BitTorrent Now is a free service launched by BitTorrent where you can stream media contributed by underground artists. It is a multi-platform application available on web, Android, iOS and Apple TV. In this article, I will cover the web version of BitTorrent Now. Audiophiles will be delighted to see the effort BitTorrent has applied to bring the underground music scene in the limelight. Torrent platforms, popular for piracy are known to give indie artists the means to share their wondrous music. The crackdown on torrent platforms has hampered the ease of sharing underground music. With BitTorrent Now in the scene, sharing and enjoying indie music is a piece of pie. This app has shifted the equilibrium of peer-to-peer sharing more towards legal use of torrent platforms. BitTorrent Now includes media such as indie music, experimental videos, documentaries, etc.
If you’re an underground artist yourself you can showcase and share and sell your work. It all depends on the way you treat your work. If music is your passion, share it for free! If you want to commercialize your passion, sell it!
There is a chance you might have ended up here thinking BitTorrent Now streams video and audio torrents. For those lost travelers, here is video streaming Torrent app: WebTorrent.
Let’s see what BitTorrent has in store for us.
How to use BitTorrent Now to Browse Indie Media
BitTorrent Now’s web app features trending indie artists and their bundles on the front page. Click on View the Bundle if you’re interested, else scroll down. If you’d like to expand the access means of Bittorent Now, click on Get The Apps to download BitTorrent Now apps on different platforms.
As you scroll down, you’ll come across tons of music to download/ buy accompanied with their awesome artwork. The topmost section will give you trending indie projects. Below that, most recently added projects will be listed. You can keep going on in the featured section and I assure you the list will not end anytime soon.
Most of the albums/project you browse adopt the ‘trial’ model where they let access and download a few media files in the bundle. Rest of the songs are dedicated to a premium package which you’ll have to buy if you want to more. A few will ask you to subscribe to their mailing list in order to access the whole album (which will be sent on Email). Some indie projects can only be enjoyed after payment. Whatever the conditions are, you’ll love the artwork and the way the projects are presented. Once you select a bundle for download, it will be added in your default torrent client’s download queue.
How to Publish Your Project on BitTorrent Now
BitTorrent Now is the best thing to happen to indie artists. It provides artists a platform to share their work widely with or without payment. To upload your content on BitTorrent Now, click on Publish at the top and register on BitTorrent Now. Sometime back, I had created a really simple loop using HTML-808 and Scribble.Audio. I will be launch that loop using BitTorrent Now.
A cool cover art and background image were designed to attract people to my humble page. After one fills in the title, description and tags, one might want to customize URL, social links, release date and the removal date in the advance settings.
There are 3 download gates: free, Email and payment gate. Multiple gates can be selected and files can be uploaded to them. Email gate adds the downloader’s email address in mailing list and the file is sent via Email. So finally, you have created a bundle on BitTorrent Now.
Final Words
BitTorrent Now is a phenomenon that will definitely challenge mainstream media in the future since it has redefined peer to peer sharing. It provides users a variety of content to enjoy and if you happen to be an artist, you can launch your work with BitTorrent successfully. While testing this web app, I did not come across a single instance of bug or exceptions. So no worries! Finally, I’d like to award BitTorrent Now 5 stars for the kind of service it provides.
Try BitTorrent Now here.
