Is mySpoonful Different from Rcrdlbl? [INTERVIEW]
Few weeks ago, I discovered mySpoonful, which is a music discovery site and newsletter. Initially, the service made me skeptical. Why send busy people more e-mail?
In my mind, there had to be a better way. Readers also pointed out that sites like Rcrdlbl and Track in the Box do similar functions. In search of answers, I spoke to Dan Cohen, who is the CEO and co-founder of mySpoonful. In this interview, he makes his case about why mySpoonful is different and why it matters.
How will you differentiate mySpoonful from similar sites?
Dan Cohen: We think we're unique in several ways, including our particular combination of format, focus, and frequency that is geared towards the busy independent music fan with limited time.
First, we deliver new music in our "spoonful" format, which is a concise and consistent way of presenting a new artist, profiling them with our original writing, offering a free sample of their music and video, and more.
Second, each spoonful focuses on a single artist, so the reader can get to know an individual band. Third, is our frequency – we focus on a single artist only three times a week, which avoids information overload. In addition, we provide a mobile site experience that allows a user to play and download an artist's music right to a mobile device.
I should also add that we maintain editorial independence from any particular label, so our curated recommendations are solely our own.
Is sending busy people ever more e-mail the best idea?
Dan Cohen: We actually offer our content several ways, so that people can choose the format that best suits them – email, our website, our mobile site, twitter, and Facebook. In this manner, they can get the content through either "push" or "pull" at their convenience, and they can do so on either their desktops or mobile device. We find that people that do choose email like our concise format and love receiving their "surprise package" of new independent music three times a week, and find that it is a nice break from their other emails.
Will the hyper-localization – as you expand – be what sets you apart?
Dan Cohen: We do think that localizing our offering will be important in the future. Today, we offer a link to local live performance listings for each artist.
Why must we connect artists to real people in places where they live?
Dan Cohen: Recommendations for local artists can add another degree of relevance and build a new level of connection with fans. People take pride in where they live, and often like to be part of their local music scene. Further, partially due to social media, fans are now more than ever expecting to have more direct relationships with artists. Having a local connection to an artist further fosters that relationship, and helps artists gain exposure.
I think that myspoonful is a great little email – I get both myspoonful and Rcrdlbl. Although, I really love the fact that Rcrdlbl gives you free tracks which I almost always take advantage of, I don’t always listen. Myspoonful gives me an idea of what other bands they may sound like and can better determine whether it is worth listening for me even if I do only stream them to see if I’d be interested in buying.
We’ve been doing this a lot longer than any of these sites, eight years and the 800 top labels: http://betterPropganda.com. I don’t see what the problem is? I personally look forward to Rcrdlbl’s daily mailer. It takes only a few moments to check their site and decide whether you like the tracks or not.
I use Rcrdlbl and My Spoonfull, and I feel like I’m getting something different from both. Then again, I can’t get enough of music sooooooooo. Spoonful is really short, so I can look at it quickly while I listen to the song and go “yeah, that rocks” or “eh, not so much” and get on with my life.
I also have been getting the Rcrdlbl emails for quite some time, although I rarely listen to the songs they give me.
I recently began getting the mySpoonful emails and have found that I’m more willing to check them out due to the focus on an individual band, rather than a remix of a song, a la Rcrdlbl.
The “for fans of” section of the emails usually determines whether or not I’ll listen to the song and read the rest of the email.
I like that RCRDLBL has lots of remixes of artists I already love and some I haven’t heard of, but I can spend three hours on RCRDLBL. MySooonful on the other hand, has one artisted featured. The articles are short and sweet. I know right away what I’m getting with MySpoonful. I dont need to spend too long on the site, which is a nice change from a lot of sites that follow this format.
I’ve been getting the mySpoonful emails and love that I can read it, listen to the sample track and get to the video all on my phone. Works great on mobile. Really nice way to discover new bands and then you can go dig deeper for the bands you like.
RCRDLBL.com has a much bigger/cooler bands than My Spoonful, and I like that they have a huge catalog of past songs as well. My 2 cents.
I Really enjoy Track In the Box, they often offer free downloads but generally the good ones. I like that they have some bands hosting the mailer. Its very varied and only takes a few mins to read.