Up to the mid-90s dabbling in mobile telecommunication was akin to walking down Oxford Street with a placard saying 'I'm a gimmer and I like golf'.

How we laughed at the few with those large clunky mobile phones desperately putting in calls to their mothers.

With hindsight, these frontiersmen of technology have to be admired for their vision. Much the same can be said of today's music downloaders. Despite the elegant design of the 'must have' iPod, downloading itself is not that cool. It's often a clumsy experience, fraught with technological barriers and computer jargon.

Not so anymore. TuneTribe.com is a slick, easy-to-use download music store with a difference.

Unlike iTunes, natural home of Natasha Bedingfield et al, TuneTribe actively champions cutting-edge music next to classic releases from yesteryear. What's more, in-depth interviews from top music journalists, as well as celebrity recommendations, will point the uninitiated shopper in the right direction.

Reassuringly the site also shows its support to the independent record sector by operating a fair trade policy, which gives the artist and labels up to 80% of each sale back.

TuneTribe is a music store run by music lovers for music lovers. We have seen the future of music shopping and this could well be it.