The best things in life are free; getting something for nothing is like music to my ears.

And now, Microsoft has found a way to make that expression literal.

The industry giant has teamed up with Control Room (the company behind last year's Live 8 benefit concerts) to bring free live musical shows to the MSN web portal.

The deal spans multiple years and includes 36 exclusive concerts. The performances will air live on MSN's 42 global websites and then they'll be available on-demand for a limited period of time thereafter.

So, how is Microsoft able to provide these shows free of charge? The old-fashioned way, of course: good ol' advertising.

On October 2nd, MSN will debut its new free concert service with John Legend performing live in London. Legend is an R&B singer under Sony's BMG label. (Source: reuters.com)

This is not the first attempt to air live musical performances for free over the Internet. AOL had previously intended to do the same thing, but those plans fell apart after 14 months. Part of the problem was the unwillingness of some companies and artists to offer their concerts online. (Source: nytimes.com)

It remains to be seen if Microsoft will encounter the same pitfalls. Live 8's Kevin Wall -- who previously worked on the AOL venture and is now teaming with Microsoft -- doesn't see that happening, however.

As Wall points out, Microsoft has a massive userbase (466 million worldwide) and can offer its concerts in many different formats. Users of the Xbox 360, Windows Media Center, and Microsoft's upcoming Zune mobile music player will also be able to access the shows. (Source: latimes.com)