Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Favourite Tunes - Music through Social Media

I have mentioned here before that I am a bit of a music nut....
and after my last post on social media as well as some prompting by a reader,

I felt it only appropriate that I share easy ways to enjoy music via social media.



I used to find myself flipping through CD's looking for the perfect mix that I could burn on to a new disc....
Dinner Party -  folk and easy listening.....

Cocktail Party Mix which always meant a progression of crisp jazz vocals, crooners, to dance tunes



Sunday morning classical, instrumental jazz and perhaps a little folk or light blues...
oh and a good egg dipper of course.


Housework, well of course.... Disco,  Dance tunes, Hits of the 70's and 90's..... 80's were a bit of a bust for me and well,
I desperately need something to get me motivated for housework!

Do you see how complicated it was?

Until I discovered..... Internet Radio.
All music and no talk.
 
Simple, real simple.

My first discovery was  Jango.

Quick and easy registration, log on and start building your radio station by introducing the name of a favourite artist and then they build your collection from there.
By adding in the name of your favourite artist you will simply establish a genre of music which Jango will try to match with other artists from the same genre.
You can refine it by eliminating some artists that you like more or less with a simple click of the thumbs up or thumbs down.


You open an account... which is free....create a username and password
and start building your "radio stations".

It is great for a road trip since you can just plug your smart phone in to your USB or AUX adaptor and have your stations available for the trip.


You can head back whenever you want, add in some new stations, and visit your old stations...
The "CON".... well, sometimes Jango does not quite get the genre correct.
From time to time we have had a good laugh when Heavy Metal has found its way into our folk genre.
The PRO.... Jango tries out new artists and gives them exposure by weaving them in to your station.


My second discovery, and so far my most favourite is...
8tracks

The thing I love about 8tracks is that you can tune into already compiled albums
that have been carefully put together by different users.

The mixes are usually well thought out and provide you with a good mix and opportunity
to listen to your favourite songs while meeting new artists.

Heavy metal? Nope, no random additions to the mix.



So, sign up by getting yourself a username and password....again, no charge.


Once you are in, take time to explore the site.
It is quite simple, you can check out the various genres and then sort by trending, newest releases etc.
Once you are into each genre there is a more refined version of that genre which helps to direct you to the mixes that will be most appealing to you.


You can even use this as a place to create and store your own mixes.
I recently put together a collection of music by Québec artists titled,
Chansons Québecoise.....pour la plupart.


See there is me....
and there is my mix.
Anybody can listen to it. I bought all the music and am sharing it with whoever wants to click on the album and have a listen.
The artwork for the album is a photo that I took and uploaded for my album cover.

So, that's it....that's all.
Easy, right?

And a whole lot of listening.
Hopefully, this helps you to access some of your favourite tunes and discover some new artists along the way.

Are there more stations?...oh yes..... SoundCloud....but that is for another day.
Oh, and no....this is not a sponsored post.  Just me, talking about music...
well, actually if you were here with me you could hear me singing....
nope, not pretty... :) 


10 comments:

  1. Donna, I had no idea there are all these different ways to listen to music. Thanks for sharing them. Hubby might be interested. :) Have a great day! Pam

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  2. I love that lantern in the first picture....PINNING....

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  3. Olá!!! Tudo bem???
    Vim aqui retribuir a sua visita no meu cantinho!!!
    Fico feliz por você me seguir!!!
    Venha sempre!!!>>> Passe lá e pegue um selinho de agradecimento!


    Com carinho e beijinhux, Marie.

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  4. I love Jango, but I had never heard of 8track, I will have to check it out. I had not heard of SoundCloud either. Have a wonderful evening! Cindy

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  5. This is a very interesting post. I can't paint unless I'm listening to music, so I confess that I'm addicted to Pandora radio....love my different stations on there! :D

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  6. Great post Donna !!!
    I'll have to try one of these out -
    Love your updated photo by the way!
    Hugs,
    Suzan

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  7. I was listening to Jango but then switched to Songza..... I click on mood, which then switches to types of music and then gives a choice of about three (VERY LONG) play lists... I love it.... I agree it is so nice to have the music.....In the past I have tried to create specific playlists for a dinner party.....Now I don't have to spend that kind of time (generally hours upon hours) .....With this variety, there is always something.... But I will definitely check out 8 Track. Thanks

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    Replies
    1. There are so many out there, it is great. I will have to try Songza as that is one I have not used. I play around with Soundcloud but it is not my go-to station. I hear ya on the hours of time spent creating playlists. It is funny because when I go to a house that does not play music during a dinner party I am always somewhat surprised. It falls into the bright lights at a dinner party category....

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  8. Donna I had no idea about Jango. I'm so impressed with your techie side. So maybe listening to music will actually motivate me to clean my house when I would rather do a million other things haha. I'm going to try this! Hope you're doing well. I took some time away from the computer to replenish myself and I'm just now getting caught up with my favorite bloggers.
    Leslie (Gwen Moss)

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