There’s a new site online that is causing a lot of people to tune in and listen. Turntable.fm seems to be the next revolution in online music. Functioning as a combo chart room and internet radio station, this invite-only community is a fun and addictive way to share and discover new sounds.
Users play DJ in a variety of genre-themed club rooms that they create. Other users who hang around in these music lounges can chat in real time and vote for songs they like, as well as songs they hate. Songs with enough negative votes, get killed mid-play. A lot of positive votes earn points for the DJ which can be used to customize their avatar and really show off.
DJs can choose songs from their own library or Turntable’s impressive collection or over 11 million tracks, hosted by MediaNet. Listeners can purchase the song that’s playing iTunes or Amazon.
But how will Turntable fare against popular and already well-established sites like Pandora and Last.FM? Turntable, since it’s inception in January (beta) and full-fledged opening in May has gotten over 140k steady users and growing. Users seem to love the instant direct feedback loop that the voting and chat systems generate. Neither the DJ nor the listeners have too much individual power, helping to create an egalitarian community where everyone can be satisfied. Recently a friend told me anecdotal evidence of its power: She works in a large office where music is played over the local network and heard by all coworkers. Usually, whoever arrives first decides on the playlist. This often causes a lot of frustration – how often does everyone agree on tunes? The voting system helps break down the tension and makes sure no single person controls the content for too long. And since larger club rooms only require 51% to kill a track, there’s no doubt that each vote really counts.
Turntable has boomed in only a month of public play. The cute characters, customizable, status, community and over all fun surely makes this a company to watch in the future.
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