A web mashup is a web page or application that combines data from two or more external online sources, you can find loads of mashup services in the web2.0 business. However, an interesting point is that many of you, including me, never asked ourselves one question: where this jargon, mashup originally comes from. According to the Wikipedia, the mashup was first used in the context of music. It says that the Mashup music is a musical genre which, in its purest form, consists of the combination of the music from one song with the a cappella from another.
So we have mashup web and mashup music, should we do something to mash the web and music up? It sounds like a nature thinking, but in surprise there are not many such Mashup services existing.
Neo Yuan, founder of 8box.com, one of quite popular online music sites definitely understands this better than us. Two mashup services have been launched early this week on 8box, one is named Look-Around which combines the 8box Music service with Google Map, and the other with Mini blog service.
At this moment, the world is listening. On the Look-Around Music Map, you are able to see who is listening to which song right now on 8box.com and where he/she is.
If you are also the users of two Chinese mini blog services, Zuosa or Fanfou, once you subscribe 8box mini blog service, the information of the song you rated or commented can be simultaneously posted to your mini blog site. It is like Live Messenger’s Show what I’m listening to, the music you love or dislike can now be explored by your followers in your mini blog. (See Neo’s mini blog.) [Updates: The coolest thing is that on Zuosa, your friends can even listening to the music by simply clicking a Play button appearing at each of the mini post. Neo also emailed me today saying this mashup idea would be integrated with another mini blog service, Jiwai.de and Twitter.]
I am not sure if either of these two mashups can be a killer service in the end, but they did brought me some fresh air. A very good try to mashup the Internet, and the music!
Technorati tags: 8box, mashup, mini blog, zuosa, fanfou, music, jiwai.de, twitter
Leave a comment