This is really good stuff :)

Media Players

1. RealPlayer - This industry-standard, streaming-media player undergoes a face-lift and emerges with a downloadable music store and enhanced jukebox capabilities. Though not groundbreaking, the RealPlayer music store gets a thumbs-up for being easy to use and offering a flexible DRM policy.   
   
2. Winamp - Nullsoft has a lot of ground to make up after the Winamp 3.0 debacle, a dwindling user base, and stiff competition from Apple's iTunes. Winamp 5 is a huge step in the right direction, with support for AAC encoding, CD burning, and a robust file-management system...finally.
   
   
3. Quintessential Player – Other players may receive more attention, but it is hard to beat Quintessential Player in it's efficiency, stability, and flexibility. Easily customizable and built to support almost any plug-in, this freeware tool just got a fine video player. CD-ripping and MP3-converting features increase the program's  value without bloat.

Download Managers

1. Internet Download Accelerator – This straightforward and feature-rich download manager is a good choice for active surfers and those on dial-up connections. In our tests, Internet Download Accelerator raised the download speed by up to three times. The neat interface offers several ways to start retrieving a file: clicking a link in your browser, copying the URL to the Clipboard, or dragging the download to a semitransparent floating window.
   
   
   
2. GetRight – Broken connections, unwieldy file sizes, and computer crashes--oh, my! The pitfalls facing downloaders are many and varied, so we welcome a program that solves these problems. GetRight extends the ability of your browser's built-in downloading and provides useful features such as download scheduling, file segmenting, and error recovery from broken connections.
   
   
   
3. ReGet Deluxe - Feature-packed and easy to use, ReGet Deluxe deserves its "deluxe" moniker. The utility provides plenty of automation options. You can schedule virtually any operation: connecting to the Internet, starting a download, changing speed limits, hanging up on a connection, or shutting down your PC.
   
   
   
4. FlashGet - FlashGet is specifically designed to address two of the biggest problems when downloading files: Speed and management of downloaded files.If you have ever waited forever for your files to download from a slow connection, or been cut off mid-way through a download - or just can not keep track of your ever-growing downloads - FlashGet is for you. FlashGet can split downloaded files into sections, downloading each section simultaneously, for an increase in downloading speed from 100% to 500%. This, coupled with FlashGet's powerful and easy-to-use management features, helps you take control of your downloads like never before.

Audio Production

1. Virtual DJ - With effects, samples, and transitions that rival vinyl turntablisms, Virtual DJ lets anyone produce polished MP3 mixes. At the top of the graphically intense interface, song-structure visualizations show the beats as the music plays. Two simulated turntables play the currently loaded tracks. Windows below the turntables show samples, effects, music search, recording, program options, and an Explorer-style interface for loading music. You will need to download an MP3 encoder if you do not want to record files in WAV format. The program not only can create audio collages, but it now also can make montages of video clips. The stylish interface and high number of features score points, but learning how to use the program is a hit-or-miss proposition. Fortunately, the program offers a thorough user guide. Virtual DJ is well worth a look both for wannabe mixers and newbies.                                                                                                                                                                              
   
2. GoldWave – The mid-level audio editor offers a good feature set and handy interface with plenty of automation options. The GoldWave program interface is well designed and efficient, letting you edit several files within one window. The editing tools range from cutting and trimming to applying various effects and filters. What is more, advanced users can create unique effects using mathematical equations. The program makes it a snap processing multiple audio files at ones. You can create an effects chain (a kind of macro) and apply it to a batch of files simultaneously. File formats and tags also may be processed in this way. Versatile and convenient, GoldWave will meet virtually any need of a nonprofessional audio editor.                                                                                                           

Rippers & Encoders

1. CDex - While most commercial audio software leans toward all-in-one suites, freeware CDex focuses instead on performing one main task as efficiently as possible. Extracting digital music files from CDs becomes simple, quick, and painless. CDex also offers enough advanced options for converting between formats to satisfy the serious digital music fan. The main interface is very clean, with a CD track listing, album information, and buttons that perform major functions such as ripping, converting, CDDB lookup, and configuration. CDex includes 12 different compressed file encoders, including MP3, AAC, WMA, APE, and OGG, and also supports any external encoders.
   
   
2. Konvertor - Even a brief look at Konvertor is enough to understand how powerful it is. The software opens just about anything, be it images, text, video, or audio. No matter what weird format your file is in, the program can convert it into a more common one. Just select a folder, pick a file in that folder, then specify a destination folder and the format to which to convert the file.

Music Site

http://www.nme.com/ - The online presence of the UK-based New Musical Express.


http://www.mtv.com - Online news from Music Television, focusing on rock, metal, rap, hip hop, R&B, and pop.

http://www.vh1.com – music newswire: top music news stories.

http://www.billboard.com - Billboard.com is the music entertainment industry source for music business news, information, and the popular Billboard Music Charts.

http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/ - Digital Music News: Technology News for Music Industry Professionals.


http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/ - Pitchfork is a website dedicated to music and the discussion thereof.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/ - Daily music news from the BBC covering pop styles and classical.