Last.fm

Based in the UK, Last.fm claims to have over 30 million active users in more than 200 countries.  Last.fm recommends that users install “the scrobbler” which detects a user’s musical taste by sending every played song, whether it be through iTunes, a portable music player, or a Last.fm streamed radio station, directly to the Last.fm database.  You can then compare musical tastes with other users and discover new music through your connections.

Our Rating: Very Good

With over 20 million “scrobbles” a day, Last.fm remains the most visited website on this list.  The acquisition by CBS has brought up questionable security issues though, as it’s rumored that the RIAA has been given full-access to receive information regarding users that play unreleased tracks on their computers.

www.last.fm

Pandora

The online radio service Pandora relies upon “The Music Genome Project”, a complex mathematical algorithm consisting of over 400 attributes to scientifically describe a song.  Each song is analyzed by a musician in a process that can take over 30 minutes, of which ten percent of songs are then re-analyzed for reliability.  When a listener gives either a thumbs-up or thumbs-down to a series of songs, the algorithm will detect the similarities and differences that each song shares.  Scientific music taste perfection.

Our Rating: Excellent

Pandora is the easiest method to find new music online, hands down.  You’re not going to find anything too obscure or independent, but some of “The Music Genome Project’s” selections will pleasantly surprise you.

www.pandora.com

The Hype Machine

Created by Anthony Volodkin in 2005, The Hype Machine is a blog aggregator that allows users to vote-up a song’s popularity in order to reach the front page and gain exposure among the site’s community.  It works very much like popular news aggregator sites Digg and Reddit, but just like the aforementioned sites, the system has been abused in order to allow unpopular songs attain coverage on the front page.  The Hype Machine has recently modified code in order to fix these ongoing problems.  For the DJ’s and electronic music fans, if you’re looking for brand new remixes and mash-ups, the Hype Machine is likely your best bet.

Our Rating: Good

Just like most aggregator-style websites, they always seem to be better in their earlier years.  The Hype Machine is no exception.  Perhaps it’s time for The Hype Machine to emulate Reddit’s “subreddit” model and break up the masses a bit.

www.hypem.com

thesixtyone

When reading the website’s opening statement, “thesixtyone democratizes music culture: artists submit their work, but rather than allowing a stuffy suit to decide what’s cool, the listeners do”, you can instantly tell that creators James Miao and Samuel Hsiung are music rebels at heart.  You also get the feeling that the founders aren't trying to make any friends in the corporate music world.  We don't blame them, it seems like the corporate music "suits" aren't the ones buying these companies anyway.  The website’s payment model for artists is an outstanding idea.  You can download an entire album for free, then donate money directly to the artist.  We’re surprised that Radiohead wasn’t behind this website.

Our Rating: Very Good

The idea is there, but the users are not.  Perhaps with the backing of a multi-million dollar advertising campaign this website could really take off.  But of course, that goes against the very idea that started thesixtyone.  The website is still young, so before they get huge and become a threat to Apple, which will indeed result in a multi-million dollar aquisition, thesixtyone is an excellent music discovery tool.

www.thesixtyone.com

Don't Miss New Music Discovery Website Reviews - Part 2 - Next Wednesday