I wrote about Songkick last week, praising its focus on technology for the mass consumer and referenced an impending announcement. That announcement came yesterday, with the launch of a music recommendation service. Put three bands you like into the system and it returns recommendations of area concerts you might enjoy. Simple but brilliant. It works pretty nicely, too. I typed in two current obsessions – The National and Vampire Weekend – and one mainstay, PJ Harvey, and it returned Radiohead and The Cure. Two concerts I’m actually interested in seeing and will try to get tickets to. It should be said that I did stump the engine by throwing U2 in once. But perhaps it’s trying to tell me I need to update my music library.
What I like about Songkick, as previously mentioned, is that its creators aren’t interested
in parsing the ins and outs of the technology. They instead want to spread their love of music through enabling technologies. I called it “music semantics” and, though the pundits in the semantic realm may take issue with that label, it’s time we embraced apps that are less wonky in their approach and focus. While Twine, Hakia, and MetaWeb are laboring in the code mines, working to build what will be the framework for the semantic Web, companies like Songkick are out in the market, showing consumers real-world applications of semantics. It’s vitally important all such players are represented, in order for semantics to develop fully and organically.
