Deep linking to MP3s

The top referrer to my website is not MySpace, Facebook, this blog, or even Google, but Baidu MP3, a Chinese search engine known for deep linking to MP3s. In other words, it's good at finding the location of music files hosted anywhere on the internet so you can download them. For free.

If anyone know how to read some HTML code, they can find music online. My MP3s are somewhat hidden online, but they're not impossible to find. Likewise there will always be MySpace hacks enabling people to grab music directly off the MySpace server. Actually, you don't even need a hack for that if you can get creative. My belief is that if you are creative enough, or digging through code to find MP3s is your thing, go for it. You earned it. Just don't think you're tricking anybody.

When it comes to something like Baidu, I'm not sure deep linking to music files is the best thing for online music. Eventually, less of the great content will be available for complete previews online, and that's what we all love about the internet. You can find ANYTHING.

Of course, I don't think I'm blowing up in China (yet). Most of these hits likely come from somebody searching for one of the songs I've covered, and the person searching probably isn't looking for my version. But none the less, the end up at my website. While they might not understand English, it would be pretty cool if my music became popular enough that I might one day be crusing through China Town here in NYC and find a bootleg album or better yet, an obscure, nonsensical reference on a t-shirt.

(If you're having trouble reading that, it says, "One of the hostages being Taliban had two message interview late last night.")

And to be sure this blog is now banned in China, let me add: Free the Tibetan people from cultural genocide!