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But there he is, joined nowadays by a small army of MP3 bloggers numbering in the hundreds. And not only have the lawyers left them more or less in peace, some indie labels and at least one major (Warner Bros.) have tentatively begun to see them as a promotional alternative to tight-assed, Clear Channel-era radio. Generally focused on lesser-known acts, MP3 blogs plainly do record sales less harm than good. And at their best, they offer users a mix of surprise, context, and shared passion that even golden-age-of-FM radio only rarely achieved. Whether it's the dusty grooves and caffeinated overanalysis of the Cool Out (coolout.blogspot.com) or the rap classics and thug-lite prose of Cocaine Blunts & Hip Hop Tapes (cocaineblunts.com), chances are there's a blog out there waiting to rock your intensely private musical world. Blogs like these may not be the end of radio as we know it, but if the music business knows what's good for it, they won't be going away anytime soon.

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