Auto-play: pluses and minuses

[Gary Portenier]

I'm not an artist so this may (or may not) be a dumb observation.

When trying to go through the hundreds of artists now here at Top 40 Charts, the one thing that often causes me to "head straight for the door" are artists whose music begins to play the moment you open their page.

I understand the logic, you're trying to catch the interest of the listener, but from the perspective of listeners roaming around Top 40 Charts (like myself) some - perhaps many - are playing the songs they have already chosen for their My Page playlist while roaming. Of course, we can stop our playlist when we want to listen to songs from an artist or song we haven't heard before. But that unanticipated introduction of a song (which then seems more like noise than music) can be annoying to the listener.

Depending upon when and where a listener and potential fan is doing this (home, work, time of day, etc.), the volume (which the listener cannot always control or adjust easily) becomes a distraction and can discourage follow through.

I'm interested in opinions about the pros and cons of the auto-play feature! : )

Gary

P.S. I tried to initiate this discussion in the "groups" All Artists section, but with no response (I deleted the entry). It could be I am the only one interested in this subject. While discussions here in the forum section are modest, at best, perhaps this is the better place to ask the question.
Thanks.

[Kickradio]

I also understand the issue. It can also be startling if one has the defualt volume set to high and suddenly a song starts to play. I believe it is most productive for an artist to make their page as appealing as possible and try to direct the reader's interest to the music by making references to the individual songs, when possible -- to entice the reader to become a listener as well... Thanks for commenting...

I really hate this feature at Myspace, btw... as if it doesn't take all day or anything for some pages to load and the music starts up long before the page loads.... Ow well...

[Gary Portenier]

Thanks for your comments. It seems we largely agree.

I enjoy listening to the playlist I've put together on MyPage (51 songs at this point) during the workday. I find having songs playing in the background as I work very helpful in making the day productive. Because I take an hour for lunch, but don't need all of that time for eating, I often take 15 to 30 minutes to try out new artists or go back to revisit artists I've tried before. It is because I listen in a work setting, that the auto-play/default volume issue is particularly annoying. If the page was fully loaded before the music began, or there was some symbol than warned the listerner in advance, the interests of both the artist and listener might be met.

[DC]

I do not like music that autoplays on ning sites. I am not a fan of hearing 2 different songs being played at the same time. I usually have my volume turned down when surfing @ work and at home.

[Mike Parrish]

Hi Gary,

In my opinion, all artists become involved with internet music sites with one common goal and that is to promote their music. In a world where the stars are often chosen by their look or sex appeal, the glam and glitter of it all, as opposed to actual talent, I'd have to say that some of us, me for example, might get overlooked because of the way I look as opposed to the quality of my music. Promoting my music and being heard by new audiences are very important to me and, if my music doesn't catch a person's ear or I just don't happen to be their cup o' tea, then at least I had a shot. If I have a choice of whether to have people read my bio and look at my pics before listening to my tunes or allowing the music to start first, I'd have to go with the music. In the end, it's all about the music. It really doesn't matter what I look like or what's in my bio or personal links, it's about capturing new listeners and having an opportunity to present the music. Basically, if a viewer doesn't like the music, in my own humble opinion, they're not gonna care at all about the bio or pics (unless, of course, that person is a supermodel / artist) lol - Hope that counts for something and, if you're a country music fan, I hope you'll stop by and check out my tunes sometime.

[Evan Paul]

I hear what you're saying Gary, and you do have a point. My point of view on the subject is same as Mike's, volume depends on the player, you can turn it down or off if you don't like what you hear. From my experience I have captured many fans just by letting them hear the music, if they like what they hear, they'll read about you, if they don't they won't, let your music play and hope for the best.
I haven't had much time to spend here yet, but thanks for all your support in the past and present.

[Gary Portenier]

I hear what you and Mike are saying Evan, but my point is that I (and I suspect others) do not like the fact that auto-play starts even when you are already listening to a playlist, whether it's your Onsite (Top40Charts) Radio Station or that of an artist you're perhaps trying out the first time. Auto-play does not override or replace what you are listening to in that situation, but instead you have two songs being played (most likely at different volume levels) creating noise rather than something all that attractive to the ear. Rob is aware of the issue and, based on all the innovations occurring here, perhaps it is an innovation that can be addressed down the road.

One thing I would like to see is that if an Onsite (Top40Charts) Radio Station is already playing, an auto-play you come across would adopt the same volume level, rather than the default level. That is something that can probably be programmed, but I don't claim to know the complexities involved or whether it is even practical. Perhaps a better option would be to have a question box pop up asking you which playlist you want to continue and at what volume.

Finally, I also understand your concern about being able to "capture" listeners. Believe me Evan and Mike, if people were not interested in trying out (and perhap becoming hooked on) your music, they would not be here. I'm sure there are listeners who visit iTunes, cdbaby, or even Last.fm who are totally oblivious to places like Top 40 Charts.
Of course, with time that could all change!