The Last Music Resource You Will Ever Need

Database technology can work to help us find new music, events, and people. Last.fm is among the most popular new-edge programs that merge Internet radio with music recommendation services. Most of the site is free, but as usual a couple perks come with spending less than $10 a month, mostly intel for the heavy researcher.

A user signs-up by installing an application on their computer that records what music that user is playing. Then, through the process of collaborative filtering, it finds similar users and genres for the user. They call it scrobbling.

Last.fm's 'about us' section couldn't say it better:

Last.fm taps the wisdom of the crowds, leveraging each user's musical profile to make personalised recommendations, connect users who share similar tastes, provide custom radio streams, and much more.

You will meet people based on how their taste relates to your own or to whatever you search for. I tried tripping up the system with the most obscure artists I could think of, but I got several recommendations hitting the bullseye every time.

So Many Parties, So Little Time: the Dilemma

Who has the time to drive around the city looking for a good party? Trainspotters. The rest of us depend on these people to filter out the garbage from the treasure. The objective of these people or organizations is to obtain information about music, similar to how a stock broker observes the market.

Partying is not an unfamiliar concept to the South Floridian. Miami is very well known the world over with its gorgeous sub-tropical settings, cosmopolitan cuisine, and headliner performances. Electronic music is not the exception.

So many parties, so little time: the dilemma. Look in places where trainspotters work. The first and simple location is The Miami Herald events calendar. However, dance music enthusiasts might have a hard time finding what they want within the limits of their short attention spans, yours truly included.

This brings us to the daily updated listings of CoolJunkie catering to a class of yuppie-esque city types. Fasion, dance, alternative rock, you name it, they probably have something interesting you can attend.

Trainspotters have a credit system with their audience. If they deliver good quality information, they therefore have good credit. If not, their effectiveness and livelyhood will be at stake.