I’m still having a hard time explaining the concept of a music browser to people. Maybe it’s because they think of their Firefox as a “google service client”, but I keep running into people who should know better and don’t. To me the concept is simple:
This last word is essential to the concept. It is what I believe to be the crux of the difficulty in understanding the difference between a music browser and a music service client. When people hear about the browser they are typically thinking of it as what I’m calling “Napster style”, “Label style”, or “Recommender style”.
Napster style is this:
Label style is this:
Recommender style is:
If you look at these four simplified descriptions there is really only two key differences:
It really is that simple, but for some reason every person I see who says they have something like this misses these two key points.
Yet, these two points are the difference between “AOL internet” and “real internet”. All the other services are presenting a view of the world of music that matches how they work and what they want you to see. That’s very similar to how AOL, Compuserve, and Prodigy worked back in the day.
The real internet however is a truly competitive landscape where you can go anywhere you want, and see what’s there. It’s an entirely different experience that has filters and services but only if you choose.