Shuffler.fm releases iPhone app for its music discovery service

The digitization of media has meant an explosion of content on the Internet. Whether it is the written word, photos, videos or music, there are simply many more options today than there were even a decade ago. And that proliferation has resulted in a big problem: how to find all the good stuff out on the web.

Initially it was search, then it was social discovery, and lately it is the concept of curation. When it comes to writing, I turn to folks like Maria Popova, and when it comes to music, it is music blogs that keep me rocking with the latest (and emerging) tunes matching my tastes. However, it is really hard to go through dozens of blogs to find the songs I should listen to.

Enter Shuffler.fm, a startup that marries the idea of a magazine and music discovery into what it calls a radiozine. It literally scans hundreds of music blogs — mainstream and niche — and curates and aggregates the songs by category and genre and presents them in a way that makes listening to them fairly easy. It not only offers the top tracks from across the blogs. By combining blog-based curation with machine-based discovery, the company offers a unique experience. (Here is how they do it.)

This what’s trending feature — whether on web or on mobile devices — is what makes Shuffler.fm interesting.I admit, there aren’t that many people who care about finding music early, but since I am one of those, I  find Shuffler.fm useful. While listening to music is the key feature of this service, the app is a well-designed reader for various music blogs and is a good source of music news. Subscribe to an artist and you can essentially get a curated list of blog posts from across the blogs about that artist.

I have been using this app for nearly a month, and let’s just say, for once I don’t have much to complain about. The app is very intuitive and is designed to focus on its main utility: finding really great new tunes very quickly. If you are like me and want your music early, check this app out. It is worth a download.

Click to view slideshow.



GigaOM