Wiggling

I did some of my wiggling while I was webbing. I think that is only natural to do...while you finding information it is hard not to evaluate it simultaneously. Although much of the information I found was good, quality information, it was not necessarily pertinent to THIS project. I think sometimes students might get into trouble with that aspect. With lots of information it is easy to sometimes lose focus of what questions you were trying to answer in the first place. So to make sure I am staying on track, I decided to review the original questions I wanted to answer with this project.

Looking back, I see that I did not state my questions very clearly. I did a better job of answering the questions Annette suggested under her Watching step. Since research is not strictly a linear process, I decided to review what I said during that posting, and pose questions from my statements. This is a perfect example of Jamie McKenzie's Research Cycle. His model focuses on, "actively revising and rethinking the research questions throughout the process." Below are the new questions I formed from my original comments made during the Watching phase:

What online resources are available to help someone discover new music and artists?
What types of online newsletters or list-servs are available to inform consumers about new music?
Are there any online radio stations that play only new music?

These are the issues I addressed in my original Watching posting. After having completed my research or webbing phase, I see I completely ignored the online radio station idea. One of my classmates mentioned that in one of his comments, but I still did not pursue this avenue. I decided to step back to the webbing phase and did a Google search using the keywords 'online radio.' I found a website called live365.com . It lists online radio stations by genre. As I began to consider which station to listen to, I realized that this tool is not the most time efficient way to find music.

As I was going through the webbing phase, I found that one important part of this project was to not only find online resources that assist me in finding new music, but as I mentioned in a previous post, these resources had to be time efficient! To discover new music through an online radio station would require hours of listening and then traveling to another website if I wanted to purchase or download a song. I decided that online radio stations are useful sources, but not for this particular phase. They simply do not meet the criteria of this project. So, after much rambling, I think the main question I want to answered with this project is, "What resources are available to assist consumers in findng new artists and new music in a timely fashion?" Yes! That's what I want to find...so let's wiggle through the information I have gathered and pull out some useful resouces! Below is a list of resources I found and my evaluation of them in regards to the framework of this project:

iTunes - Good information that can be quickly accessed. Software must be downloaded but it is free and relatively quick. Also provides quick access to buying music.
Amazon - Liked the Music You Should Hear Section. Quick way to browse through music recommended by favorite authors. Downside is not all recommended music is NEW. Not the best resource, but one worth browsing.
Online Newsletters - Information is not specific enough. Most come with general information about the music industry. Not effective enough and clogs up in-boxes.
MySpace - Like this one for its originality. Greatest positive is that there are LOTS of new artists who have definitely not broken into mainstream music. Negative is that there is a reason some of them have not broken into mainstream music! Also, there are lots of young artists...not many veterans. This site mostly consists of teen bands, but I have to admit, I found some of my favorite new music on this site. Overall, good information and a resource worth knowing about.
AllMusic - Just doesn't feature enough new artists. Is helpful in further exploring a certain genre (or mood), but not helpful in discovering new music.
VH1 - My favorite tool. I LOVED the new artist section. Well organized information and easily accessible.
MTV - Ugh. Need I say more? Too many commercials, too commercialized and not a lot of original or truely NEW music.
Billboard - Not a lot of opportunities to actually LISTEN to the new music. Although they had a new artist section, there were no quick, easy links to hear the music.
Rolling Stone - Mostly music news and not a lot of information about new artists. As I stated earlier, the actual magazine probably has more relevant information, but it is not a financial committment I am willing to make. Also, a magazine subscription does not quite meet the qualification for time efficiency.
Better Propaganda - A little difficult to navigate through the information, but the type of information was exactly what I was looking for. This site loses points for time efficiency, but is still worth the effort because the music featured is great!
Salon - Really liked the AudioFile segment of this site. It was quick and easy to listen to the music. Very nice that it is updated daily and has an archives that can be browsed.

In my next phase of weaving, I will begin to organize my ideas and move toward completing my final product...!