MixMatchMusic impressed us mightily with its online remix contest platform, but we're not so sure about its latest venture -- a URL shortener designed to make it easier to promote and discover music on Twitter.
On the one hand, Twitter has grown into a communication tool for everything from houseplants to washing machines. Why shouldn't people be working on ways to make it a better platform for music too?
On the other hand, one might question the utility of another tool for shortening URLs. Does anyone really need this?
MixMatchMusic justifies tra.kz' existence in three ways:
1. "URL links are often too long to include in tweets."
That may be the case, but Twitter already does a fine job of automatically shortening URLs in many cases, and other tools (redirx, tinyurl, etc.) already exist for that purpose.
2. "By being given the visual cue of 'http://tra.kz/,' music lovers will know that the link will take them to music related content."
Again, true, but tra.kz doesn't verify that you're linking directly to a music file. For instance, here's a link to this blog that I ran through the engine: http://tra.kz/147e. Technically speaking, your usage of tra.kz merely tells readers that you decided to use it rather than something else. Still, if you're a fan who subscribes to a band's twitter feed, and you notice that two of their tweets have tra.kz URLs indicating that they link to actual music, that's useful information to have.
3. "Fans browsing Twitter feeds will be able to... play music files directly through tra.kz's player."
Now we're really getting somewhere. This feature, pictured above, could prove beneficial for labels, artists and users looking to distribute music on the Twitter platform, as well as Twitter users looking for new music. The player includes play and pause, a short version of the song's URL (of course), and, perhaps most importantly, buttons that let listeners to re-tweet or otherwise share the song. (Bands must host the MP3s themselves.)
One label, Controlled Substance Sound Labs, is already using the service on Wednesday -- the day it launched. "Our bands are increasingly using Twitter to stay in touch with their fans," stated label co-founder Jon Phillips. "Tra.kz is simply the best way to use Twitter to point them to new releases, B-sides or special content."
As David S. Hubbins of Spinal Tap once said, it's a fine line... What do you think?
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