Discovering new music is a lot like meeting people. There’s a lot to be said for being in the right mood, in the right place, at the right time. There’s also a lot to be said for recommendations. Or computer algorithms. Hello, Pandora. But if you’re looking for something quick, fun and instantly gratifying, until recently there hasn’t been a tool available that meets your needs. What we’re trying to get at is, there isn’t a Tinder for music.
Until just recently. Welcome, Next. Next is an app that was created by Tinder co-founder Christopher Gulczynski and former VP of design Sarah Mick. So it’s unsurprising that the app is modeled after Tinder. Swipe, like, swipe, dislike.
But instead of swiping based on your level of attraction to the potential’s carefully selected profile picture, you’re swiping based on your reaction to a short clip (30 seconds to three minutes) uploaded by an artist. Taking things a step further than Tinder, you’ll have the option to follow the artist (in the app itself) or share what you’ve found.
We tested the app to see how well it performs, and had some mixed results. We were little disappointed at the selection available, but it could because the app is so new. There is a filter to help control the type of music you’re presented with, but we found we ran out of music frequently and had to wait for the app to gather more for us. Again, the newness of the app may be impacting our experience.
Despite the growing pains that Next is bound to experience as an app trying to map an uncharted territory, we are still digging the idea of a Tinder for music, and think that the app has great potential to take music discovery far beyond what Pandora can offer. There is value in being able to flip through options and judge quickly; the thrill doesn’t fade as the options parade.
Bottom line: download the app, but be patient. Content and variety are surely on the way.
Via TNW.
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