Friday, August 31, 2007

allmusic.com

I thought I might as well start by presenting an overview of one of my favorite websites. So here we go!

Intended Audience: This one is interesting. Allmusic.com provides reviews and background information for just
about every band that has every existed, and also includes material on classical pieces and composers. So while
there is something for everyone, the sheer glut of information provided suggests that they might be most interested
in providing for the record collecting and musically obsessed. Like me!

Usefulness of Content: If you're into music, the usefulness of this site can't be played down. Reviews of every album from
thousands and thousands of artists from around the world, with tracklists and 30 second samples. The biographies for bands
and artists are all quite in-depth, and profiles for active bands are updated with each album/significant event/drunken bar brawl that might occur.

Consistency of Design: They have a layout that they stick to, that's for sure- it's dull, but functional. The front page of the site is an explosion of album covers and artist photos, and may be disorienting at first, but focus on the search bar near the top and you should be fine. Pages for bands and artists all follow a standard format, with albums and reviews (with 5-star ratings) following a brief introduction that can be expanded to a lengthier biography.

Ease of Navigation: Ah, here's the rub. This site is a bit schizo at times, it can move along nice and smooth or shudder and crawl to a snail's pace. Broadband is almost a requirement as well, because of the amount of images (artist photos, album covers, etc.) And while searching for artists and albums is easy enough, their song search engine is a tricky beast. You have to be very, very specific- and if you're searching for a half remembered song you heard on some commercial, that isn't always possible!

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