Thats Interesting

The review team at odinjobs.com showcases up and coming companies and their products. Who knows one of them may be the next Google.

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SOUNDCRANK: Hitching Their Wagon To A Star!

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Just like Nike was created by a former athlete, SoundCrank is the product of genuine music lovers. In an attempt to re-capture the glorious days of records (record? What is a record? Says the young people), SoundCrank brings you an i-tunes plug-in that helps you see the original album art and lyrics, all while your song is playing.

Better still, you can figure out if your friends are as cool as they claim…the My Music option allows you to share preferences and see what everyone is listening to.

"The iTunes plug-in allows you to automatically add album artwork and lyrics to the songs in your iTunes library. You also get a 'My Music' page on Soundcrank.com where you can share information about your musical tastes. Now I have to confess that I'm always a little nervous about sharing my muscial tastes with others, especially with people I know. So for me the neat thing about the 'My Music' page isn't that I can share my dubious musical tastes with others, no the neat thing is my friends can share THEIR musical tastes with me. It's a really great way of exposing yourself to new music."   Read more

Once downloaded, it comes down to a few clicks to complete all of the above. Then the plus features – real interviews with bands, information on live music events and user reviews of all new releases- comes in quite handy. SoundCrank will also search and display all those hard-to-remember lyrics that typically torment you while driving!( I love something, something, something...)

On the usability front, with this plug in you can copy music videos, podcasts, photos from your iPod to PC…recording is also possible through your PC speakers.

Competition seems absent at the minute, though the company is keeping a wary eye out for the likes of mog.com, and last.fm.

But the simple and telling comment on Sound Crank is:

"The plug-in was easy to install. I liked getting lyrics for my songs. I've tried other programs and this one works better than most of them"   read more...

Sound Bytes from SoundCrank – a convo with them.

I personally love album art and reading lyrics (especially when I don't know exactly what they are saying.) How important do you think those two are to music fans?

We really feel that those are two of the most visible benefits that we have lost as we've moved into the digital age. As we've talked with users, making sure that artwork and lyrics remain has been a big priority when we bring it up. I think that for a lot of people, it's sort of an intangible missing piece that they may be hard to notice at first, but contributes to a sense of detach from artists.

Who are some of the main competitors of Sound Crank?

mog.com, last.fm... there are others that are popping up. One thing we've realized is this is definitely the moment when a music service like ours, to add back in to the music experience, is ready to be embraced, because the vacuum is filling up.

How does Sound Crank plan on bringing back the complete music experience?

Album artwork and lyrics were the most obvious so we focused on them first. The heart of the music experience is bringing people back together to share their musical tastes and experiences. This includes the ability to find new music and friends in new and exciting ways. There are also a few surprises that will be included in the next release of our plug-in. I can’t tell you specifically what they are but users we’ve talked to are very excited about them.

What type of content do you provider to music fans?

Soundcrank is a central location to find out about music and share that. We have a massive database of artists, songs and albums that users can tap into for information such as artwork lyrics and discographies. We also have artist recommendation podcasts where current artists talk about what they like.

I noticed a question on your homepage concerning the Grammy Awards. What are some other questions that you have or plan on asking visitors?

As we've looked at the different features we are currently offering and what we're bringing on board, we're probably moving away from that particular feature because the other items we've developed are more compelling.

How important will pod casting be in the next 3-5 years for music artists?

Podcasting (or webcasting) will become more and more significant in the next few years as on demand content on the web grows as a viable entertainment and information source. The essential benefit of a podcast over a traditional broadcast program is that it fits into your time frame as opposed to the other way around. What will be interesting to see is how copyright issues play out in new media.

Music artists have an unprecedented ability now to get their music out to the world. More and more control goes to the individual artist as the barriers of communication drop away. Webcasting is a very effective way to bring artists and fans together without having to worry about the economies of scale that are necessary in traditional broadcasting. (Read Chris Anderson's "The Long Tail" for the real word on this subject)

What is the process or selection for interviews on your site?

We focus on artists that we know are relevant to our users. It also helps that they are going to be in town so we can talk to them face to face, but is not totally necessary.

How does Sound crank compare to similar sites such as Napster, Bearshare, or IMEEM.com?

We are user driven like peer to peer applications but that’s were that comparisons end. Users can purchase music through our partners, but our focus is really enriching and enhancing the digital music experience.

Do we like the sound of it?- Our Opinion

Yes. Getting lyrics and album art, though it sounds simple, actually enhances the experience for the listener. It makes them more involved with their music. Knowing what everyone else is listening to is a great way to be in the know, given our paranoia of being “with it”! Personally, I would be shouting from the rooftops about SoundCrank’s marketing potential for musicians. Word of mouth or should we say Word of i-tune could just land them that elusive big break. Our team definitely sees it as the next micro-marketing tool!

Posted by Sally Richardsson       Posted at 05:35AM Apr 18, 2007 by Sally Richardsson   


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