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Discover New Music For Free - Why You Should Know About The Hype Machine

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Listen to free mp3s legally and discover new music on the web's best 'music blog aggregator'

The Hype Machine. Many of you music fans will have heard the name but do you know what it is? And if you do, don't go just yet! - this lens will show you how to make the most of the world's (I was going to put "web's", but let's be honest here) most potent source of music discovery.

With the chance to legally listen to hundreds of thousands of mp3s for free, the Hype Machine makes a great addition, or alternative, to services such as Last.FM and Pandora, which is no longer available outside the US.

If you've ever felt that you were getting out of touch with music, or that you'd listened to everything at your immediate disposal for far too long, the Hype Machine is for you.

What Is The Hype Machine?

and what does it mean for your music consumption?

The Hype Machine is a 'blog aggregator', which means that it scours a number of music blogs for new mp3 posts and presents them all in one place with a play button attached, so you can also listen to everything in one place.

At a click, you can browse, listen to and read the latest mp3 posts from across the web. Or you can find out the most popular tracks based on plays or favourites from the last three days. Or you can just click on radio and listen to a stream of a combination of new and popular tracks without even having to browse. You can even spy on the most recently played tracks in different countries around the world (actually the US, Canada, Japan, Australia and a few European countries).

If you love new music, isn't this an amazing resource? The latest new tunes, and the most recently popular music from across the world.

Of course there's more to it than that.

But Aren't MP3 Blogs Killing The Music Industry?

Why would you link to illegal downloads

Yes, most music blogs will make free mp3s available for download, however...

The Hype Machine is helping to make the music industry stronger.

Here's why...

Firstly, whether or not there are download links available on its featured blogs, The Hype Machine only links to stores where you can buy music online, such as Amazon and iTunes. You can listen to tracks but you can't download them from The Hype Machine's site.

Secondly, it is helping people discover more and more new music, how can that be a bad thing? The more people who have access to new music, the more music people buy and the more gigs people attend.

How Can You Make The Hype Machine Work For You?

Surely I Don't Need A Fancy Website When I Already Know Which Blogs I Like

I'm sure you have your own very specific taste in music. Everybody does. So why is a website that adds up what everyone's listening to useful?

Firstly, you can search the Hype Machine. Have a look now and see if you can find some of your favourite artists. Maybe you'll find something you've never heard before, an exclusive that your favourite blogger hasn't picked up on yet. A remix or unreleased track.

You might argue that the point of an mp3 blog is that you're given your exclusive music without having to look for it anywhere else. It isn't, because you could be contributing to conversation on your favourite blogs and getting even more out of them, but that's for another time.

If you do like it that way though, my second point is that you can find more people to do this dirty work for you. Every track that comes up in your search links to the post and the blog. This means you could spend half an hour on the Hype Machine and find loads of new blogs that will bring you new fixes of fresh, tasty new music.

Meet Anthony Volodkin - The Founder

Learn More About The Hero Behind The Hype Machine

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Is That It? The Benefits Of Signing Up

Make It A Way Of Life

Before I go any further, you should go and register your own username so you can try these things out. If you still need a bit more convincing, read on.

Having a username means you can create a number of playlists. When logged in, you can click a little heart next to the song you're listening to. Loved Songs is a list of all these songs.

You can also heart other users and the blogs that your favourite songs come from. Your Watchlist is another playable list, made of these songs.

You can also access your Listening History and listen to recent plays or your most played songs.

So could this be the new hub of your musical life and replace your favourite radio stations, magazines and blog reader?

Give it a go, and let me know how you get on.

What The Experts Say

Some of my favourite bloggers' thoughts on the Hype Machine

A VC - "The Rolling Stone Of Our Time"
Fred Wilson is a venture capitalist, whose job is to provide investment for startup internet companies. He's a massive fan of the Hype Machine (and I recommend browsing his blog to find more of his comments). Anyway, here he suggests that the Hype Machine could be the Rolling Stone of our generation.
New Music Strategies - "The Radio Won't Listen" (the Hype Machine and other mp3 blog resources)
Andrew Dubber is a media consultant and a lecturer at Birmingham City University in the UK, whose blog is directed at musicians who want to use the internet to their advantage. This article proves how the Hype Machine and other similar resources are great tools for promoting your own music.
Music Think Tank - 10 Websites That Are Ruining My Life
Music Think Tank is another great resource for musicians wishing to explore the potential of the internet. It has a number of contributors; in this case, Craig Hamilton highlights the addictive nature of the Hype Machine.
Anthony Volodkin combats the negative attitude towards mp3 blogs
Back on New Music Strategies, the founder of the Hype Machine defies the critics who say that mp3 blogs are killing the music industry by replacing 'mp3 blogs' with 'the internet' in an article on the Guardian website.

Music Blog Zeitgeist 2008

The Hype Machine Documents Musical Culture

In the first week of 2009, the Hype Machine revealed the most blogged-about/played/favourited albums, songs and artists of 2008. As more people begin to use the Hype Machine, one can only imagine that this list will gather in importance.

The Top 3 Artists Were:

1. MGMT

2. Radiohead

3. Cut Copy

The Top 3 Albums Were:

1. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes

2. TV On The Radio - Dear Science

3. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend

Among the most popular songs, categorised by month rather than in reverse order, were:

- Estelle - American Boy

- Lupe Fiasco - Superstar

- Hot Chip - Wearing My Rolex (Wiley Cover on BBC Radio One's Live Lounge)

- Los Campesinos! - You! Me! Dancing!

- The Apples In Stereo - Same Old Drag

You've probably heard of some of those names but not all of them. Why not try them out and see if the Hype Machine can help you.

Try Some Of The Hype Machine's Recommendations

Here are some of the featured artists/albums on the Hype Machine's Music Blog Zeitgeist 2008.
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So what do YOU reckon?

Once you've tried it out, give us a shout!

Is The Hype Machine the best and most exciting music news and discovery tool on the internet?

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No Diggity, No Doubt Baby

OhMe says:

I am all for making any industry stronger.

CharoLaRock says:

You know what I think already!

No Way Jose

 

Reader Feedback

  • a_willow Apr 17, 2009 @ 1:14 pm | delete
    You are one of January 2009 graduates! Come by and answer few questions to show the way to those who will follow! Wish you many, many more great lenses!
  • ArtByLinda Feb 17, 2009 @ 5:02 pm | delete
    Very informative lens, I learned a lot. Best of luck to you in the fresh squid contest and welcome to Squidoo! Linda
  • tandemonimom Feb 3, 2009 @ 10:00 am | delete
    Great lens, 5* and lensrolled to "If You Like THAT Music, You'll Like THIS Music" twitterstorm.
  • a_willow Feb 1, 2009 @ 2:51 pm | delete
    This lens entered Fresh Squid Contest for February as one of featured lenses on Fresh Squid group in January! Come by and vote!
  • 0ctavias0fferings Jan 23, 2009 @ 10:25 am | delete
    Very nicely laid out lens.
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CharoLaRock

I make music, I play music, I listen to music, I work in music. Now, I write about music!

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