So, you spent most of last year cramming your iPod with Fall Out Boy’s entire catalogue and spent the rest of your time dodging lawyers from the Recording Industry Association of America because you downloaded it all illegally. If you are not in jail yet, 2006 should be a good year for you. “The parched desert that was 2005 makes for an interesting 2006,” Craig Marks, editor-in-chief of Blender magazine, told the Associated Press at the end of last year. “Record companies are eager, if not desperate, to try something different.”

With iTunes’ Music Store having such a spectacular year, other companies such as Microsoft and MySpace.com are offering their own musical outlets.

Earlier this year Bill Gates unveiled Urge, his new music service and software. Urge launched on Jan. 4, offering more than 2 million tracks available for purchase with an optional all-you-can-eat subscription service, something iTunes has yet to offer. Files downloaded through Urge will not be playable on Apple’s iPod, currently the top selling MP3 player.

Artists are also offering their music online through MySpace.com, the fourth most visited site on the Web. An artist can upload four songs onto their MySpace.com account for fans to hear. MySpace.com also offers songs for users to download. Because MySpace.com is a free service, it is quickly becoming the most popular way for listeners to discover independent or unsigned artists.

What will fans be listening to on these new musical outlets you ask? Expect Kanye West protg Rhymefest and other reggaeton-influenced artists such as Daddy Yankee to flood MP3 players this year.

Teddy Geiger, the 17-year-old singer-songwriter, who Marks describes as “the Teen People John Mayer,” will be releasing his debut album on Cred Records in February to much critical buzz. Geiger is already showing his talents outside of the musical world by appearing in a recurring role on the new CBS series “Love Monkey.”

Also branching out into film in 2006 is OutKast. The Grammy-winning duo will release the soundtrack “Idlewild,” sometime in March. Big Boi and Andre 3000 also star in the movie about a 1930’s era speakeasy.

Country music superstar Kenny Chesney will be hitting the road this year on his “The Road and the Radio” tour in support of his latest album of the same name. Dierks Bently and Sugarland will be his supporting acts. He will be making stops in Lafayette on April 21 and Bossier City on April 23.

Other artists with planned releases this year include: Yellowcard (Jan. 24), Cam’ron (Feb. 14), Evanescence (March), The Flaming Lips (April 4) and the Red Hot Chili Peppers (April). Pearl Jam, Janet Jackson, Tool, Radiohead, Lauryn Hill, Metallica, Prince and Shania Twain all plan to release albums in 2006 but have yet to announce a release date.