Over the course of the current generation of the Web a plethora of music sites have sprung up, some legal, some questionable. Through the chaos that seems to result from so much competition, several sites have begun to lead the pack, at least in user experience. Among these sites that lead the best of the best is Lala.com. This site, coupled with Pandora.com, reviewed previously on this site here, is where I have begun to get my music almost exclusively. I do not have specific numbers to gauge where Lala stands against its competition however the user experiences speaks for itself in my opinion.
First off, Lala must have spent some serious time pounding the pavement before officially releasing its unique music project. I say this because one of the first and finest aspects of Lala is its invitation for the user to upload their entire music library to the site from where it can be streamed and listened to anywhere one has an internet connection. There have been other such sites that offer similar services, the difference lies in the fact that once you have uploaded your music it is assumed legal. Lala has an enormous catalogue of licensed music, but this manuever must have still cost quite a bit of political capital with the music industry! However, it is a fantastic move. Once a user has their collection online Lala suggests new music based on whats in the library, providing a rich starting point for a user to beginning purchasing music.
In addition to its suggestion engine, Lala is also in the process of developing a strong community built around the ability to see others playlists and follow updates to their music libraries. One can follow other users to see what they are listening to or have in their libraries. If one wants to sample a song you are allowed a single full listen of any song and it is only a click away to purchase a song for oneself, but more on that later. Another aspect of the social community is the ability to gain Influence points based on how many people have found music either through looking at your playlist or from your recommendations. This then builds into a reputation for knowing and being able to find good music leading to more followers. Thus, one can possibly guage how good certain music is simply by looking to see who is recommending it. This is not a perfect system at all, however, it is an interesting approach that is only a part of Lala’s multiple tiered system of finding new music.
The true power of Lala as a company is its approach to letting users purchase music. For any song that a user finds, or any album, they can simply buy the song outright for a variable price, usually between $.79 and $.99. However, they also have the option of buying the web version of the song for $.10. For a dime a user can buy the rights to add a song to their web collection, allowing them to stream it for anywhere any number of times. Additionally, if a user wants to purchase the same song for download in the future that $.10 is added towards the cost of the song as already being paid. For example, a song that normally costs $.89 instead costs $.79 because the $.10 has already been paid. That kind of practical music purchasing has been seriously lacking from almost anything that currently has the RIAA’s stamp of approval! This option to buy songs for $.10 cannot be over stated. I have found this to be a particularly addicting way to buy music as its not hard to listen to a song through once for free and then wish to have it for later!
All in all, Lala provides a new and refreshing way to listen to and purchase new music online in a way that seems to make the industry happy as well as providing a neat user and communal experience. I have now begun to use Lala and Pandora almost exclusively in my constant hunt for new bands and new music as well as the finding of old favorites and enjoying the classics.
Lala.com is a serious win in my book! Look for me on their as EnigmaticAmish and feel free to follow or friend!
