How Good Is Hype Machine Radio?

Everyone has his or her own musical tastes. However, once you’ve listened to every song you own via iTunes DJ, it’s time for something new. Welcome to Hype Machine Radio, an amazing service that has finally come to the iPhone/iPod touch. Created by The Hype Machine, LLC, the $2.99 app is a way to discover new music from hundreds of the best music blogs around the planet. According to founder Anthony Volodkin, speaking to The Next Web:

The app turns music blogs into radio stations. We create uninterrupted streams of music of several ways (below) and it’s a much more lean back, passive experience.  We are excited to offer such a different way of interacting with music blogs – there’s no way to experience them this way on a mobile device otherwise.

Songs, which can be played through Wi-Fi or 3G, aren’t just grouped by genre, although for many, this is all you'll need. Included is music grouped in nearly 40 genres from the 10s, to indie pop, to underground hip-hop. What really makes Hype Machine Radio special is the other categories available to the listener. For example, the Radio Show category highlights the month’s best new music, so nothing ever gets old. In addition, the Blog Directory gives you an active list of all of the music blogs the service tracks, browsable by genre or alphabetically. To fully appreciate the Hype, check out its website as well, which is located at http://hypem.com. It is here where you can organize your personal stations such as My Mix and My Friends. You will need to sign up for the free Hype Machine service, either online or through the app. The first, My Mix, is a mix from your favorite blogs and other music based on how you use the Hype Machine. In other words, the longer you use the service, the better the service will be at selecting other music for you to try out. My Friends, on the other hand, offers a mix of music your Twitter friends are digging. Other categories include:

• LATEST: Music that’s being talked about right now.
• POPULAR: Tracks that are getting the most buzz around The Hype Machine
• RADIO SHOW: Highlighting the month’s best new music.

  Finally, Song History gives you an active listing of the songs you’ve already listened to so you can do so again. I cannot say enough about Hype Machine Radio. Not only has it helped me find songs by artists I’ve never heard about before, but it has saved me some money too. After all, after paying the $2.99 entrance fee, the service is absolutely free. Imagine all of that free music for the price of three songs in iTunes! Still, when you find songs you absolutely cannot live without, purchasing them through iTunes is easy. All you have to do is click on the iTunes icon and add the song to your permanent collection; for the cost of the song, of course. Hype Machine Radio is available in the App Store today. What do you think? Leave your comments below.

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