New trends in music discovery

[gburgess]

mojo,Thanks for sharing this article. Very interesting. Something like this may provide indie artists with an opportunity to get a bit more exposure.One of the many Internet related jobs I've been involved with for about 13 years is SEO (Search Engine Optimization). I agree with you that metadata is an important aspect and should play a part in the self-promotion of artists and composers.The field has change a lot since the early days. But due to so much spamming going on, the Googles and Yahoos of the world are continually revising the algorithm they use in an attempt to keep pace with spammers. So the significance of relevant metadata is in a continuous state of revision. For those in the field, it can drive you nuts at times. For those who use Google, Yahoo, MSN... You realize that none of them are anywhere near what we would like them to be. As long as Google has been around, it has been attempting to perfect its craft. And with all the money Google has to throw at the problem, they still have a long way to go. I'm guessing that the new search techniques for the music world will follow the same path as those of its Search Engine brethren—good but not great. But when push comes to shove, I’ll take good over nothing any day of the week.Great observation by Mojo. “I think if we don't start getting smarter about metadata, we could get left behind.”GB

[mojobone]

I think I'll start salting my metadata with "Britney Spears" and "free Viagra".

[partyofone]

ha ha mojo.. good idea!steve, yeah that's a good point on word of mouth being a big part of breaking a new artist. maybe metadata would help in situations where a website or service is providing some kind of context specific media, kind of like how Google has context sensitive ads. assuming the average listener probably doesn't seek out new music then maybe sites like pandora could pop up where the artist fills in metadata, screeners ensure a certain quality level, and then listeners can casually be exposed to music based on general preferences. that sounds exciting to me. that would take the work out of finding new music for the listener.

[gburgess]

Jan 26, 2009, 4:06am, mojobone wrote:I think I'll start salting my metadata with "Britney Spears" and "free Viagra". Back before Google and Yahoo got wise, a whole lot of that was going on. But the salt contained a lot more references to s-e-x. For those who went down that road it helped them climb the ladder pretty quickly.Google has really clamped down on most everything. And they threaten to ban sites for life if caught. For an easy going company, they ain’t all that easy going.GB

[mirabeam]

I'm very much an advocate of word of mouth for breaking an artist or genre. There is no doubt that the internet has opened up countless doors for indie artists, songwriters etc, but I think that at the end of the day, it is public demand and 'buzz' about an artist that determines their success.I used to be a member of ourstage.com, and yes, as Patrick says, it is a good concept, and I also agree with his statement that people just can't be bothered to sit there and rate music. People are lazy, with busy schedules, and that is why word of mouth will also win in my opinion:)Nathalie (Mirabeam)

[ggalen]

I agree with mirabeam.Word of mouth will continue to be the main way to success.Of course, when they start talking and start looking, you have to have your website and CD sales ready for them to buy in major places.But those of us who use the Internet a lot tend to think everybody is like us. Not so. I think many millions of people will just use the Internet in a simple way, like turning on a radio or TV and looking at major "channels". They'll never dive deeper into music discovery or ratings sites, and all the other things you can find on the Internet.

[partyofone]

I think that the pandora.com radio site fits the bill for a channel that works for casual listener use. although as bill mentioned it's far from perfect, it actually asks you to tell it which music you like and give a thumbs up or down to each song as you listen to it and then tries to tailor the playlist. I've used it and it's pretty cool and other non-musician friends seem to enjoy it. I'm wondering if this metadata could go towards an end of having internet radio sites that work like an aggregator of sorts. perhaps content providers could be screened and then allowed to upload music which gets randomly played according to filters. if these songs were played along side major artists that would be great also.

[sgs4u]

Jan 21, 2009, 10:28pm, mojobone wrote:Bruce Warila holds forth, here.I definitely read Bruce Warila's thoughts (Passive Promotion), as well as these other heavywieghts. Bob Lefsetz' blog here - for the stark realities of how things are now compared to how they used to be...Andrew Dubber's blog here - for very up to date info on good music biz news, and how to survive in this new world order... Moses Avalon 's blog here - might be the most controversial read. He tends to enjoy exposing things.