TheSixtyOne. Last.fm. Blip.fm. The Hype Machine. And now Turntable.fm. This recently launched social music site enables anyone to become a DJ and “play music together.” A complete viral sensation, it reached 140,000 users in a matter of days, and before getting any sort of true media coverage. And it is incredibly addictive. So addictive that this post took me a solid six times longer to write than I anticipated.
With viral hooks, live chat, game mechanics, and other features galore that make it almost impossible to click away from the screen, Turntable.fm is nirvana to product designers, techies, and the music obsessed. Join themed music rooms, give props, follow fans, vote on songs with a lame/awesome meter, earn points, keep a song queue, and be the best darn DJ in the room.
We have an anonymous source close to a member of the Turntable.fm team telling us that some very big time VCs — both from the East coast and West — are courting founder Self Goldstein into taking a big round of capital in Q3. It sounds as though he is quite the belle of the ball right now, and will have his pick of investors and great deal terms.
Here in the Hub several startups are on a serious bandwagon have created branded rooms, soliciting others to join. Here’s what these Boston early adopters have to say:
Turntable.fm powers my very existence. From helping me discover up-and-coming artists to providing the soundtrack of my day, it’s revolutionized the way I listen to music. Sorry, Pandora – you’re out!” –Per Sandell, Nanigans
We set up a RunKeeper room so we could share what we play while we’re cranking away in the office. It’s definitely a great way to connect with friends, our user community and other startup people. It’s also a great way to snag new music. I can grab a good song when I hear it, then throw it on when I DJ in another room. It makes me look a lot cooler than I am.” –Sarah Hodges, RunKeeper
The beauty of Turntable.fm is that despite its overtly group vibe, the moderator of any DJ room can still boot DJs from the booth for playing crappy music — like the new Beastie Boys song.” –Ben Israelite, Castile Ventures
I love how Turntable.fm brings our company playlist from inside our office walls to outside for others to listen and contribute to. It’s like hosting a virtual party with a purpose other than selling company. We are addicted.” –Punit Shah, Zazu
“Productivity of the RunKeeper team took a big hit the day we discovered Turntable.fm. To curb that, we handed the reigns over the the RunKeeper community and they run the show. What’s amazing is now there are days I show to a full room and no one from the RunKeeper team is in there yet, that’s something special! Distraction is often the ultimate form of validation for a product, and so far turntable has nailed it in that department.” –Jake Cacciapaglia, RunKeeper
Want to get your DJ or listen to some fine tunes in Boston startup rooms? All it takes is connecting with your Facebook account if you already have friends using Turntable.fm. You can join any room, but some startups have created their own, including: BostInnovation (come join — we have a nearly full room!), Dogpatch Labs, MassChallenge, RunKeeper, Viximo, Wistia, and Zazu.
Want to learn more about the company? Here are some great reads:
