Hype is a dangerous thing. It can make you see things that aren't there, believe in things that don't exist, invest in things without doing the research.
All of which makes me wonder about Turntable.fm. If you 
believe that recommendation just needs to be 'figured out,' then this innovative twist is extremely seductive to you. I'm finding new music, rediscovering old stuff, debating with music fans, thinking about songs I want to play, maybe even rooms I want to start. But I'm also wondering if the world will feel the same way, and where these reported '140,000 active users' are hiding.
Is this just a case of too much hype, too soon - for everyone involved? If this were a strictly-limited beta - like Google Music Beta - the story would be different. But if you have a Facebook friend on the inside, you're in! But why aren't more people IN this site - for example, on a lazy, distraction-ready Friday afternoon?
The first listed room at about 2:30 pm PCT - the 'Uncommon Friday Dance Party' - had 5 users and 3 deejays. Then, the most popular room - 'Coding Soundtrack' - had 188 users, one of just four hosting more than 100. These are the rooms presented upon login, and they quickly dip down into the 30s, 20s, and below. And, a specific search for a 'metal' channel returned only sparse gatherings.
Of course, not everyone is logged in at the same time. But there's the danger that people simply logged in once, checked it out, and then checked out - for good. That's been a huge problem for Twitter, whose abandonment rate is enormous.
On a technical level, there's also the possibility that Turntable is partitioning groups to manage loads. But for this to work, the social aspect has to be incredible - with lots of people stuffing rooms, starting new ones, collaborating, fighting, competing, whatever. And right now, outside of a few corners, it doesn't feel that way.
6/27, 7:10 am PCT: Just a quick update, Turntable has now blocked ex-US users.
/pr.
Comments Closed
Jonathan Jaeger Friday, June 24, 2011
I haven't tried the site yet, maybe because I don't have a Facebook friend on the inside from what I can tell or because I have not gone out of my way to friend someone who is on the site. However, the one problem that I speculate (from the outside) is that for an interactive/collaborative music site to succeed you need the artists to promote the site.
The big sites like ReverbNation, SoundCloud, and MySpace have artists promoting themselves, which in turn promotes the platform. If artists don't do the promotion it will be hard to get the listeners to come back again and again unless you have as a compelling a use-case as Pandora (passive listening at work, in the car, etc.).
@lokin8 Friday, June 24, 2011
Nathan Harland
Just tried it and LOVE IT!
@jessquire_usa Friday, June 24, 2011
every cubicle I walked by today, coworkers were playing...
@Unclefishbits Friday, June 24, 2011
I dunno about you, but I can't get a seat in most rooms, and I can't stop DJ'ing. I know at least 15 close friends addicted.
@swquantum: Friday, June 24, 2011
One is right here. I'm DJing in the jazz room. Come hang out with us!
balbers Saturday, June 25, 2011
The biggest problem I see with this is that everybody else's taste in music totally sucks.
pomegranate02 Saturday, June 25, 2011
I thought I'd give it a go, but the 'facebook friend already in' put me off right away. I'm not going near it til they get rid of that rubbish. Even then I'd be reluctant because they started off with the premise that you're on facebook.
Travis Saturday, June 25, 2011
USA only now due to licensing issues...
@thornybleeder Saturday, June 25, 2011
Can't get in? "Like" their Facebook Page and then try again
Maxwellian Saturday, June 25, 2011
I agree that hype is one thing and real results is another, and remember this is a music audience that is tech orientated. But this doesn't even scratch the surface of the real problem of monetization. So what if there are 1.4 million users, then what?
::MW
jim_gelcer Monday, June 27, 2011
Paul, like you I'm discovering new music, rediscovering old, and most importantly connecting with and discussing music with others while the music is playing (love that aspect). I'm also able to promote my own music (which is on turntable.fm because it's in the iTunes database). The site is buggy and glitchy (sometimes the whole site goes down), and now they've restricted it to US only which is a drag, but I'm still addicted! I only got on this weekend and I'm over 300 points! The numbers on the site do seem low compared to what has been publicized. I do hope the site succeeds though. I agree with Bob that sites like this are going to be the future of online music.
@ThatEricAlper Monday, June 27, 2011
Eric Alper
Turntable.fm closed its doors to users outside of the USA...
@domcoballe Monday, June 27, 2011
Dominic Coballe
Int'l Trance/Dub/Jungle fans will survive this.
TexasBluesRoadhouse.com Tuesday, June 28, 2011
I'm am both an artist and a music advocate. And I'm promoting the site to every artist I know due to the fact that they send their plays to Sound Exchange. In short, you can get paid for being played on an Internet site. And that's reason enough to support the site. I don't have to sleep with some record executive to get my music played. I just go into a room for my genre and start spinning tracks. It's greatness.
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