Founded 1999 · Launched March 2, 2000 · Restored 2026
The independent-music web of 2000, restored.
In 2000, Sean Fenlon’s ListenSmart.com gave independent artists a free home online and helped listeners find them. It wound down in 2001–02. What the Internet Archive saved is here.
Were you a ListenSmart artist or member? Find your old page
In memoriam Jim Griffin, ListenSmart.com Board member, died October 19, 2026. Read the tribute
From the bulletin boards, 2000–2001
Overheard on the boards
Artists, fans and staff wrote 3,385 surviving posts in 369 threads. A hack, a hot tub, an impostor and the whole business model, in their own words.
- Surprising
Sean FenlonCompromised Security · October 3, 2000…it appears as though an unknown malicious perpetrator hacked directly into our UBB Server control panel, thereby gaining the ability to broadcast a bulk email to all registered bulletin board users.
- Funny
BaptistDeathRayAm I a “Jum” or a “Dillo”??? · May 11, 2000We are strong and at times a bit intimidating, but on the other hand we have hot tub. And an armadillo.
- Informative
Sean Fenlon, posting both contract options for artists to reviewListenSmart Beta Music Publishing Contracts · May 19, 2000Royalty income from all of the above channels is generally split on a 50/50 basis between the music publisher and songwriter.
- Surprising
stanley, on Sean’s reply to his emailThere are no ADS here!! · April 13, 2000…he felt that it was an important statement to make to the artist community that LS woulnd’t earn even $1 w/o first having the ad-sharing program in place.
- Funny
Holy ZooFake “Zeeza” please come in here. · May 23, 2000I don’t know, guys. I think you should use an escrow service for something this important!
- Funny
KennyLee, board moderatorHey! Did somebody kill Kenny? · March 15, 2001Hi AT. I rise from my crypt daily. We have enough songs. We don’t need anymore.
Learn
Learn about music
140 preserved pages on music theory, instruments, history and styles, 112 of them complete lessons, written for the original site by doctoral students of the Peabody Institute and other writers.
- 8pages
About Music
Rhythm, melody, harmony, form: the elements of music.
Start with Harmony
- 88pages
Instruments
Strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion, keyboards and electronics.
- 30pages
Music History
From ancient music to the 20th century, with composer profiles.
Start with Baroque or Classical Era
- 14pages
Styles & Genres
Blues, jazz, rock, country, soul, hip hop and more.
Start with Jazz & Blues or Soul
Genre Guide 2000
660 genre entries, as the web saw them in 2000
One of the early detailed genre guides: 12 top-level styles branching down to Twee Cuddle Core and Tuvan Throat Singing, with 502 original definitions and 2026 notes. Numbers show all the genres under each style.
The archive
Find your old page
493 artist pages, 986 song pages and 367 member pages, with their original text as the Internet Archive saved it. Search for a band, a song or a username.
Some went on to bigger things: Nad Sylvan became the voice of Steve Hackett’s Genesis Revisited, and BK Groove’s Billy Kilson drummed on Grammy-winning Dave Holland records. See all 22
By the 2001 offering memo’s count
- 1,000+ registered artists
- 3,000+ members
- 25,000+ bulletin-board posts
The archive holds the part the Wayback Machine captured. About the archive
History
The story of a dot-com music startup
- ListenSmart.com, LLC is incorporated; headquarters in Columbia, Maryland.
- Webnoize ’99 in Los Angeles, where Sean meets Scour co-founder Travis Kalanick.
- Public launch at a New York music expo. The bulletin boards open the same day.
- Beta music publishing contracts posted on the boards for artists to review.
- Someone breaks into the board control panel and emails every member.
- The company winds down. The last archived captures of the portal as it ran are from October 2001.
- Rebuilt as a static site: the Learn articles plus the original portal, preserved.
Since I am a musician, I have thought the entire business plan through as an artist.