NET 102 1.1: I want my MP3's TASK 1.1 (ASSIGNMENT 1):

NET 102 1.1: I want my MP3's TASK 1.1 (ASSIGNMENT 1):

Open up an account with a music discovery and streaming service.
Pandora, Last.fm, or Grooveshark

My account:  http://www.last.fm/listen/user/loulounilly

 Use their tools for discovering new music and other listeners with similar tastes and build upon your profile there. If you have an mp3 player, try to download playlists and music from the service. In your task portfolio, include a link to your profile and not more than 500 words reviewing the service (note: you do not have to write up to 500 words--this is a maximum limit only). For those of you who already have such a profile, describe your profile and how you use it in your everyday life and the role played by the internet on your music listening.

After finding Last.fm and being ‘shouted’

LAST.HQ wrote: Welcome aboard, loulounilly! Happy listening.

I discovered what ‘scrobbing’ actually meant (1) Running a program that tracks songs a person is listening to then uploading to a social network.

I have had infinite trouble navigating and downloading the playlist from Last.fm. I have been unsuccessful in my endeavour to do so.  Last.fm is a streaming site and therefore has been easier to listen to the music "on line. This has been quite inconvenient as unless I take the laptop to an area that has Wi-Fi capabilities I am unable to access the site. Interestingly it is also a pay site after a certain number of songs streaming. You are allowed 30 tracks on the "free" radio before you have to subscribe albeit for only $3.00/month.
The site also plays songs that I have not selected but has "considered my tastes" and that they are within the music genre that I first signed on with. I don't understand how Miley Cyrus can be included in a line up that includes bands such as the clash, the Jam, Souxie and the Banshees and Guns and Roses! My music tastes vary but seem to be mostly post modern rock and punk (80's) and alternative bands of the 70's and 80's. So where does she and Whitney fit in?

 I will not be using last.fm and as such have only built a small profile.  I actually prefer the easy utilisation of iTunes (it seems that last.fm is able to scrob to iTunes) more so now that they have devised a new program that is meant to emulate MySpace which Apple have called PING. The internet has broadened my range of music capacity in that I now have more access to songs that I hadn't heard from in a while and are  able to listen to either in the back ground at home or on my iPod when I'm exercising but utilising iTunes to do so.

References

            Last.fm http://www.last.fm/

(1)    “Scrobbing is the act of running a program that tracks what songs you are listening to and uploads them to a social network such as the website that coined the phrase Last.fm. This is a voluntary action and though it sounds like an invasion of privacy, the users consent to scrobbing so they can compare music tastes with the community and friends.” http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=scrobbing