Social Networks Meet Music Media
User-Driven Online Communities Highlight Blogs News and MP3s
Blog aggregators and social network sites are putting control of music in the hands of indie bands and devoted fans, as new programs provide access to mp3s and exposure.
Digital media and social networking — two of the web's most dynamic trends — are finding more and more ways to integrate, and both fans and independent bands benefit.
Digital media provides the music. Social networking adds critical organization, community and exposure. Fans get to choose. Artists get their stage.
Interactive giant Myspace lunched the trend in 1998, changing the way people preview, purchase and promote new music, and putting power in the hands of small-time bands and their listeners -- and it was just the start. In fact, iconic rocker David Bowie told the New York Times in 2002, "The absolute transformation of everything that we ever thought about music will take place within 10 years, and nothing is going to be able to stop it."
Here are 3 more innovative user-driven web communities fueling the digital music transformation.
Elbo.ws
Inside the music blog community, cutting edge news and mp3s ripple through the networks. Some high-traffic sites, like Idolator and Brooklynvegan thrive as lucrative advertising magnets, and regularly break news and tour schedules. But any indie fan with an internet connection can make a blog splash, and this communal effort has reshaped the digital landscape and induced a flood of media.
Nearly 2,600 blogs subscribe to Elbo.ws, which (along with similar aggregators like The Hype Machine) helps to sort through the onslaught of info by collecting and organizing individual blog posts. The site does not host its own mp3s, but instead highlights those made available by blog subscribers. Click on any artist that's ever been mentioned in any of the nearly 700,000 posts filtered through the site, and Elbo.ws breaks down all the mentions and mp3 locations. Updated every 15 minutes, the site displays top artists, songs, videos and blogs, and compiles stats for it all. A lively forum hosts ongoing discussions about rising bands and the oft-controversial music industry.
The mountain of information out there can be overwhelming. Elbo.ws makes it easy to stay on top.
Last.FM
Last.fm bills itself as the "Social Music Revolution," and this music movement includes artists as well as listeners. For fans, the comprehensive site tracks and charts user listens, recommends new music, and packages it all into an information suite available for users to share through a personalized profile. Users simply download an application, which when activated either tracks iTunes activity, or allows fans to search for and play music directly off the site.
For musicians, Last.fm allows both artists and labels to upload songs, photos and biographies, providing crucial exposure to more than 20 million subscribers. The site pays royalties to artists when songs get streamed through the Last.fm media player with real-time airplay stats, and enables bands to post shows and fans to RSVP.
Last.fm thrives on user interaction. Artists get free promotion. New music gets to the fans.
The Sixty One
Mixing stock market gamesmanship with the music scene, The Sixty One website creates a delightfully addicting communal race to discover new songs and push them to the top of the charts.
It works like this: Bands create a profile to feature their music. Listeners sample songs and "bump" favorite ones from a limited pool of points. A new song costs more points, but yields a greater return on the investment if it catches on and gets bumped by other listeners. Listeners and artists each gain levels by earning points, with each new level unlocking new investing privileges for listeners (e.g. the ability to bump a particular song mulitple times). Listeners with good taste gain points. Good musicians gain the sweet sensation of sitting atop a music chart. Users interact via an interface similar to Facebook. The site enables direct free downloads from some bands, and cheap DRM-free mp3 purchases through Amazon for bigger names. A community forum ties it all together.
The Sixty One claims to be "A Music Adventure." It's innovative approach to exploring the digital rock explosion might be just that.
