YouTube Looks to Compete in Music Discovery
Posted: Fri Jul 23, 2010 12:13 amForbes.com
YouTube Looks to Compete in Music Discovery
July 22, 2010
Brenna Ehrlich
Brenna Ehrlich began assisting senior staff and copy-editing at Mashable in November 2009. Before joining the team, she served as Associate Editor of Heeb Magazine and freelanced for a variety of print and online publications.
http://www.youtube.com/music
YouTube has revamped its music page, adding a brand-new layout and a slew of new features. Although the video-sharing site boasts that its redesign will help users discover new music, we can't say that Pandora will be shaking in its boots any time soon.
According to the YouTube blog, the redesign of the page will facilitate musical discovery by "showcas[ing] the most viewed music videos, special promotions, curated playlists, unsigned talent and giv[ing] you the ability to create on-the-fly mixes." It even states that the site will soon feature live music listings in a section titled "Events Near You," an addition that sounds pretty cool to us (and like a potential threat to MySpace, which also offers such features).
Still, the site isn't so hot when it comes to helping one discover new music. Yes, YouTube is the go-to place for folks who just want to listen to that one song they heard at that show by that band that they kinda like. However, the new music page focuses wholly on popularity, which isn't the best way to help people find new jams.
For example, if you visit the "Indie & Alternative" page now, you'll be presented with tunes like "Bodies" by Drowning Pool and "Mr. Brightside" by the Killers -- i.e. "Today's Hits," i.e. "What A Ton of People on YouTube Are Listening To." Yes, the popularity algorithm may work with, say, viral videos, but if you're looking to listen to something new and different, aggregating the musical whims of millions may not be the best way to go.
What do you think of YouTube's redesign? Will you use it to glean musical suggestions, or will you just stick to searching for that band you dig?
YouTube Looks to Compete in Music Discovery
July 22, 2010
Brenna Ehrlich
Brenna Ehrlich began assisting senior staff and copy-editing at Mashable in November 2009. Before joining the team, she served as Associate Editor of Heeb Magazine and freelanced for a variety of print and online publications.
http://www.youtube.com/music
YouTube has revamped its music page, adding a brand-new layout and a slew of new features. Although the video-sharing site boasts that its redesign will help users discover new music, we can't say that Pandora will be shaking in its boots any time soon.
According to the YouTube blog, the redesign of the page will facilitate musical discovery by "showcas[ing] the most viewed music videos, special promotions, curated playlists, unsigned talent and giv[ing] you the ability to create on-the-fly mixes." It even states that the site will soon feature live music listings in a section titled "Events Near You," an addition that sounds pretty cool to us (and like a potential threat to MySpace, which also offers such features).
Still, the site isn't so hot when it comes to helping one discover new music. Yes, YouTube is the go-to place for folks who just want to listen to that one song they heard at that show by that band that they kinda like. However, the new music page focuses wholly on popularity, which isn't the best way to help people find new jams.
For example, if you visit the "Indie & Alternative" page now, you'll be presented with tunes like "Bodies" by Drowning Pool and "Mr. Brightside" by the Killers -- i.e. "Today's Hits," i.e. "What A Ton of People on YouTube Are Listening To." Yes, the popularity algorithm may work with, say, viral videos, but if you're looking to listen to something new and different, aggregating the musical whims of millions may not be the best way to go.
What do you think of YouTube's redesign? Will you use it to glean musical suggestions, or will you just stick to searching for that band you dig?
