CBC Radio Canada Building in Trois-Rivières, QC
Since I have a glamourous job which allows me to sit on a chair in PJs for the most part of the day, I get to listen to a lot of music while editing. [Don't tell that to my chiropractor, he won't be happy with all the sitting that I do]. And nobody wants to listen to the same iTunes playlist over and over again. That’s where the music websites come in. I’ve used a number of them over the years and here is a list of my favourites:
1) 8tracks
The website users make ‘mixed tapes’ for any occasion.
Hot: It never gets boring cause you don’t know what’s coming up next. You can always switch genres and discover new artists. Can add mixes and songs to your favourites and surprisingly a lot of it makes a decent background noise.
Not: The song lists for the mixes are not available. They have some limitations due to their license. Although I love indie-rock, listening to Skinny Love – Bon Iver once in every mix gets tiring.
2) CBC Radio 3
The home of Independent Canadian Music, has live streaming and a large song library.
Hot: The live broadcast is great with some amazing DJs. Makes it easy to discover new artists.
Not: As the name suggests, primarily indie and Canadian. Which isn’t a problem unless you want greater variety. Can’t skip ahead in each genre stream.
3) The Hype Machine
Gathers music from the latest blogs. Has a radio show discussing what’s new and hot in the music scene.
Hot: You can play all the newest additions, discover remixes, and save them as favs.
Not: Once again it’s mostly indie-rock with a dash of hip-hop. Hard to find any of the older music, and there are just too many remixes.
4) Musicovery
Discover music by timeline, genre, or mood. They have changed the website since my last visit.
Hot: I love selecting a decade and just listening at random. Pretty much all of the 60′s and 70′s have been covered during long editing days. The mood function is great, easy to select the level of ‘distraction’.
Not: Not the biggest fan of their new website. I had issues with their old service, not sure if it still applies.
5) Grooveshark
Just discovered this website. I’ve heard about it before, but never used it. So far looks pretty cool!
Hot: From the first look, I love the design and easy navigation.
Not: Popular list looks like a MuchMusic channel play list.
That completes my list. What are you listening to?
