FPL's 23 Things

Access vs. Ownership.

Physical vs. Electronic.

Not just libraries, but the general public too, is wrestling with the same issues. And given improvements in streaming media, more and more are turning towards free electronic access.

What is streaming media? Instead of downloading and saving large media files to your computer’s hard drive and then watching… you experience those videos and audio files *as they are being sent* to your computer (where they don’t take any room on your harddrive)! You can’t save the music, movie, or television program like  you could with broadcast television or radio–but you do control when you play it.

Sites like Pandora and Last.fm allow you to access music you would like, make suggestions based upon an analysis of the music you choose, and connects you with others with similar preferences. But there are some distinct differences between Pandora, Last.fm, and other streaming media competitors. Pandora allows you to build a customized radio station that plays songs that you like and suggests new artists with a similar style. Last.fm gives users more control, like the ability to play specific songs, and puts a bigger emphasis on connecting with others. Musicovery offers an interface with a visual relational map based upon mood, genre, and decade. Some of these sites even maintain their own billboard-style popularity charts.

This type of access is now popular enough that entertainment systems sold today allow buyers to access and play streaming content over their home stereo/entertainment system.

For Thing 17 you will need to:

1. Choose either Last.fm, Pandora, or another music streaming site (Deezer, Slacker, Musicovery, iLike,  etc.).
2. Checkout the offerings and listen to some music (some sites require that you set up an account for all the features).
3. For the sake of your coworkers, you will want to consider completing this “Thing” at home – or invest in a pair of earbuds (on sale in Circulation for $1).
4. Blog about it: What did you think about the experience? What did you think of the suggestions of other artists? What role can this service play in our patrons lives? Will people still check out CDs in the future?

Optional for advanced users:

1.  Which ones allow for sharing your new found tunes on Facebook or your blog?