There's a Download on the Corner

FUSE TV - There's a Download on the Corner

Every couple months or so since July 2009, a group of programming enthusiasts from around the world assemble in a room for Music Hack Day. There, over a weekend, they use APIs and codes and other stuff I don't exactly understand to conceptualize and develop some think-outside-the-box applications. Basically, it's the Gathering of the Juggalos meets Top Chef—for computer geeks. The folks behind the event claim it intends "to explore and build the next generation of music applications," which would sound like corny ad copywriting if it weren't kinda true.

As a rule of thumb, the music industry will collectively react more suspiciously than curiously to renegade creations that aim to tap into its reserves. Perhaps it's time for those execs to embrace the MHD. With news that Google plans to freak out iTunes by launching a music store in the coming months, innovations in how we discover and consume music may be the factor that makes or breaks new music services. That's where MHD comes in, and where we hope The Suits are paying attention.

The last MHD, which took place a few weeks back in London—the next one, in October will be in Barcelona—proffered an assortment of goodies. Among them: CleverSounds (allows you to commandeer a jukebox upon walking into a joint), Lazy DJ (for the fair-weather turntable-ist), Mashbox (see lazy DJ), HOTTTABS (grabs guitar tablature for the song you're listening to), and Daily Sample Set (downloads the day's buzziest tracks). But hands-down, the coolest app this convention yielded has gotta be Trackdropper.

Trackdropper operates on the principle of geocaching. Folks "drop" tracks that they own wherever they wish, geographically. You, the listener, hunt down those songs—which cannot be heard until you reach that determined location—by using the app that'll navigate you to each spot. Think of it as a trek for music: Once you reach the proper coordinates, you can download the tune that's waiting for you.

In addition to being a super-sweet sixteenth birthday-party idea, this app teems with piracy potential. But there's a novel guerilla-marketing idea here, too, which combines three of the hottest keywords in sales these days: digital (these are downloaded mp3 files), mobile (considered the new vanguard way to pump people's pocketbooks), and green(inasmuch as mp3s, leaving no waste, are technically environmentally friendly).

Imagine you are an indie label wanting to tout your lineup of upstart bands during the CMJ festival around venues in New York City or around Austin during the influential South by Southwest festival: You can be that clown shoving CDs and fliers with download codes into hands, or you can start a viral Trackdropper campaign online. Maybe you're one of the innumerable big corporations that's rebranding to lure a desirable demographic; here, you could release exclusive tracks or videos or ringtones amassed by visiting key stores. Let's say you're a band that wants to bump up merchandising sales by offering a free download after buying a T-shirt, or an event that's first 100 guests are guaranteed a free album, or better yet, a hip-hop act that decides to release a mixtape in scavenger-hunt form... With the possibility of implementing streaming or paid downloads, the opportunities abound.

As a consumer, I love the idea of anything that plays into (a) my short attention span, (b) my addiction to my smart phone, and (c) my general, insatiable desire to seek out new music. This isn't the plan that'll fix the sales slump, but after the preponderance download codes and rapidshares, it's certainly one viable option. And I don't mind being stimulated as a consumer, as long as I get something for my troubles.

At the Buffet, There Are No Rules

21m

At the Buffet, There Are No Rules

Is Nya A Baller On The Low?

51s

Is Nya A Baller On The Low?

And Then There Were Five

45m

And Then There Were Five

And Then There Were Six

46m

And Then There Were Six

Young M.A On The Struggle of Giving Up Meat

9m

Young M.A On The Struggle of Giving Up Meat

Bougie On A Budget

2m

Bougie On A Budget

Fire On The Floor

22m

Fire On The Floor

Battle on the Catwalk

45m

Battle on the Catwalk

Eye On The Prize

44m

Eye On The Prize

Freaky On The Floor

22m

Freaky On The Floor

Eyes On The Prize

22m

Eyes On The Prize

Is There Cultural Appropriation In Plastic Surgery?

17m

Is There Cultural Appropriation In Plastic Surgery?

All the Focus is on the Diamonds

21m

All the Focus is on the Diamonds

Anthony Ramos On 'The Good & The Bad' (Extended Cut)

12m

Anthony Ramos On 'The Good & The Bad' (Extended Cut)

Bougie on a Budget Music Video

2m

Bougie on a Budget Music Video

This Season On Clash of The Corps

1m

This Season On Clash of The Corps

Cody Spells Out Love On The Field

1m

Cody Spells Out Love On The Field

The Legend of Baron To'a

1h 39m

The Legend of Baron To'a

The Unfortunate Mishap of A Sneakerhead

2m

The Unfortunate Mishap of A Sneakerhead

Freedia's Manager Drops a Unexpected Bomb on Her...

3m

Freedia's Manager Drops a Unexpected Bomb on Her...

The Transcendent Star On Donald Trump: Dear Bambiana

1m

The Transcendent Star On Donald Trump: Dear Bambiana

What To Expect On Clash of the Corps

1m

What To Expect On Clash of the Corps

On the Road With G-Thing: Deleted Scene

2m

On the Road With G-Thing: Deleted Scene

Mario Lopez: One On One

Mario Lopez: One On One

The Legend of Baron To'a - Trailer

1m

The Legend of Baron To'a - Trailer

The First Time, In A Long Time

20m

The First Time, In A Long Time

On Set At The Transcendent Season 2 Promo Shoot

1m

On Set At The Transcendent Season 2 Promo Shoot

The DCI Struggles of Starting A New Summer

46s

The DCI Struggles of Starting A New Summer

A Quinceanera Dress That Last Beyond the Party

41m

A Quinceanera Dress That Last Beyond the Party

I Played One on TV

46m

I Played One on TV

The Fat Jewish Plays 2 Truths and a Lie

1m

The Fat Jewish Plays 2 Truths and a Lie

Free The Robots Reveals Where He Found One of His Rarest Records

1m

Free The Robots Reveals Where He Found One of His Rarest Records

Beyoncé and A$AP Rocky Bring Back The Satin Jacket

5m

Beyoncé and A$AP Rocky Bring Back The Satin Jacket

G Fella Gives A Tour of The Bronx's Arthur Avenue

5m

G Fella Gives A Tour of The Bronx's Arthur Avenue

Sake One

10m

Sake One

Game On!

20m

Game On!

311s Chad Sexton Pays The Blue Devils Drumline A Visit

2m

311s Chad Sexton Pays The Blue Devils Drumline A Visit

What The Hell Are We? Are We Living In A Simulation?

18m

What The Hell Are We? Are We Living In A Simulation?

King Keraun Falls Into a Sunken Place While in the Woods

2m

King Keraun Falls Into a Sunken Place While in the Woods

The Canvas LA: Spotlight Fern Shares How Starting On Tumblr Turned Into Inspiring People

9m

The Canvas LA: Spotlight Fern Shares How Starting On Tumblr Turned Into Inspiring People

Leaning On Lena

20m

Leaning On Lena

Chew On This

44m

Chew On This

On Call NYC

44m

On Call NYC

One Take Jake

20m

One Take Jake

On Call Miami

44m

On Call Miami

One Busy Queen

21m

One Busy Queen

Who's On Top?

1h 13m

Who's On Top?

On Call LA

43m

On Call LA

What Does The Transcendent Star Look For In A Man: Dear Bambiana

1m

What Does The Transcendent Star Look For In A Man: Dear Bambiana

A Day In the Life of Wilmer Valderrama's Puppet Ep. 2: Optimism

1m

A Day In the Life of Wilmer Valderrama's Puppet Ep. 2: Optimism

If Clash of the Corps Stars Could Role-Play For A Day

1m

If Clash of the Corps Stars Could Role-Play For A Day

Rapper Rich Quick Performs "Nice Guy" On 'Dancin' On Air'

3m

Rapper Rich Quick Performs "Nice Guy" On 'Dancin' On Air'

A Day In the Life of Wilmer Valderrama's Puppet Ep. 1: Hollow Man

1m

A Day In the Life of Wilmer Valderrama's Puppet Ep. 1: Hollow Man

The Beatles: In the Life

1h 2m

The Beatles: In the Life

The River and the Wall

1h 45m

The River and the Wall

A Day In the Life of Wilmer Valderrama's Puppet Ep. 3: Inner Thoughts

1m

A Day In the Life of Wilmer Valderrama's Puppet Ep. 3: Inner Thoughts

Putting It On Wax

23m

Putting It On Wax

Clean Up Aisle One

46m

Clean Up Aisle One

Freedia's Twerk On Washington

21m

Freedia's Twerk On Washington

Is Everyone on Drugs?

20m

Is Everyone on Drugs?

Gym Shorts on Runway

41m

Gym Shorts on Runway

T-Pain's School of Business: Artiphon- The All In One Musical Device | Season 1 Look Back |

1m

T-Pain's School of Business: Artiphon- The All In One Musical Device | Season 1 Look Back |

Once a Stripper, Always a Ho

24m

Once a Stripper, Always a Ho

The Blue Devils Bring The Parade

1m

The Blue Devils Bring The Parade

The Best of The Best Clash

2m

The Best of The Best Clash

A Sexplanation

1h 16m

A Sexplanation

The Exchange

1h 27m

The Exchange

The Canvas

The Canvas

The FP

1h 20m

The FP

The Motorcycle

23m

The Motorcycle

The Citizen

1h 34m

The Citizen

The Reunion

45m

The Reunion

The Decision

44m

The Decision

The Pilot

21m

The Pilot

The Hustle

20m

The Hustle

The 212

The 212

The Feels

1h 21m

The Feels

A$AP Ferg Learns A Magic Trick

4m

A$AP Ferg Learns A Magic Trick

LIVE on FUSE: Combate Global

30s

LIVE on FUSE: Combate Global

It's Not a Vacation, It's a Movie

20m

It's Not a Vacation, It's a Movie

A Glove That Fits Like a Dress

41m

A Glove That Fits Like a Dress

The Ladies Play "Fill In The Blanks"

1m

The Ladies Play "Fill In The Blanks"

Peder Cho Shows How to DIY A Pair of Jeans into the Ultimate Y2K Mini Skirt

10m

Peder Cho Shows How to DIY A Pair of Jeans into the Ultimate Y2K Mini Skirt

The Hilarious Reality of the American Rat Race

2m

The Hilarious Reality of the American Rat Race

Out With The Old, In With The New

20m

Out With The Old, In With The New

A New High

1h 39m

A New High

What a Bummer

47m

What a Bummer

Young M.A

20m

Young M.A

A$AP Ferg

20m

A$AP Ferg

Strike a Pose

1h 25m

Strike a Pose

A Perfect 14

1h 42m

A Perfect 14

A Tough Sell

22m

A Tough Sell

Like A Girl

Like A Girl

A Robot's Erection

20m

A Robot's Erection

The North Shore

22m

The North Shore

The Glow Up

20m

The Glow Up

Mind the Mints

21m

Mind the Mints

Cassandro, The Exotico!

1h 15m

Cassandro, The Exotico!

The Sex Clinic

The Sex Clinic

Surfing the Skies

22m

Surfing the Skies