I am sure many of you music lovers are familiar with the music blog, ‘Hype Machine’, but if you’re not then I suggest you become familiar with it. Basically it is a database for certain music blogs that circulate the Internet. It is explained on the web site: “We are creating tools that empower independent voices that write about music. We think a select group of passionate people can produce more engaging conversation than a huge social mob, or a rigid hierarchy of editors. We amplify their posts and the audio they choose, to help this vibrant culture spread.” (Check out the FAQ to find out more info about the site here).
You can search any song, and if the song you’re looking for has been uploaded onto a selected music blog, it will come up in your search. If you create an account, you can start making your own playlist by clicking on the heart that appears beside each song. These ‘favourites’ become your playlist – one you can access anywhere there is a computer so you don’t need to bring your iPod to parties in order to DJ and share your music with your social network. You can follow your friends and other hype m users that have similar music tastes as you, and search other people’s. What I really like about this blogging site is that it is all about sharing – you cannot download off of the website, only listen. As stated on the web site, “The Hype Machine does not offer any tracks for download. We provide a list of tracks that are currently being discussed on blogs, not the files themselves. If you discover a song or artist you like, we encourage you to support them by purchasing their music”. What this makes the web site is a collaborative sharing database compiled by the people for the people, serving as a promotional tool for certain artists and bloggers as well. You can make your own page your personal collection of favourites, which I see as a personal remix of all of the available songs - and no two playlists will be the same.
I encourage you all to make an account and start your playlist! You'll be surprised at how many new songs and artists you can discover in a matter of minutes that might just become your new favourite thing to listen to. Here's my playlist, if you care to check it out!
I love Hype Machine! Its a great way to allow music fans, such as myself, to hear music in a different way. Rather than listening to mainstream songs in a traditional way, Hype Machine works as an alternative. By remixing songs from various genres and generations together, it promotes and empowers new artists, remixers and music lovers everywhere. Therefore, just as Boyd claims in her article, blogs such as this act as a huge distribution channel. Without initiatives such Hype Machine, remixed music could not as easily be circulated and disseminated.
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