Turntable.fm: Let's Make Beautiful Music Together!

By Michael Erwin

Remember chatrooms? Well, they’re back… sorta! This time however they are musically themed and not only do you get to chat, but you get to share music as well. Of course I’m talking about Turntable.fm: the newest hangout for the cool kids!So how does it work?

The rooms are mostly themed by musical genre: 80’s, Indie, Hip Hop, etc. Once you find a room you like, you find yourself in a crowd. On the stage are five DJ’s. The DJ’s take turns playing songs and the crowd has the option of liking or disliking the song and can make comments as well. There is a gaming element in that DJ’s are awarded status points for playing songs that people like. You can also become fans of DJ's and you are notified via email when and where they are DJing.

If a DJ leaves a room, anyone can jump into the open slot and start playing music by either taking songs from the Turntable.FM database or by uploading songs of their own. Also, if you’d rather, you can start your own room and play what you like. I spent hours in a room the other night with a friend from LA and a couple more from San Francisco just playing music and reminiscing. Don’t be surprised if an LMGPR listening room pops up in the near future with our talented PR staff providing the soundtrack to your workweek!

The best part is that if you don’t want to DJ or chat, you can just listen to an uninterrupted stream of music all day long. No commercials and no hearing the same songs over and over again. Most of the DJ’s are music nerds and you are just as likely to hear an album track or an obscure B-side as you are a hit single. It’s also a great way to learn about new bands and find out what the hipsters are listening to!Warning though: Turntable.fm is addicting… don’t say we didn’t warn you!