Looking for a new source for discovering and (legally) sharing music online? Well, look no further than 8tracks. This site gives listeners the ability to listen to and share short playlists (referred to as a ‘mix’) of about 30 minutes, generally consisting of eight tracks (hence the name). According to the site “listeners can search for a mix by artist or genre, stream it in a legal, radio-style manner, and follow others who make compelling mixes.” One can find music by searching by artist, genre, or even by 8tracks DJ. Feels like a cross between Pandora and Blip.fm, although the ease-of-use leans more towards the former than the latter. Creating a custom mix is also relatively easy. Just follow the prompts for creating a mix and either upload music from your computer’s library or pull from the network of tracks available on the site. In essence, the listener becomes the DJ. For a little more customization, add a description and artwork for the mix before publishing. (similar to an iTunes iMix) I did have trouble uploading music for my own mix (for now, I’ll call it user error), but this setback is not enough for me to abandon the site. (Check out my first mix. I’m sure that I’ll get better with a little practice.) Account settings provide links for posting a custom mix to Last.fm or Twitter, as well as options for sharing via Facebook and StumbleUpon. And much like Twitter, via the “Preferences” option, you can choose to receive an e-mail notification if someone decides to “follow you” or if they comment or ‘Like’ a mix. May as well share your newly acquired DJ skills with others.
Have you tried 8tracks? What are your thoughts?