Weekly Site Review: The Hype Machine
Back in 2005, while in college, Anthony Volodkin created The Hype Machine. The biggest appeal for this website (even in its new version) is the fact that it is one of the largest mp3 blog aggregators on the web. An mp3 blog aggregator basically takes a large lists of blogs and scans them for mp3s, then compiles them on a page for users to see. The Hype Machine does an excellent job at scouring the blogosphere for music — all you have to do is visit the site. It’s a completely free service for users and its biggest draw is giving people a chance to quickly listen to music and find out if they like it our not.
Some people may argue that the experience of mp3s blogs are hindered because of The Hype Machine and others may argue that some blogs wouldn’t be popular without The Hype Machine. If you find a song you like from The Hype Machine you can stream it but you can’t download until you actually go to the blog that it was posted at. Of course some users may skip the editorial content, download the mp3 and exit the site, and believe me, I’m guilty of doing just that.
The really awesome feature of The Hype Machine is that you can sign up for a free account and favorite any songs, blogs, or other users you like by clicking on a heart. Of course the ability to favorite things isn’t that impressive but it gets really cool when you eventually see what The Hype Machine is using this favorites system for.
Essentially, the Hype Machine takes your favorites, uses that information and builds a customized RSS feed (a “Love Feed”) of your favorite tracks, blogs, artists, and users. It’s all extremely impressive. The Hype Machine can really be used to find your favorite new artist and is a wonderful place to visit and to click through when you feel that your music collection is running dry or you’ve played that Peter Bjorn and John track just a little too much.
In the end, The Hype Machine is the definitive mp3 blog aggregator for me. I really dislike using Elbo.ws and I think The Hype Machine is cleaner, easier to use and has less annoying ads. I really recommend The Hype Machine to anyone who really hasn’t gotten a chance to fall in love with an mp3 blog aggregator and if you’re looking for one to bookmark and visit often, The Hype Machine is definitely for you.
(This post was contributed by Kyle Wallace)
