DarrenBarefoot.com

I agree that record companies are mostly evil. Still, I’ve always felt a little sheepish about downloading music without paying the artist. Often discovering a musician or band will lead to buying their CDs and attending their shows, but not always.

Plus, don’t even get me started on an adolescence of music taped off the radio and my Dad’s records.

So, how to assuage this musical guilt? I figured I could send five bucks to some of these artists I’ve never paid. Then I figured I could start a site documenting that process. Then I figured I could invite other guilty music fans to do the same thing.

Four hours later, I came up with DearRockers.org. Here’s the official spiel:

Many of us own music that we didn’t pay for. We don’t feel guilty about shafting the record company, but what about the musicians themselves?

Here’s how it works:

1. Pick a musician
2. Write them a letter
3. Scan or photograph the letter and send it to us
4. Mail off the letter along with $5
5. Enjoy your new, guilt-free life

That’s it, in a nutshell. I suppose it’s a bit of an homage to Post Secret. Subsequent to launch, Kirsten pointed me to MusicNeutral, which kind of does the same thing without the letters and fun and with transaction fees. The site is brand new, and only has nine letters, but I’m hoping to get more.

If you want to assuage a little guilt, please consider submitting a letter. On top of the good karma, you also get:

• A link back to your blog, website, Flickr gallery of vintage pants, whatever.
• If you submit before the end of 2007, a chance to win an iPod Shuffle. Your chances would currently be 1 in 8–the first two letters are mine, and I won’t be buying myself another iPod.

Thanks to the friends who answered my pleading call to submit a few seed letters and provide feedback on the idea–264 karma points for each of you.

Apparently the Maffinator mentioned Dear Rockers yesterday in his weekly tech column on the CBC, but I’ve yet to hear it.