I am blessed to have some pretty fantastic friends, particularly my oldest and dearest NYC pal, "The Barnes". She is always suggesting great things to do, shows to catch, websites to peruse, books to read, stores to browse, etc. She's one of those friends who is always armed with a great story and a useful tip. Love her! Sharing your music online is nothing new, but even I was surprised at how quickly LastFM has sucked me in. I followed the launch, but took a while to sign up because I didn't want my account referencing my itunes library at work, and my home computer is a dud that I am in the process of replacing. But as they added new features, I succumbed. I'm in love. A social networking site that actually increases the quality of my life, by tipping me off to great music I have never heard of, without having to download anything. I listen to great music all day at work, and can even listen to my friend's music which provides even more interesting convo fodder for later in the week. For example, I never realized how many great bands The Barnes knew about, that she apparently has been hiding from me. Shame on you, Barnes! Yesterday we had an off/on all day chat about LastFM, and after pasting in the transcript, I realized three things: 1 - LastFM is somehow helping me to get to know my friends more in fun/mutually beneficial ways 2 - LastFM is a work safe site that helps me to be more productive (same as listening to coworkers playlists through itunes, only with more choices!) 2 - I am a grown woman who chats like an 8th grader. All Day Convo with The Barnes RE: LastFM (and other sordid topics) Alantra: check my spankrock blog: http://www.last.fm/user/auteurgirl/journal/2007/05/16/425354/ Alantra: horror channel + ren & stimpy + recipes = me wanting to be a housewife with ethernet connections to watch all this sh*t Alantra: is 10.2 beta? (referencing my Joost blog) Alantra: or is it just buggy for weird coding sh*t's sake? DanielaInfinity: :-( im going to be the last to use last fm (of our friends) DanielaInfinity: stupid home computer Alantra: it's okay, musical-loser ^_^ DanielaInfinity: im getting a laptop when i return from paris Alantra: you can live vicariously DanielaInfinity: then i will be all over that ish Alantra: through my sh*t DanielaInfinity: yes :-) Alantra: hell yeah! DanielaInfinity: i will too Alantra: i like it better than myspace Alantra: all the music ... DanielaInfinity: tell me why you like last fm Alantra: none of the filler (your blog and questlove's and a couple others excluded) DanielaInfinity: give me reasons why you like last fm Alantra: it gives great recommendations for music based on what you listen to Alantra: it connects you to others with similar taste so you can sponge off their stuff ... DanielaInfinity: can you listen to other peoples music? Alantra: it plots out your taste week by week - since you listen to different stuff over time, your recommendations pool widens Alantra: yup Alantra: everybody has a personal radio station Alantra: you can also listen to neighborhood radio Alantra: which is all the people with taste like yours ... DanielaInfinity: how do the personal radio stations work Alantra: you have to listen to a certain number of songs Alantra: when enough of your information is saved to your account Alantra: last.fm creates a pool of music that fits your musical profile Alantra: and makes it available to you and to others using the site Alantra: if you look on mine, it should tell you what artists are there Alantra: de la soul Alantra: rjd2 Alantra: radiohead Alantra: etc. Alantra: but depending on how my listening habits change Alantra: it could be a good deal different by, say, august Alantra: i like that - it's a dynamic tracker of musical taste that lets people interact with each other Alantra: the brits are some smart mfers ... DanielaInfinity: so as your musical tastes change, it brings in potential new friends, new music to listen to, etc? Alantra: yup Alantra: some neighbors might stay the same Alantra: but you get new ones the more you listen Alantra: i started out with 50 DanielaInfinity: you joined in feb... Alantra: now i have like 250 Alantra: yup ... DanielaInfinity: how do you like it more than myspace Alantra: no spam, for one Alantra: no bands trying to get you to listen to them Alantra: people just dig what they dig ... DanielaInfinity: ... does it track your music through your itunes? so every time you listen to itunes it picks it up? Alantra: yeah... you have the option of turning the application off, so it doesn't track your music Alantra: but i never turn mine off ... DanielaInfinity: then how does it know what you listen to if you turn it off Alantra: it'll also work with winamp and windows media Alantra: it doesn't Alantra: but if you leave your scrobbler off (that's what it's called) Alantra: you don't get recommendations Alantra: or new neighbors Alantra: so it'd be counterproductive to leave it off Alantra: but if someone else Alantra: is using your computer Alantra: and they listen to nothing but pretty ricky and menudo Alantra: and you hate those groups ... DanielaInfinity: how does it know what your weekly top artists are if you dont have itunes Alantra: you turn off the scrobbler so that their music isn't added to your profile Alantra: you don't have to have itunes Alantra: as long as the system recognizes a band name and song title Alantra: it'll input the song Alantra: no matter what you play it on Alantra: even if you use the internal player on last. fm Alantra: based on how many times you listen, it can track fave songs and fave artists pretty easily ... DanielaInfinity: im listening to your radio station... DanielaInfinity: how am i doing that? is it streaming from your comp or their servers Alantra: their servers ... DanielaInfinity: what if i am listening to a song they never heard of Alantra: i love love love those people Alantra: i wish i listened to my itunes more Alantra: so that i could add more stuff Alantra: i haven't been home as often Alantra: trust me, they've probably heard of it Alantra: their database is *huge* Alantra: into obscure norwegian surf-rock? Alantra: they probably have it Alantra: and if you want to listen to music from a weirdo genre that like only five people are into Alantra: you can search for it by keyword on the site Alantra: and listen to a radio station Alantra: with music in that genre Alantra: like "romantic garage band" Alantra: and if someone's tagged any of their music with that label Alantra: it'll play on its own station DanielaInfinity: oh thats awesome ... DanielaInfinity: so you dont have to download anything to listen to tracks DanielaInfinity: from anywhere DanielaInfinity: and meet people who listen to it... Alantra: that's right Alantra: the only thing you have to download DanielaInfinity: i am probably going to blog today about you holding my hand through the land of last fm Alantra: is the scrobbler on your personal computer Alantra: yay i get to be in your blog again :) DanielaInfinity: :-( yeah thats why i cant really use it yet DanielaInfinity: i dont want to do it at work Alantra: i feel you Alantra: fortunately DanielaInfinity: and i can't do it from home yet... Alantra: they fixed the site so you can listen ... DanielaInfinity: so my profile is pretty lame now Alantra: even if you haven't downloaded anything Alantra: and if you listen to the online radio stations DanielaInfinity: yeah i was listening to your station Alantra: you can build your profile up that way Alantra: that's what i do some of the time Alantra: just can't today ... DanielaInfinity: ooo and i can embed your radio station places! Alantra: radio day at work is friday, lol Alantra: yeah... i've been trying to put mine on my myspace Alantra: but it's acting weird for some reason Alantra: you can also Alantra: put up lists of your favorite artist Alantra: artists* Alantra: or make quilts of album covers from bands you've listened to recently Alantra: it's a music nerd's wet dream Alantra: :: skeets musical notes :: ... DanielaInfinity: yaaaay that part is awesome DanielaInfinity: sharing your station channel Alantra: i still visit livejournal some of the time, and on the negroclash comm (which originally was formed to bring together black indie rock kids) members post up their last.fm lists all the time Alantra: plus there's a negroclash comm on last.fm Alantra: so that everyone can share their music Alantra: which they did through lj Alantra: but now it's a lot easier ... DanielaInfinity: :-( it doesnt work on wordpress the widget Alantra: aw suckity suck Alantra: i heard they are still developing codes that are blog-compatible Alantra: fortunately it works on myspace Alantra: i totally want my music on there Alantra: oh - another great thing Alantra: you can look up Alantra: which concerts Alantra: people with similar music taste Alantra: are going to Alantra: so that you yourself can go Alantra: and, you can invite friends to concerts through it Alantra: so you don't just share music online - you do so in real life Alantra: so f*cking cool Alantra: i met one of my last.fm friends at a concert Alantra: after she added me Alantra: and she invites me to stuff on the regular Alantra: i actually have to show up to one, now that i don't have class, haha ... Alantra: speaking of concerts, you'll probably want to go to this sh*t Alantra: http://www.last.fm/event/221546 Alantra: you sexy asshole (Brazilian Girls) Alantra: hahaha ... DanielaInfinity: myspace is stupid to me now... not just because i have to be on it for work. Alantra: i think last.fm represents a great direction in terms of social networking Alantra: being oriented specifically to one's geeky hobby Alantra: eventually i can see one based on movies Alantra: one on books Alantra: all that ish DanielaInfinity: yeah those are in the works now... Alantra: of course, yo! i missed so many movies last year Alantra: have y'all mtv heads heard of holy fuck? (band) Alantra: check subterranean's blog... they might have something about them Alantra: i haven't heard them yet, but i heard they're supposed to be good in that it-makes-white-kids-dance sort of way Alantra: okay, food time... later DanielaInfinity: k ... DanielaInfinity: wheres juliaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Alantra: yo b*tch Alantra: i'm right here dweeb Alantra: you can't email me from outside last.fm Alantra: you have to go through the system Alantra: and it's just my username: auteurgirl DanielaInfinity: whatever ... DanielaInfinity: im on Alantra: yay now we are music friends Alantra: now listen to more sh*t DanielaInfinity: damn (We then chat in some depth about starting a band, in which I am the only melanin challenged member) Alantra: you'd be like Alantra: that skinny white guy Alantra: in hustle and flow Alantra: hahahahahahaha DanielaInfinity: LMAO DanielaInfinity: f*ck you dude DanielaInfinity: thats hysterical DanielaInfinity: lmao Alantra: on the plus side, you have better hair Alantra: ^_^ Alantra: and visuals would be cool ... DanielaInfinity: im just going to leave your station on DanielaInfinity: all day ... Alantra: ew Alantra: you're gonna be my mini-me Alantra: lol DanielaInfinity: for now bujeezuz Alantra: take a listen to my neighborhood, too Alantra: i've found some pretty cool stuff ... DanielaInfinity: i luvz me your music taste DanielaInfinity: barnes DanielaInfinity: *rockin out at her desk* Alantra: :: pimp dance :: Alantra: :: plays golden girls theme :: Alantra: you work really friggin hard Alantra: you are piss-pants humorous Alantra: and you dance like a retarded squirrel Alantra: what's not to like? DanielaInfinity: heheheh "retarded squirrel" 6:50 PM Alantra: still listening to my audio-skeets? DanielaInfinity: yep