50 Best Websites 2008

Imeem is a music site on steroids. Not only is it a music store where you can buy and download songs, but it's also an Internet radio station with thousands of channels and it's a social network for sharing your favorite playlists. But what really sets it apart from other online music sellers, like Pandora, Last FM and Slacker, is that Imeem is the first streaming-music site to secure song rights from all four major music labels (which are rumored to have a stake in Imeem). Requesting a particular song on Pandora, say, is always a crapshoot, but on Imeem you can immediately start listening to most any title you type in. That kind of instant gratification is what the Web is all about — and what has long been missing from other free sites.

—Anita Hamilton