Architecture an infinitely more perfect music site

I spend at least 4 hours a day in the company of music, and I am also a heavy user of music websites. But I still find it hard to live without my Winamp Pro, though there are far more content on the various music sites than on my local hard drive, but I'm not satisfied with them, one or more points, one way or another.

Well, let's do it--or convince the brain, architecture an infinitely more perfect music site , it should be inclusive of all the strengths, there are gorgeous interface, excellent speed, perfect music library, free or low price. To sum up, I would like to say that there are four points.

Socialization

A vulgar but not around the topic, now the site has developed to "no socialization is not a matter" of the point. But what is the purpose of the socialization of music websites? What if we can do "music socialization"?

The socialization of music websites can be traced back to the branch of "friend relationship", a very plain truth is this:

Social-> More Friends-> more users-> more audition/download-> more traffic-> better prospects

In essence, socialization is simply an excuse or a distraction from expanding the user base. Site will not care about your friends will not like you recommend to their songs, but also to your Twitter interest group has no interest, the site needs is the user group, and a good reputation. And these, from a solid user base, how to retain and expand the user base? Socialization.

So we open up the familiar music websites and see how their socialization is progressing?

last.fm– "a desperate socialization"

As the top, at the same time as the most social last.fm in the socialization of efforts is extremely failure. The simplest case: the message between friends or the WEB 1.0 mode, "I" came to "you" page, in the "You" message book, and then "You" came to the "I" page, in the "I" message this reply. It was a depressing act, so I never greeted my friends on the Last.fm, let alone talk about the music-related topics.

At the same time, as a login user, open Last.fm's home page, completely do not see the friends of the recent developments, OK, your social elements where?

lala.com– "like Twitter timeline, and so on, no reply function"

Lala.com is a smart website and I like all of their details. After logging in, you'll see the latest audition of your friends and everything else, but I know it's hard to aggregate information and reduce the pressure of reading, but try to do something, at least not to give me the same song you've heard.

At the same time, lala.com little attention to the interaction between users, A and B is just a relationship of mutual concern, the information can be learned only what you listen to what I heard.

Maybe what they see is just maximizing the benefits, and expecting your best friend to buy all the songs you recommend-a part of the experience they're doing well, um.

What about the perfect socialization I envisioned? Quite simply, one example: Facebook.

Open the Home page, show me what should be my concern: my attention/favorite artist's new album? Yes, my best friend listened to a few songs today, bought the album, and liked the artists? I'm also concerned about this, but to compress the amount of information, it's best to click on it when I want to know the details.

At the same time, to have a Timeline look, like the Facebook page, by weight, time line, I can be a separate operation of each new, delete, attention, message, praise, and directly to the artist's page or song page.

The shrimp did a good job on this, but it seems to be a little bit less interactive. Hey, you like this entertainer, and I like that, uh, links? OK, I only see a link to the artist page, if there are different types of links for different purposes is better, right? My friend recommended a song, next to the "audition"; he liked an entertainer and showed "like"; he downloaded a whole album, you know what I'm going to say?

If lazy do these, or hundred feet head further-simply with the existing social networking sites, foreign can alongside on Facebook, the domestic network with Renren, happy happy cooperation is not not. Think, in Renren on the timeline show me in XXX to listen to yyy, not is also a very cool thing?

Automation

This is an era of algorithmic rampage. To develop an algorithm for aggregating content--what kind of content it is--you can make money by opening a website. Music websites are more so.

Thinking of the old music portals of the last century, there are at most a few editors on duty, who are Torline to renew their new album, and more often they are just a platform to do or decide by the user.

Today, when the user determines the content of the age, this set seems to go. So a variety of "automated recommendations", "according to your music taste automatic guessing" the ground flowering. There are also the opposite of the line, such as Thesixtyone, this cool new sharp music site is completely no algorithm to say (if the random is also the algorithm ...). , a brain that pushes random music in front of you, is fair enough for those who don't fully detect or have no confidence in their own musical tastes.

I can't agree with the Audioscrobbler-style content recommendation engine for class Last.fm. I'm already listening to a Lady Gaga, what makes you think I'd like Beyoncé? This kind of "similarity recommendation" is not suitable for everyone, and "unknown exploration with guiding meaning" is the highest state of recommendation algorithm. However, just as Last.fm's tag function, the birth of this algorithm needs too much from the real user's accumulation and improvement, originally, the taste of this thing how to elevate all is understandable. Music Web sites can take advantage of the recommended quality and improve their own interests, you will be able to play 100 points.

New Experience

That's the part I want to be in. Believe that the technology of music website has been in the forefront of the times, interactive mode, Web site architecture, background technology, ubiquitous user experience to think of is exciting things.

Today I just want to mention a few cool ideas, do not do it we wait and see.

Listen seamlessly

Well, the idea comes from Lala (in fact, Thesixtyone is also global Ajax) and I just love their listening experience. No longer need to worry about accidentally what link to let the music stop, I can casually point to point to explore more unknown.

My idea of a music website experience is this: the Playback window will always be in a fixed position, can be minimize to a smaller size, but will never be turned off, and no matter how I browse the page, the playback will never be interrupted, it can be understood that the play window and browse window is parallel and independent.

As JS controls the maturity of Flash technology, it is not difficult to do this, and in order to take care of users of low-level browsers, can completely smooth downgrade, to provide them with intermittent playback experience, and for high-end and demanding users to provide a more complete service experience. Wait until HTML5 fully popularized that day, without considering the copyright, hotlinking situation, I believe that the user experience will have a leap of improvement.

Quasi-materialized interaction

Today, the "song" Two word has become a pile of bits, links, click to open, sound began to play, music is just like this. There is an entirely different kind of innovation in the interaction design, where each object is doing its best to restore the original appearance of the site, for example.

I believe that many people are icondock the innovative buying experience. Think of every page in the music site, there is a fixed area, I see any links, including albums, singles, or even just a certain style or the name of a singer, I have thrown into the inside, And then it would automatically generate a playlist for me, wouldn't it sound cool? Well, technically it is not difficult, but, in order to take care of the browser user base, many can be very cool features are so cut off, it is sad.

A more dazzling playback interface, um ...

Since the "player" thing was born on a computer, that set of years unchanged logic is only a change in the development, there must be a pause, there will be a song on a must have the next one (okay last.fm and watercress Radio you win), what I want to say is that these seemingly mature and complete logic and design, Are the places where potential breakthroughs are possible.

With the help of the current JS technology, in fact, without Flash help can make a very cool effect, such as the Cloud Player.

Genuine

One day, I was pulling a guy who was almost ignorant of the computer, talking to him about how cool Netflix is with Roku, I said, "Hey, you can even watch HD movies on the XBOX 360, just one months xx dollars," he said with a smirk that the Thunder was downloaded.

So I've been thinking about one thing: What are those "IE6, not to" listen to the song "This matter spend a penny, with Baidu MP3 to listen to the song" Users, or "with the support of standard browser, you can experience all advanced technology, with a complete and even high-end music taste, Will the people who are determined to spend money to buy better services and enjoy the benefits of the site more? I will be very interested in this part of the market research, I hope the results will surprise me.

Well, there is no means of blowing the trumpet to the conclusion, I just want to say: The ITunes Store is very expensive, if the direct rate moved over, buy the time is also to be hard heart, bite teeth, but if reduced to a song is no longer 0.99 cents but 0.9 RMB, you will buy the genuine? Or, spend 5 yuan RMB in an electronic store to rent a film can only watch two days or x times? Believe me, but my request is not less than the quality of the ITunes Store to buy, listen, watch, sync experience.

Talking about these are too high too far. In this magical country, most of the music sites are still rely on playing the edge of the ball, a variety of hidden rules rampant, genuine piracy between the gray area, you sue me I sue you to hold the group for the winter and then suddenly turn a quarrel, look at these than watching the United States drama and soul-stirring.

Just those who adhere to the Dark Sky music dream of the guys, was tortured by the inexplicable rules of the dying, but the depressed eyes will always see the light, I looked up, looking at the haze of the horizon, the Thunder has grown up, that upheaval is coming.