I have always been a fan of listening to music and when I find an artist that I truly appreciate I tend to get a little obsessed with having to listen to every one of their songs. Over the years I have downloaded hundreds of discographies through Torrent sites, but now that I have been introduced to sites that are used to share music I have fallen off that horse. One website I was introduced to by a friend was Groovshark. At first I wasn’t a fan, back when I was in the stage of constantly downloading. As I got more accustom to it I began to appreciate how easy is was to listen to any song a band has through simply going to their Groovshark page. Another aspect that fascinated me was the song recommendations they gave you based on songs you have previously listened too. I have always been a fan of finding new music, but never knew where to look, yet it was right underneath my nose.
Music helps me cope, it helps me focus and also helps distract me. When I need it, it is always seems to put me in the place I need to be at that moment. Jazz helps me focus on readings, rap gets me pumped when I exercise, punk/ rock (more specifically Blink182) lifts my spirits and I’m instantly in a better mood. I don’t know what it is about music, but it can completely change the mood I am in. A great app I have been a little over indulgent with recently is Songza, which is a great site in creating a playlist that caters to the mood your in. Songza gives you a selection of playlists based on the time of day (which can easily be changed, manually, through you). There are multiple playlists, with multiple genres, specifically designed for what you are doing and what your wanting to listen to at that moment.
Streaming and sharing music has grown more and more popular over the years and although some believe it can cause a decline in the recording companies, it also shows a spike in artist publicity. My favorite thing that comes from Groovshark and Songza is the ability to find new artists and songs that I would like and be able to share with friends. In the article “How Social Media and Streaming Have Influenced the Music Industry” it states, “Streaming vastly improves the listening experience, making listeners much more likely to engage for longer periods of time and to share their experiences”. Social media and streaming sites also give the ability for artist exposure creating a new way to “discover and enjoy music”. I believe that artists can thrive in reaching out to their fans, which is a very important platform since fans want to feel a connection with their favourite band.
To illustrate the connection artists and bands have to their fans through social media I will create a slideshare on Blink182 and their use of social media like Twitter and Instagram, which you can find here: (http://www.slideshare.net/see_bomb) 🙂
Cheers.
Esspresso Yourself 