Like jukeboxes.
So, Katie Jones put me on to this article about a T-Shirt company,Threadless, Inc., that is the epitome of the user-interface Web 2.0 infrastructure. What they have done, is built a t-shirt empire built on the voting and purchasing and designing of a large online social network. And it works, with wild success.
Why doesn’t the user-interface work at a bar with a jukebox going? Shouldn’t user selection generally override the bad music that you can already hear on broadcast radio or American Idol? I am not cynical enough, yet, to believe that we have been force-fed popular, uninspiring music enough to have to regurgitate it everywhere we go.
It seems the user-interface override would particularly be effective with the modern jukeboxes that allow user downloads of new albums and tracks, creating a virtually unlimited library.
Yet, why is this not the case? Why don’t people just play something good!? Is it a few squeaky wheels that muck up the entire playlist? The many buzzing thoughts in my head point to no solid solution…however! If I may, I would like to leave off with two thoughts…
1. Is there such a thing as universally, genuinely good music? (ps. if you know anything about it, this is similar to the questions of Plato and his Forms in Phaedo)
2. Is there hope that this “Good Music” can trump musical taste? Can trump genre and popularity and access and familiarity? Can be recognized by every open-minded listener as simply: good.
2 Comments Add your own
1. admin | June 17th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
1. Yes, I do believe that there is such thing as universally good music! I hope that you all agree that most of these songs are “good” even if you don’t like them!
2. Is there hope? I don’t know, that’s why I asked the question, you doufus!
2. So-Crates | June 26th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
Taste and what people consider to be good are too closely tied for one to ever trump the other. If I have a choice of listening to what I, and everyone I know, considers to be a good band or a band that I enjoy more, ergo more to my taste, I will without fail pick the latter. Example, I agree that Bjork makes good music, however I hate that Icelandic tart and would never ever listen to her given the option not to. Is there hope that this “Good Music” can trump musical taste? No. Can it be recognized by every open-minded listener as simply: good. Yes.
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