Okay, so I’ve fallen in love with 8tracks, and I don’t mean
those big honkin’ plastic things that in a way resemble something similar to a
cassette tape (and if you don’t know what an 8track is, or a cassette then lord
help you lol)
But seriously... Mr. Olive got me onto this.
So first, let me give you some background. I own exactly
zero CD’s. I don’t own any cassettes, but I do own a record player and a plethora
of records. I have an iPhone that no joke has 87 songs on it. It has had 87
songs on it since pretty much the day I got it, three years ago.
I like music. I do. But I don’t have the patience for CD’s
or buying songs from iTunes or other such places. Occasionally Mr. Olive will
hook me up with some songs but not often enough.
I listen to the same loop of 87 songs when I’m writing. I
can sing along to every one of those songs, and the only joy I get is when the
shuffle feature puts them in a different order.
Some of you are laughing, I’m sure, but this has all been
the truth. So, you can imagine that my mind was literally blown when I learned
about 8tracks.
It’s simple. It’s free.
People compile playlists of their favourite music. They
could be 8 tracks long or 42 or 100, it doesn’t matter. All you have to do is
sign up, search what’s hot, or narrow it down using your own criteria, like sad
songs, or summer lovin’ or top 40 hip-hop and BAM!
You have an infinite number of songs at your disposal.
Of course there’s a catch, which will annoy some, but not
others. If you pick a playlist that has 40 songs, and you come across a song
you don’t like, you can skip it. But SKIP wise. You can only skip TWO songs an
hour.
The point of this is A. Because of the license agreement
8tracks has, and B. It will widen your horizons. If you come across a song you’ve
never heard of, listen to it. Don’t skip it. You’d be surprised at how many new
songs, artists, and genre’s you will find that you LOVE.
I’m also lovin’ 8tracks because people have done some of the
hard work for me. When I write, I listen to songs that fit the mood or tone I’m
trying to achieve in a particular scene. With 8tracks I can search that mood
and listen to a playlist of songs that will make you cry. How about a playlist
with nothing but break up songs on it? Or why not a playlist with nothing but
songs about death, or birthdays or weddings. 8tracks has a playlist for
EVERYTHING.
If you find a playlist you adore, don’t forget to “like” it,
that way it will always be at your fingertips, saved in your library. You can
also share playlists with your friends or create your own.
For Authors, I think using the create playlist is another great
feature. Many of you already have soundtracks for your novels. Why not get them
out to one more social media site. Create an 8tracks playlist for your novel
and send it out into the world.
Of course, there is one downside, and since I’m still a new
8track user, I’m not sure how much of a problem this is. Since you’re on the
web, and 8tracks is basically streaming to your device like an internet radio
you will be using data if you’re not connected to Wi-Fi.
8tracks is available on your PC, your phone, your iPad... Pretty
much anywhere you could need it! You will have a constant flow of music where
ever you go, so trust me when I say, 8tracks is a good thing!
