Steve Ames

Music startups are showing the way

Posted on Saturday, January 23, 2010 28 notes

It’s always fun watching startups taking on big companies. It’s particularly true in the music industry.

The labels have banded together with YouTube and created Vevo. In a short period of time, Vevo has attracted a huge US audience (thanks to YouTube) but I don’t sense any community powering the service. Since their launch I haven’t found myself clicking over. Same thing with other music services powered by large companies. I just don’t use them.

Instead I use music services built by startups.

-We Are Hunted is a wonderful service. They tune into blogs, twitter, message boards, p2p networks and facebook and pick 99 top emerging songs. The user interface is a delight. There is also a Boxee app as well which I love.

-TheSixtyOne is stunning. You have to try it to believe how good it is. They changed their user interface and dropped a few things that I hope they add back (e.g. embeds). But overall i love the new UI and this service.

-The Hype Machine is my daily radio. I listen everyday come rain or shine. If you are new to the Hype Machine then sign up today and start with their 2009 Music Blog Zeitgeist.

This isn’t meant to be a complete list. Just a quick post to get the point across. Startups show the way and it’s particularly true in the music world. I wish labels would embrace them.

Are They Students? Or ‘Customers’? - Room for Debate Blog - NYTimes.com

Higher education - it’s as broken as public education is. People participate in it because they think they have to. Because most of the rest of the world is participating. But the institutions have such conflicting and complex pressures that they have lost track of their missions. As have the Public Schools. I think the answer to is it “students or customers” needs to be neither - it should be a collaborative generative process of learning. I’ve hired kids out of REACH that were sharper quicker and more effective workers than those from 17 years of private institutional education.

This is sure some rough thinking on my part though. Needs more discussion..

January 4, 2010