Friday, August 18, 2006

Musical Networks

I received an invitation to try out a beta version of uPlayMe. This application would scan my iTunes to see what music I had recently played, and then connect me with other users of uPlayMe who listen to the same kind of music. As I get plenty of interactions on my favorite music with my students, I feel no need for this kind of service. But even so, is it so hard for people to find others with similar tastes through school, work, and various internet sources (bulletin boards, chat rooms, etc.) that they need a program to search for them? Chime in with your thoughts, including any experiences you have had in finding kindred musical spirits.

6 comments:

Patty said...

So is this something like Pandora? Seems like it.

I do sometimes want to get a "sounds like ..." suggestion, but I have to say that, for the most part, I'm more excited about hearing something new.

This is especially the case for me with pop music ... why do I want someone who sounds just like someone else I like? But even with "classical" music I appreciate something that doesn't immediately remind me of someone else.

But maybe that's just me.

Anonymous said...

It's not so much I want to find new people who share my tastes as I like to see what people actually listen to (as opposed to what they publicly present as their tastes).

I just tried uplayme but I didn't see anybody remotely playing music I play.

Although I found Pandora fascinating for its methodology of selecting music I might like, I don't actually use it all that often. Because it lacks a social component?

M. L. Place Badarak said...

i just post links to sound files in my blog and hope somebody stumbles on them and listens. sometimes they comment.

MJW said...

I can't remember having a problem finding people SOMEWHERE to share my musical tastes---especially the blogosphere--and so something like uPlayMe or Pandora has always seemed entirely irrelevant to me. And I frankly think I would feel silly trying to network with other music people that way.

Geez, if it's that big a deal, you can always start a conversation with the person next to you at a concert...

Anonymous said...

The way I've acquired the most new music finds in the past year is via podcasts. I don't get talk-radio style podcasts; why would I want to listen to some amateur babble on about his day or the news or whatever when I don't want to listen to professionals doing so? There are *thousands* of music podcasts out there, though, and once you find one that's to your taste you're liable to find several more linked from that one's website.

Anonymous said...

Cheer up! Of course most people differ from one to another. Pretty soon you will find somebody who could share same likes and dislikes with you. Be a little patient!