YouTube Launches Music Discovery Project "Disco"

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YouTube is taking advantage of their new venture Vevo by introducing a "Music Discovery Project" dubbed "Disco" for short, where searching for an artist generates a playlist of recommended videos. It's like YouTube's response to Pandora and Last.fm and is similar to the Genius option on iTunes. Working off the slogan "Find > Mix > Watch," the site produces a playlist based on the artist search, then users can add and delete videos to create a playlist that is stored in their profile, Tech Crunch reports.

For instance, a search for Pearl Jam results in a playlist stocked with Eddie Vedder & Co., plus videos by fellow Seattle grunge all-stars like Nirvana and Soundgarden and '90s rockers like Smashing Pumpkins and Black Crowes. Not much for "discovery" as the vast majority of Pearl Jam fans are already well aware of these other bands, but the Pearl Jam list might introduce fans to the handful of obscure Screaming Trees music videos that YouTube suggests. Similarly, a "mix tape" of Madonna comes filled with Kylie Minogue, George Michael, and Michael and Janet Jackson.

Here's a surefire sign Disco is still under construction: Search "Radiohead" and the other suggested artists are simply "head" bands like Diamond Head, Big Head Todd & the Monsters and Murray Head. Is Disco revolutionary? Probably not, but it'll likely steal a few clicks from other music recommendation sites. Considering YouTube's big push behind Vevo, it's a little strange that this new music feature is launching via regular YouTube and not its new music site, which the record labels prefer you visit.

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Song Stories

“Everyday People”

Sly and the Family Stone | 1968

"Everyday People" managed to trailblaze in two different ways -- it was one of the first pop hits to deal with the subject of racial harmony, and it utilized Larry Graham's "slap" technique on the bass guitar, which would soon be copied by countless other bassists. Graham once said about his pulsating style, "I'd never done that before … that's where the freedom of creativity came in for the band, that we'd be allowed to do that." In 1978, the song's line "Different strokes for different folks" would be borrowed for the title of the hit television show Diff'rent Strokes.

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