Mixin'

I love music, but have a fairly passive relationship when it comes to listening and discovering something new. I listen to KEXP in the car, or Pandora through itunes or iphone when I don't feel like listening to my own collection. My early experience in learning about new music was done in the usual way for people my age: mix tapes*, and later, mix cds. I know muxtape was popular, and of course shut down (booo) before I ever bothered to check it out. I was excited to find 8tracks.com because it is so simple! The limitation of 8 tracks works perfectly for my attention and focus. I love the short amount of time it takes for me to make a small set, and how easy it is to make a themed mix. Sure, the site suffers from some obvious usability issues, and so far I haven't been able to upload mp4 files...but I'm hoping the specific, targeted nature of the site means it won't go the way of muxtape. In fact.... stop reading this post! Don't use the site!

David Porter sums up what I like about 8tracks in his post:

"8tracks is not about “personal listening” in the sense of a user goes to 8tracks.com and makes a playlist and then turns around and listens to it himself or herself.  That is not the objective of the service.  Rather, we seek to provide a useful, legitimate platform so that those relatively rare people with the knowledge and time to make great playlists can do so for others who love music and want to discover new artists, but who simply don’t have the time to do so themselves."

You can listen to my existing mixes on 8tracks. Also, in the style of the day, uploading a new mix will spam my Twitter**.

*Incidentally, explaining "mix tapes" to an 8 year old is a trip. Cassete tapes, a time without mp3 players, recording on to tapes from the radio! Try it sometime.

**Although, would prefer to have an option to post when I choose to, instead of every time I upload