Everyone’s Listening

Posted in Design, Computers and Web Culture 5 years, 5 months ago.

The internet is filled with neat little applications, fun flash games, and interesting websites but more times then none the web overall suffers from a lack of practicality. Since the explosion of blogging, it feels like the usefulness of the internet is quickly elevating.

One shining example of this new level is Audioscrobbler. What is it exactly? Basically, Audioscrobbler uploads the artist’s namesand titles of the songs you listen to in your favorite media player to their web servers via a free user account. You then can sign on to your account on the Audioscrobbler site and view your listening habits. It tracks who you listen to the most, how many times, and even allows you to find similar music from other Audioscrobbler users.

Upon registering, you will be given a private page which will only included your ‘music taste’ information for simple sharing with friends, bloggers, and the world. As you listen to songs in your media player your page will update with the songs you have listened to. (Using iTunes it takes about a minute and thirty seconds to send and display the new tracks) Even better, if you are using a laptop and not always connected to the internet, the audioscrobbler plugin will keep track of the songs you played while non-connected and upload those once you are able to connect.

Why would you rely on this type of system rather then the ‘played count’ in most audio players? For me there is one advantage; sharing. Have you ever had someone ask you what type of music you listen to? Or maybe find a band you really like and want to find others that enjoy them and know what other bands they listen to? Audioscrobbler allows for a quick, easy method to facilitate this form of sharing and community.

Not only does it allow for easy sharing but the best part is the ‘no-frills’ google-type approach. Too often, websites bog you down with useless information, advertisements, and bad navigational aspects. Here, the developers seem to have hit the nail on the head with this design, a simplistic aesthetic approach that is only bettered by the sites usability.

If you have not used audioscrobbler, I highly suggest you register for an account (and you won’t get spam mail for this one if you give them your e-mail) and then download the appropriate plugin for your media player of choice. Begin sharing your music tastes with the world and add me to your network once you register.

View my Audioscrobbler Profile