RecordPlug & plugXchange Early thoughts on open source music industry activity tracking

The problem? Way too much unnecessary chaff and noise in the day to day efforts of album and artist promotion. This is true for everyone involved in the industry: Artists Labels Promoters Radio Music Press Review 'zines Bloggers Venues Superfans etc.

Way too much unnecessary chaff and noise in the day to day efforts of album and artist promotion. This is true for everyone involved in the industry:

Artists

Labels

Promoters

Radio

Music Press

Review 'zines

Bloggers

Venues

Superfans

etc.

A Simple Example Artist/Label/Promoter: Sends out several hundred physical presskits at high expense Emails press list with digital presskit Spends weeks following up to see if contacts have added or reviewed release Radio/Press: Inundated by hundreds (or more) presskits each month, many not relevant to their focus Has to take tracking calls & respond to tracking emails Often, has to post playlists and review info to their website, social feeds, etc.

Artist/Label/Promoter:

Sends out several hundred physical presskits at high expense

Emails press list with digital presskit

Spends weeks following up to see if contacts have added or reviewed release

Radio/Press:

Inundated by hundreds (or more) presskits each month, many not relevant to their focus

Has to take tracking calls & respond to tracking emails

Often, has to post playlists and review info to their website, social feeds, etc.

The result? Artist/Label/Promoter: A lot of money and time expended on the wrong individuals. Difficult to gauge whether results were worth the resources. Radio/Press: A lot of time wasted on process which could be spent better focused on the music . Time consuming and inconsistent methods of content distribution to website, social accounts, etc.

Artist/Label/Promoter:

A lot of money and time expended on the wrong individuals.

Difficult to gauge whether results were worth the resources.

Radio/Press:

A lot of time wasted on process which could be spent better focused on the music .

Time consuming and inconsistent methods of content distribution to website, social accounts, etc.

A possible solution? An open-source, web-based tracking system which logs actions taken by individuals between various entities (song added to playlist, album reviewed by 'zine, artist mentioned on blog, etc.) The brief technical overview: standardized XML format for entity profiles each entity registers and receives a unique plug id individuals register for plug accounts plug profiles can be hosted from any domain profiles are indexed at central plugXchange servers plugXchange servers record entity actions Users can push data to plugXchange with account token

An open-source, web-based tracking system which logs actions taken by individuals between various entities (song added to playlist, album reviewed by 'zine, artist mentioned on blog, etc.)

The brief technical overview:

standardized XML format for entity profiles

each entity registers and receives a unique plug id

individuals register for plug accounts

plug profiles can be hosted from any domain

profiles are indexed at central plugXchange servers

plugXchange servers record entity actions

Users can push data to plugXchange with account token

What does this really mean? Well, let's start with plug profiles : The host or social networking service of your choice (Wordpress, Facebook, MySpace, Bandcamp, etc.) can provide the ability for you to easily collect and publish your plug profiles to the web. Plug profiles contain all the basic information people would wish to access about your entities (songs, albums, artists, blogs, playlists, etc.) and, when necessary, point to other locations for additional media (video, audio, photos, docs, etc.) . Then you simply tell plugXchange where to find your profile!

Well, let's start with plug profiles :

The host or social networking service of your choice (Wordpress, Facebook, MySpace, Bandcamp, etc.) can provide the ability for you to easily collect and publish your plug profiles to the web.

Plug profiles contain all the basic information people would wish to access about your entities (songs, albums, artists, blogs, playlists, etc.) and, when necessary, point to other locations for additional media (video, audio, photos, docs, etc.) .

Then you simply tell plugXchange where to find your profile!

Okay, then what? Then the fun begins... You can then search the plugXchange index for things you are interested in. You: "I'd like to hear some artists RIYL* the band Can." plugXchange: "k, here's 50. You want them in order by release date, most activity, most positive sentiment or what? How about narrow by location? 'Cause I can totally do that too." * recommended if you like

Then the fun begins...

You can then search the plugXchange index for things you are interested in.

You: "I'd like to hear some artists RIYL* the band Can."

plugXchange: "k, here's 50. You want them in order by release date, most activity, most positive sentiment or what? How about narrow by location? 'Cause I can totally do that too."

* recommended if you like

What good is that? It's great! Lookit: Artists can find other like-minded artists for shows Reviewers can find interesting music to review Music Directors can find interesting songs to add Fans of one band can find similar ones etc. etc. And that whole "Can" example is just from the perspective of an artist search. You could search on ANY entity with similar criteria.

It's great! Lookit:

Artists can find other like-minded artists for shows

Reviewers can find interesting music to review

Music Directors can find interesting songs to add

Fans of one band can find similar ones

etc. etc.

And that whole "Can" example is just from the perspective of an artist search. You could search on ANY entity with similar criteria.

Any entity? Yeah! Say you wanted to find dance clubs who play music like "The Chemical Brothers" so you can send them your 12" of a similar vein. Or say you want to find all the contacts for all the podcasts which might feature your super-awesome death metal track! Or maybe you want to find all the people in Utah, Arizona and Texas who'd be willing to host house-party gigs on your way to SXSW. If users of the system position themselves to be found, you can find them. Easily.

Yeah!

Say you wanted to find dance clubs who play music like "The Chemical Brothers" so you can send them your 12" of a similar vein.

Or say you want to find all the contacts for all the podcasts which might feature your super-awesome death metal track!

Or maybe you want to find all the people in Utah, Arizona and Texas who'd be willing to host house-party gigs on your way to SXSW.

If users of the system position themselves to be found, you can find them. Easily.

So is it all about finding and being found? Oh no, we're just getting started. Action tracking is really the exciting part! So, we have all these plug profiles , which are indexed and findable on the plugXchange . Now we can submit actions on those entities : @picklebreath mentioned The Super Mega Hour radio show Fluxblog featured the song "Rickrollin'" by Rick Astley WABC added the album "Damn Skippy" by Slim to its library WDEF added the song "You" by Q-tip to its A rotation The Big Takeover reviewed "Enough Examples" by sELF You get the idea right? Everything is recordable.

Oh no, we're just getting started. Action tracking is really the exciting part!

So, we have all these plug profiles , which are indexed and findable on the plugXchange . Now we can submit actions on those entities :

@picklebreath mentioned The Super Mega Hour radio show

Fluxblog featured the song "Rickrollin'" by Rick Astley

WABC added the album "Damn Skippy" by Slim to its library

WDEF added the song "You" by Q-tip to its A rotation

The Big Takeover reviewed "Enough Examples" by sELF

You get the idea right? Everything is recordable.

What can be done with all that info? Excellent question! Anything you can think of. By anyone who thinks of it! Not only can plugXchange receive actions, but it can output them as well via its API. All you need is the plug id for something, and you can not only get at its profile, but also at its activity log. Looking at all the activity for Mates of State, I might see: all the places their latest album was reviewed all the places free downloads were featured overall sentiment on the latest record all the stations, podcasts, etc. playing this record

Excellent question! Anything you can think of. By anyone who thinks of it!

Not only can plugXchange receive actions, but it can output them as well via its API. All you need is the plug id for something, and you can not only get at its profile, but also at its activity log.

Looking at all the activity for Mates of State, I might see:

all the places their latest album was reviewed

all the places free downloads were featured

overall sentiment on the latest record

all the stations, podcasts, etc. playing this record

What do you mean "by anyone"? We mean this is an open API. So any developer who comes along with a cool new idea can hook into the system and mashup our info with whatever else to provide a new unique service (assuming they're good boys and girls and follow the TOS) . Look at Twitter. Much of its success is due to all the mashups and apps out there which make it actually usable. We believe no one company should: a) control the system b) expect to serve every aspect of the community c) solely stand to profit from the success of the system Power to the people!

We mean this is an open API. So any developer who comes along with a cool new idea can hook into the system and mashup our info with whatever else to provide a new unique service (assuming they're good boys and girls and follow the TOS) .

Look at Twitter. Much of its success is due to all the mashups and apps out there which make it actually usable. We believe no one company should:

a) control the system

b) expect to serve every aspect of the community

c) solely stand to profit from the success of the system

Power to the people!

Isn't this similar to what Last.fm does? Sort of, in one sense. They track plays by individuals who use their system. Which is awesome, and we wouldn't want to recreate that. We love sites like Last.fm and MOG. We're brothers and sisters in arms you could say. We all work together to make the world that much more awesome. Simply put, we "scrobble" all the things that they don't. And in fact, Last.fm is a great candidate for hosting plug profiles for its users so that it can push and pull additional information from plugXchange . Even better, savvy independent developers can mashup the APIs of Last.fm, plugXchange and whatever else to create interesting new services.

Sort of, in one sense. They track plays by individuals who use their system. Which is awesome, and we wouldn't want to recreate that. We love sites like Last.fm and MOG. We're brothers and sisters in arms you could say. We all work together to make the world that much more awesome.

Simply put, we "scrobble" all the things that they don't. And in fact, Last.fm is a great candidate for hosting plug profiles for its users so that it can push and pull additional information from plugXchange .

Even better, savvy independent developers can mashup the APIs of Last.fm, plugXchange and whatever else to create interesting new services.

What would you hope to see offered from developers? Oh, jeez. All kinds of stuff. Widgets for folks to pop on their social sites that automatically pulls whatever is relevant to an entity (playlists, recent reviews, etc.) "Plug" buttons for firefox which automatically add an entity into a personal basket for future followup iPhone, Blackberry and Google Android apps for pushing actions to plugXchange or searching the index. sites that specifically speak to sub-genres and new musical movements it could go on and on...

Oh, jeez. All kinds of stuff.

Widgets for folks to pop on their social sites that automatically pulls whatever is relevant to an entity (playlists, recent reviews, etc.)

"Plug" buttons for firefox which automatically add an entity into a personal basket for future followup

iPhone, Blackberry and Google Android apps for pushing actions to plugXchange or searching the index.

sites that specifically speak to sub-genres and new musical movements

it could go on and on...

So, you've talked about plugXchange . What then is RecordPlug ? plugXchange is the open-source data exchange platform, api and standardized data format. RecordPlug , initially, is the proving ground for that system -- a proof-of-concept. With it, we hope to show many of the possibilities and advantages of adopting such a system. To start, we'll likely be: hosting profiles pushing actions to plugXchange pulling recorded actions from plugXchange into profiles providing search functions Ultimately, RecordPlug would be one of many similar competing services all using the same open system. We would also like to release open source libraries and plugins for other developers to use.

plugXchange is the open-source data exchange platform, api and standardized data format.

RecordPlug , initially, is the proving ground for that system -- a proof-of-concept. With it, we hope to show many of the possibilities and advantages of adopting such a system.

To start, we'll likely be:

hosting profiles

pushing actions to plugXchange

pulling recorded actions from plugXchange into profiles

providing search functions

Ultimately, RecordPlug would be one of many similar competing services all using the same open system. We would also like to release open source libraries and plugins for other developers to use.

When will other developers be able to use the API? The sooner the better, but keep in mind, this is all talk right now. We wanted to start off with in-depth discussions about the concepts and approach BEFORE we designed something. Also, we really want to get the best people who are interested involved early on. It's easier to get things mostly right the first time than to have to revamp things later. With a proposed standardized format, this is especially crucial. The format needs to be flexible enough to scale. So developers, consider this your invitation. Email us at dev@recordplug.com if you want to provide technical help and join our devtalk group: http://groups.google.com/group/recordplug-plugxchange-devtalk And we hope everyone in the industry will join our ongoing #recplug discussion on Twitter: http://twitter.com/recordplug

The sooner the better, but keep in mind, this is all talk right now. We wanted to start off with in-depth discussions about the concepts and approach BEFORE we designed something.

Also, we really want to get the best people who are interested involved early on. It's easier to get things mostly right the first time than to have to revamp things later. With a proposed standardized format, this is especially crucial. The format needs to be flexible enough to scale.

So developers, consider this your invitation. Email us at dev@recordplug.com if you want to provide technical help and join our devtalk group:

http://groups.google.com/group/recordplug-plugxchange-devtalk

And we hope everyone in the industry will join our ongoing #recplug discussion on Twitter:

http://twitter.com/recordplug

Wait, one last question... why is this limited to the music industry? It's not. Notice the service is generically called plugXchange . This could be utilized by nearly any industry which markets and promotes. And that's, well, everyone... isn't it. :) We're just starting with music because you have to start somewhere, and we love it most of all. We've experienced its many problems first hand. The music business is one of the most muddled, confusing industries ever concocted. If this system can help to make it better, we think it can help just about any industry. Bold claims. Yeah yeah, we know.

It's not.

Notice the service is generically called plugXchange .

This could be utilized by nearly any industry which markets and promotes. And that's, well, everyone... isn't it. :)

We're just starting with music because you have to start somewhere, and we love it most of all. We've experienced its many problems first hand. The music business is one of the most muddled, confusing industries ever concocted. If this system can help to make it better, we think it can help just about any industry. Bold claims. Yeah yeah, we know.

So to sum up, why you should care... RecordPlug and plugXchange ... are open source and distributed provide universal standards for promotional data collect detailed and useful data which is currently unavailable or unreliable offer easy-to-use APIs which are open to all work with existing services, not against encourage new, savvy service mashups save you time and resources make your efforts more effective help you build relationships with relevant people give you more time to enjoy music

RecordPlug and plugXchange ...

are open source and distributed

provide universal standards for promotional data

collect detailed and useful data which is currently unavailable or unreliable

offer easy-to-use APIs which are open to all

work with existing services, not against

encourage new, savvy service mashups

save you time and resources

make your efforts more effective

help you build relationships with relevant people

give you more time to enjoy music

Fin brought to you by @jimmyether & @recordplug all rights discarded all claims probable all spelling and grammar questionable