SXSWORLD

Can Turntable Integrate Social Media Behavior with Online Music? by Rob Mahoney gence are unique and complicated, but both succeeded in part because of an almost indefi nable "stickiness." Th ey may have been conceptually similar to other social media platforms, but some incalculable combina- tion of function, simplicity and ingenuity attracted the contemporary consumer and gave each service the resiliency necessary to survive in a competitive market. J ust a few years ago, Facebook and Twitter were a pair of modest social media services among many, just functional online elements in a sea of functional online elements. Th e paths of their emer- value, it also functions as one of the most eff ective free Internet radio services avail- able. Users are able to easily pop into their "room" of choice, usually defi ned by genre or basic theme, for a workday soundtrack, unfamiliar artists or even a party playlist. "It's really the best way to discover new music, and has the added social benefi t to it," Chasen said. "It's closer to how we actually listen to music offl ine. We go to concerts. We used to have listening par- ties and put on records." And now people turn to Turntable. What comes pouring through the user's speakers is a stream of music without interruption, hand-picked by a group of DJs a world away. It's a simple execu- tion of the radio concept made with Internet-savvy users in mind. Th e bumper ads that make sponsored online media so irritating are nowhere to be found. Th ere are also easily accessible links to purchase an active song, and one can easily sift through the playing history of a particular room. Moving from Turntable to iTunes, Facebook, Amazon, Twitter or just about any other relevant service is completely seamless, which serves as a testament to just how holistic the vision of Chasen and Goldstein seems to be. Additionally, Turntable may be one of the few true ventures into the world of "social music," a buzz term that no less applies to a project of this scope. It creates an environment where online music is a truly interactive experience, one where music suggestions aren't generated by in Turntable (or Turntable.fm), the social music brainchild of co- founders Billy Chasen and Seth Goldstein. With Turntable, Chasen and Goldstein have tapped into a per- fect intersection of things Internet users are looking for: access to free music that serves individual preferences, a means to interact in a social online space, and a competitive environment built on the affi rmation of taste. For all of Turntable's multidimensional Billy Chasen 34 SXSW ORLD / M ARCH F ILM- I A 2012 And though it is early yet, it is easy to see the same innate allure way of algorithms a la Pandora, but are hand-picked by a DJ looking to make an impression on a listening audience with a specifi c song selec- tion at a particular time. Meanwhile, users are free to talk in either an open, room-specifi c chat room or reach out privately to specifi c users off ering a social service with a completely voluntary social element. Th e fact that the music itself drives the conversation provides common ground, not at all dissimilar from the focus-driven dynamic of offl ine public music spaces. Yet perhaps the most intriguing element of Turntable's construction is the capability to completely fl ip the orientation of online music. Rather than merely being on the receiving end of the music resources that the Internet has to off er, the site has uniquely empowered users to act as a resource themselves by submitting their musical tastes to the Turntable audience as a matter of expression and an exercise in affi rmation. "What you see now is pretty much how If nothing else, Chasen and Goldstein have created an environment that demonstrates the potential of online music as a participatory social experience. Every part of Turntable's evolution up to this point has been part of a larger process, and even though it plays the part of a polished, fi nished product, Turntable still exists in an intersection that begs to be more fully explored. "Now it's about evolving and truly exploring what 'social music' means," says Chasen. "We're only at the beginning." ■ of Turntable's operation isn't at all unlike what you might fi nd at the foundation of any number of interactive platforms, but it introduces an interesting, direct-feed- back dynamic to the world of streaming music. Th is isn't a coded system that learns what kinds of music to play based on your submission of likes and dislikes, but is instead a group of actual people creating an insular system of play and response, where DJs are incentivized to fi nd music to suit the audience. Billy Chasen and Seth Goldstein will take part in the "Turntable.fm: The Future of Music Is Social" session at SXSW Interactive on Tuesday, March 13, at 12:30pm. See schedule.sxsw.com for details. I initially envisioned Turntable," Chasen said. "I wanted to have multiple people play music and rotate through them. If someone played a song that the rest of the room didn't like, they could vote to skip it. Awarding points for playing good music makes people really try to play the best songs they can." Th at affi rming, point-rewarding aspect JOE PUGLIESE

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