SpiralFrog will be available only to Internet users in the US and Canada, noted The Straits Times here in Singapore recently. It’s the same with Pandora, the music discovery service which allows Internet users to create custom-built radio stations. That also is available only in the US.
I discovered that while trying to create a personal radio station, using one of the free music services. I tried to create one using Pandora, but no dice. The service was available only to residents in the US, it said.
However, I can use Mercora which calls itself P2P radio as the music is webcast by the members themselves. It’s a legal social music network. The music can be heard but not downloaded. It’s free, the sound quality is okay, and there’s lots of music to choose from. And I have even been able to link it to my blog.
One has to download the Mercora IM radio. which has to be accessed through an Internet Messenger. And Firefox users need to download a Mercora plugin.
Setting up the IM radio isn’t tricky. And the music search and customised playlists can be easily attached to a blog sidebar.
To create my "Favourite artistes" musical slideshow in the sidebar, I went to the Mercora MusicMatrix page. There I was asked to type in the names of my favourite artistes, then had to press the Generate button. That created the code which I copied and pasted on the blog. It can be used on MySpace, TypePad, Blogger and I guess on WordPress too though maybe not on WordPress.com which doesn’t allow JavaScripts.
Up to nine artistes can be featured in the slideshow. I had no problems choosing my first seven: Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Janis Joplin, Elvis Presley, Simon and Garfunkel, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. But the eighth and ninth posed a problem. I chose the Beach Boys and the Grateful Dead, but I would have also liked to feature Chuck Berry, Everly Brothers, Fats Domino and the Creedence Clearwater Revival. Yes I would, if I only could, I surely would. Yes, that’s a line from El Condor Pasa. Delivered in the heavenly harmony of Simon and Garfunkel, it’s an absolute gem of a song.
Mercora, by the way, was founded in 2003 by Srivats Sampath, president and CEO, and Atri Chatterjee, VP of marketing and business development, says the Wikipedia. That’s one up to the Indians. Jai Hind!
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