last.fm

Because there aren’t enough distractions online, I’ve signed up for yet another one: last.fm.

It’s a social networking site that links people through their musical tastes, not via hyperlinked entries in an “interests” box, but by tracking everything you listen to on your computer and creating a personal radio station that others can listen to, potentially discovering new songs and artists. It also allows artists to upload their own music and make it available for preview and/or download, offering the potential for reaching new audiences in a way that’s more organic than MySpace.

So yeah, I signed up, set my Windows Media Player to “shuffle all” and let it go crazy.  I’m going to have to rip some of my older CDs to make sure my full range of musical tastes are represented as I don’t currently have Milli Vanilli or Me Phi Me on the computer and I think more people should revisit their music!

I also signed myself up as an artist and uploaded a few MP3s of me doing poetry from back in the day.  I made them full previews and downloadable for free, but they don’t seem to have been fully processed yet.  Check back often and “scrobble” me to the top of the charts!  You can leave me a shout-out there, too.  🙂

ETA: I just realized I could upload the MP3s here to Vox, too, so I did! Check out my “Audio” section to take a listen.

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Written by Guy LeCharles Gonzalez

Guy LeCharles Gonzalez is the Chief Content Officer for LibraryPass, and former publisher & marketing director for Writer’s Digest. Previously, he was also project lead for the Panorama Project; director, content strategy & audience development for Library Journal & School Library Journal; and founding director of programming & business development for the original Digital Book World.