Many music podcasts are available online for

downloading; if one wanted to find, for instance, a hip

hop mix podcast, there are a few sites available to help.

The first possibility would be to go directly to a site

which creates one and subscribe to it using a podcast

client which automatically checks the feed for new

episodes and downloads them for the user. If, however,

one did not know of any hip hop mix podcast sites, or

simply wanted to find new podcast sites, the best

possibility would be to check a podcast directory, a list

of podcasts that can be browsed.

Hip hop mix podcasts could easily be found at one of

these podcast directories. A podcast directory stores

lists of podcasts which have been submitted to the site,

and categorizes them by genre, type of podcast, region,

and other meta data. To find a hip hop mix podcast,

visiting a podcast directory and checking under music

podcasts, and then under hip hop music would find

many podcasts which play that type of music.

The hip hop mix podcast could then be subscribed to by

inputting the feed address listed into one of the many

podcast clients. The music will come in episodes, the

name for each downloadable portion of a podcast. Some

of these podcasts may feature independent artists,

musicians trying to break into the music industry who

have chosen podcasting as a way of sharing their music

and gaining a following. Others may be remixes of

popular songs that have been changed in some way to

give a different feel to the music. Often, the artists may

already be established, though, and they still see

podcasting as a way to introduce themselves to a larger

audience. They may grant rights to pay certain hip hip

songs to a podcaster, letting them play the music as part

of their mix distribution while requesting a link to a site

where more information can be learned about the artists

and music can be purchased. Artists that have done this

include alias, edan, outerspace, RA the rugged man,

roots manuva, and outer space.

A large number of podcasts featuring hip hop mix

podcasts are actually radio stations, however. These

broadcasters have found that podcasting their shows

and selections is an easy way to reach more listeners

and gain a greater audience. These podcasters can reach

more people easier and cheaper than they can by

playing hip hop mix music over the airwaves in their

local areas. Playing hip hop music over the internet is

probably the way many future artists will do their work,

and there are many ways available even now that they

can do so and make a profit. For instance, some

podcasts are designed to work on a payment basis. A

hip hop artist who wished to share his music could

charge for addition to the feed list, then issue a unique

feed address to the user, allowing them to hear new

pieces of hip hop music released. The hip hop music

file could even be designed so it could not be copied

and used by another user at a different computer, to

ensure that the artist could maintain control over his

work.