Nostalgia and ‘old school’ have been the name the game in music tech for while now. Tangible hardware and apps on our digital devices both have tried in many ways, to bring back either the function or aesthetic memory of tech from decades past. This strategy has so far, managed to nestle itself in a positive place among consumers. Endeavors like the Air Cassette and Cassette to iPod Converter are two examples that come across as clear throwbacks to the playback entity of the 1980s, each managing to gain a worthwhile consumer base.
A new addition to this marketing angle has recently been released and has just enough uniqueness to nudge its ‘niche neighbors’ aside for a spot of its very own.
Mixtape, the name of a new (currently iOS exclusive) app that was first launched about a month back on November 8, was announced formally last Friday. One of many minds that conjured up the app, is that of Jeff Theimer. Theimer is a well regarded member of the music industry, as Mixtape is hardly his first venture of widespread proportions. The New Noise and Music Foundation and Festival is a major, annual event, run under Theimer’s direction.
The experience Theimer has garnered over the years though projects like the one above, make it no surprise that he and the rest of the principal Mixtape team know the ‘what’s what’ of existing music app interest and popularity. Mixtape works together with the selection and sharing power of Spotify and Rdio to give users of either service, the ability to browse for, craft, personalize and share their special mixes with anyone within their reach via users’ Facebook and Twitter accounts. Expressing intent of sharing is as quick as painless as tagging a friend using their name or Twitter handle.
Where crafting the mixes themselves is concerned, if there isn’t a hard and fast list already at the back of a person’s mind ready to select and send to someone, as described in the press release, “…mixes can be conveniently pulled directly from the tracks recently scrobbled on Last.fm or the bands and performers a person likes on Facebook.” Quoted also from the release, Mixtape’s CEO, co-founder (Nick Long), designer, co-founder (Darien Edwards), and another of the four co-founders (Michael Gaertner), respectively, sum up what they would like Mixtape to become –both in practical terms and in terms of how it represents the undefinable emotions of the music industry for musicians and listeners alike.
“We want to become the place where users can share music and engage with each other regardless of what music service they pay for.”
– Nick Long
“As digital music has become more prevalent and accessible, we’ve become somewhat dissociated with it. It used to take hours to put together a cassette mix. Meaning is lost when you hit randomize or a friend shoots you an email that links to a 500 song playlist they found online. We want to change that and make the mixes personal again, for the creator and the recipient.”
– Darien Edwards
”By sharing mixes of their own tracks or the music they personally like and listen to, we see a great opportunity for music professionals and artists to expand their connection with their fans…Services like Twitter and Instagram have allowed artists to build their brands by offering an intimate snapshot of their personal lives. We think sharing personal music tastes offers another great avenue for artists to connect with and grow their fan base.”
–Michael Gaertner
Mixtape is hoping to grow largely from the participation and frequent sharing of mixes by its most active users; both average consumers and featured musicians. This is a move similar to the user-inspired beginnings of Musicplayr, which displays profiles of popular users as suggestions for connecting, so newcomers have an easier time integrating the service into their regular cyber routine. The only downside is that without a Spotify premium account or Rdio account, half minute samples are all that one can access from a given playlist. However, to expand compatibility, Deezer and MOG are in the works of being integrated as well.
Available as a free app, Mixtape can be downloaded now from the iTunes Store.
See Mixtape in action below, soundtracked by a song that sounds suspiciously like The Black Keys’ – “Howlin’ For You”:
Kira is an old school music nerd with a love for all things creative; always searching for music’s common ground. She graduated with an M.A. in Performing Arts Administration from New York University. Drop her a tweet @shadowmelody1
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