Aitutaki airport arrivals, Cook Islands

I’m one of those people who has to have noise going on all the time, I’m not a big fan of sitting in silence, hence I get through quite a lot of music and podcasts. Everyone has their favorite tracks and albums, but sometimes you just can’t find something you want to listen to, or your sick of everything you have in your collection.

In steps thesixtyone.com who’s own description seems the best way to describe what they do:

“thesixtyone makes music discovery a fun, adventurous experience with persistent reputation and rewards — it’s like a massively-multiplayer game for music junkies who are always on the prowl for new sounds. For everyone else, it’s a spot where anybody can instantly start listening to good new music… a place that personifies people getting excited about music simply because they enjoy it.”

The system works by users bumping tracks they like (a little like digg or reddit) and thus higher rated songs appear on the home page.  Personally I have discovered a number of new songs through it and find it perfect for sticking on in the background while I’m cooking or working. There’s a radio mode so you can pop it on and forget about it and when you find yourself tapping your toes to something give it a bump or favourite it.

“A road is a road, but sometimes it’s more. Sometimes a road sings.
Drive down Highway 61 and you’ll find music everywhere you turn.
Muddy Waters rode the 61. So did Bob Dylan, Ike Turner, and B.B. King. Elvis grew up in the housing projects along it. Highway 61 was the road by which people left to find better opportunities. And by leaving they took their music to the world.
Come join us on thesixtyone.”