Mutant Sounds—one of the web’s most fertile sources for downloading obscure, great out-of-print releases—has called it quits. In a post from March 9, Mutant Sounds contributor vdoandsound wrote:

So this is where I get to tell you everything you never wanted to hear me say. While it's been a fantastic ride and I hope everyone has enjoyed it, the recent news that issues pertaining to copyright online are now being re-interpreted by the powers-that-be in alarming new ways means that there's no point in pushing this boulder up a hill any longer. Mutant Sounds' original founder Jim is in full agreement with my sentiments and everything except for the texts has now been deleted. I understand this is really crushing news for many and I sympathize with your pain but I also hope you can see why the time has now come to call it a day.

Inspired by Nurse With Wound’s list of subterranean sonic treasures that originated in the sleeve notes to Chance Meeting On A Dissecting Table Of A Sewing Machine And An Umbrella, Mutant Sounds built upon NWW leader Steven Stapleton’s zeal for the overlooked and enigmatic musical geniuses, making available for downloading several classic recordings that existed only in tiny editions for brief durations. This was aural archeology at its finest, and the blog turned on many avid heads to tons of music that otherwise might have withered unheard forever.

Blogger vdoandsound—who is a key member of chameleonic psychedelic bricoleurs Vas Deferens Organization and one of the world's foremost record collectors—also noted: "I'm convinced that this music and a better understanding of it and its historical place will continue to spread, as it's been circulating around out there for some time now, so a thousand other platforms await your own able hands and intentions."

BUT WAIT. While writing this post, I noticed that Mutant Sounds will continue to exist—but with a different approach. The site will share music, but only that for which it has received permission from the artists. These works will be disseminated via Mutant Sounds' personal Dropbox account. vdoandsound's latest post explains the new regime—which begins next week—here. It's fair to say that this is a compromise with which many rare-music fiends can live.