, or a whole slew of other unique shows. By the time the live show starts, you'll most likely find yourself dancing in front of your monitor in your underwear, playing air guitar in a way that's scarily reminiscent of Rob Lowe in Risky Business (like I did while listening to JoJo and Blue Sky Roadster's Nine Up performances). Nine Up also features candid, unedited RealAudio interviews with many of the bands, e-mail addresses for band members, and links to related Web sites. Watching a jam session here may not be as glamorous as winning one of Miller's much-publicized tickets to see Bush in Los Angeles, but it's certainly a lot more fun. - Jeff Titterton