The internet has been a transformative force on the music industry. Beyond the now-simple P2P technology of 10 years ago, the internet has become a channel for listening to and finding new music through websites like Myspace, Soundcloud, Last.fm, YouTube, and online radio; has been a place to connect with others with similar interests and, for musicians, to find fans; and, essentially, has turned into the medium to launch a career.
Mixify.com, a new website claiming to be a “never-ending online music festival,” is the latest entry into such a vast pool of online resources for EDM performers and their fans. How does it stack up? While still in beta, Mixify.com bridges all of these tools, being one-part Myspace, another part chatroom and social media platform, and a third part streaming audio website.
But, while all the mega-stars put together YouTube channels and Sirius programs, where does the up-and-comer or underground performer stand? Much like Myspace’s early music days, Mixify places everyone on the same plane, and those looking for exposure, at least for now, won’t stand far in the shadow of David Guetta and Tiesto. For fans, this means Mixify.com is the perfect place for discovering new and unheard music without having to search.
So, for the fan, what makes Mixify stand out? Aside from connectivity through Facebook, Mixify presents a schedule of live DJ sets that stream directly through the website. However, instead of simply being another radio station, Mixify lets fans chat with each other and the DJ during the set. Interactivity, however, doesn’t end just here. As the performer wants to know how his set is going, listeners can “hype” it. A more transitory version of Facebook’s “Like” button, “Hype” lets the DJ know which parts of a set went well.
Fans browsing through Mixify get a list of all events – now playing and scheduled for the future – and can browse through all artists with profiles on the site. As DJs have the option to upload their tracks, fans can hear new and exclusive mixes.
Additionally, the DJ portal lets casual users try their hand with online DJing. Two online turntable tracks play tracks from Mixify and Soundcloud, and a user can beatmatch and try out four effects: phaser, distort, filter, and lo-fi.
Although a neat tool for fans, Mixify has potential to benefit the DJ in getting heard and building a fan base. Once an account is set up, the performer can arrange for and live broadcast events from hardware or software while simultaneously chatting with fans. A set, once broadcast live through Mixify, can be mixed then and there or pre-recorded.
The “hype” button, for DJs, is Mixify’s claim of providing real-time feedback. In its current state, the DJ, during an event, receives a notification, indicating a fan enjoyed that portion of a set. As live sets can last a few hours, Mixify plans to provide “hype” statistics for an entire event.
As an additional asset, Mixify recently started its Resident DJ program. Announced on July 23, the program is geared toward building a pool on onsite talent and assisting DJs grow their fan bases through promotion and prime event placement. Those interested can fill out an onsite application to be selected.
Being that the site is still in its early stages, the kinks are still being worked out. Audio across all DJ sets is not always even, and tracks on artists’ pages do not always play. Additionally, as the most popular artist onsite, DJ East, has only 144 fans, listeners have yet to catch on.
