GarageBand.com. which bills itself as a "grass roots community" devoted to giving up-and-coming musicians exposure, on Monday announced the addition of GarageBand Podcast Studio to the Web site. The free tool gives all site members access to its 40,000 active podcasts and enables musicians to record, mix and publish their podcasts. As part of the launch, American Idolis Bo Bice, who is a long-time GarageBand.com member, has made his new single available as a podcast.
The siteis RSS feeds enable listeners to not only receive podcasts but also band tour listings and other news; future plans include unique podcasts created by GarageBand.com, such as a Track of the Day. While the service is free right now, the Web site said it will eventually add advertising to the podcasts, or charge a fee for ad-free downloads. GarageBand.com will also soon add the ability to record music to the site over a phone.