Jan 7
With most of the songs on the radio these days, you already know how they go. You can just hear them in your head. So why actually play them? We use the simple suggestive power of the mere mention of a catchy song to start that tune playing in your brain. Like this: "U Can't Touch This" by MC Hammer. And now, like magic, you can hear it. But instead of having that song stuck in your head all day and driving you nuts - we play you another tune in a little while to dislodge that one, and replace it with another. Hence radio - and silent. Like, for instance "Can't Get You Out Of My Head" by Kylie Minogue (La la la - la la la laaa la... ) See?
Stef and I have a lot of ideas. It's what we like to do. We look for them everywhere and in everything - and we do it very deliberately. We both love music, so that's a recurring theme. The way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas. We throw out dozens of them, and have become very good at identifying the ones we think are the most fun. Fortunately, Stef knows how to very quickly make fun ideas into stylish and functional web applications. Twadio was 15 hours of solid work over as many cups of coffee in one weekend.
Stef is the 30 year-old super entrepreneur, Courvoisier 'Top 5 Future 500' person, Webby award-winning developer, graphic designer and founder of what will undoubtedly be 2009's hottest UK-based web property, Odadeo.com - a social network for Dads. He's a bit of a genius. Dubber (that's me) is a 41 year-old Senior Lecturer in Music Industries and an AHRC Knowledge Transfer Fellow at Birmingham City University, music industry consultant, public speaker and author of New Music Strategies (http://newmusicstrategies.com). Being this old, and having worked for 20 years in radio stations, means that I can remember a lot of pop songs.
Simple. If they're on Twitter, they follow @tweejay. If they're not on Twitter, they join Twitter, then follow @tweejay. We've made that a very simple process on the website (http://twadio.com) Using a simple update on Twitter, the Tweejay announces a song every 15 minutes. There's a link back to that song's page on twadio.com, in case the 'listener' wants to be reminded of what it actually sounds like - or if they want to buy the mp3. Otherwise, it's as simple as reading the message in your twitter stream, and humming happily to yourself.
We've already had requests for a "lite" version that updates less often - so that's next. And we're thinking of a song-a-day version that will choose one 'earworm' to get stuck for the whole day. That one will come with an email option. Check your inbox in the morning, and find you're stuck with Blue Monday all day. Neat.
The Tweejay picks. At present, she has carte blanche from a list of a couple of thousand tunes that we've provided her. She's pretty poptastic in her selections, but she has the largest range of any hit radio station in the country that we're aware of. Also, she's a robot.
Sometimes - and we're looking at formalising this process. In the meantime, send a message to the Tweejay, and see how you get on. She may not like it, and as I say - she gets to choose. But if she has it in her collection, and she thinks it's cool - who knows?
Everything from "This is genius!" and "Wheee!! Madonna!" to "I don't like this sort of music."
Yep - this is our answer to that last point. Think of this as Twadio 1. It's our flagship pop station, but we have experts in a range of scenes and genres ready to populate playlists full of country, hip hop, 70s funk, jazz, soul, reggae - and lots more besides. We're going to be the silent digital multiplex. We're also broadening the range of the main station to include cooler stuff, because our research indicates that Twitter users are cooler than other people. So, Death Cab for Cutie, Glasvegas and MGMT will probably start to appear. I've already thrown out the James Blunt records.
So far, I've been excited by 'Annie, I'm Not Your Daddy' by Kid Creole and the Coconuts, which had me doing a bit of a chair-dance on the bus, and you can't beat 'I Love Rock & Roll' by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts for getting stuck deep in your brain and following you around all day. Officially, though - I like jazz. Serious jazz.
'Agadoo' by Black Lace. No question. That and the 'Macarena' have been banned. Too hard to replace them once they're in there. People have gone mad. Just the mere mention of them can... oh. Sorry.
An interview with Andrew Dubber about Twadio
Newslite.tv interviewed us about Twadio.com - silent radio for Twitter. Here's what Andrew Dubber (@dubber on Twitter) said...
What is a silent radio station?
With most of the songs on the radio these days, you already know how they go. You can just hear them in your head. So why actually play them? We use the simple suggestive power of the mere mention of a catchy song to start that tune playing in your brain. Like this: "U Can't Touch This" by MC Hammer. And now, like magic, you can hear it. But instead of having that song stuck in your head all day and driving you nuts - we play you another tune in a little while to dislodge that one, and replace it with another. Hence radio - and silent. Like, for instance "Can't Get You Out Of My Head" by Kylie Minogue (La la la - la la la laaa la... ) See?
Where did the idea come from?
Stef and I have a lot of ideas. It's what we like to do. We look for them everywhere and in everything - and we do it very deliberately. We both love music, so that's a recurring theme. The way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas. We throw out dozens of them, and have become very good at identifying the ones we think are the most fun. Fortunately, Stef knows how to very quickly make fun ideas into stylish and functional web applications. Twadio was 15 hours of solid work over as many cups of coffee in one weekend.
Who is behind Twadio? (names, ages, occupations)
Stef is the 30 year-old super entrepreneur, Courvoisier 'Top 5 Future 500' person, Webby award-winning developer, graphic designer and founder of what will undoubtedly be 2009's hottest UK-based web property, Odadeo.com - a social network for Dads. He's a bit of a genius. Dubber (that's me) is a 41 year-old Senior Lecturer in Music Industries and an AHRC Knowledge Transfer Fellow at Birmingham City University, music industry consultant, public speaker and author of New Music Strategies (http://newmusicstrategies.com). Being this old, and having worked for 20 years in radio stations, means that I can remember a lot of pop songs.
How does it work for a user? (basic explanation)
Simple. If they're on Twitter, they follow @tweejay. If they're not on Twitter, they join Twitter, then follow @tweejay. We've made that a very simple process on the website (http://twadio.com) Using a simple update on Twitter, the Tweejay announces a song every 15 minutes. There's a link back to that song's page on twadio.com, in case the 'listener' wants to be reminded of what it actually sounds like - or if they want to buy the mp3. Otherwise, it's as simple as reading the message in your twitter stream, and humming happily to yourself.
Do you have any plans to use delivery methods other than twitter? (emails, widgets ...)
We've already had requests for a "lite" version that updates less often - so that's next. And we're thinking of a song-a-day version that will choose one 'earworm' to get stuck for the whole day. That one will come with an email option. Check your inbox in the morning, and find you're stuck with Blue Monday all day. Neat.
Who picks the songs which are played?
The Tweejay picks. At present, she has carte blanche from a list of a couple of thousand tunes that we've provided her. She's pretty poptastic in her selections, but she has the largest range of any hit radio station in the country that we're aware of. Also, she's a robot.
Do you 'play' requests?
Sometimes - and we're looking at formalising this process. In the meantime, send a message to the Tweejay, and see how you get on. She may not like it, and as I say - she gets to choose. But if she has it in her collection, and she thinks it's cool - who knows?
What has users response been like?
Everything from "This is genius!" and "Wheee!! Madonna!" to "I don't like this sort of music."
Are there plans for more stations with different styles of music?
Yep - this is our answer to that last point. Think of this as Twadio 1. It's our flagship pop station, but we have experts in a range of scenes and genres ready to populate playlists full of country, hip hop, 70s funk, jazz, soul, reggae - and lots more besides. We're going to be the silent digital multiplex. We're also broadening the range of the main station to include cooler stuff, because our research indicates that Twitter users are cooler than other people. So, Death Cab for Cutie, Glasvegas and MGMT will probably start to appear. I've already thrown out the James Blunt records.
What are your favorite tracks?
So far, I've been excited by 'Annie, I'm Not Your Daddy' by Kid Creole and the Coconuts, which had me doing a bit of a chair-dance on the bus, and you can't beat 'I Love Rock & Roll' by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts for getting stuck deep in your brain and following you around all day. Officially, though - I like jazz. Serious jazz.
What is the worst song you could get stuck in your head?
'Agadoo' by Black Lace. No question. That and the 'Macarena' have been banned. Too hard to replace them once they're in there. People have gone mad. Just the mere mention of them can... oh. Sorry.
