thesixtyone (YC 09) explores a new direction on iPad | Hacker News Reader

thesixtyone (YC 09) explores a new direction on iPad

ycombinator.posterous.com

51 pointsJMiao20 comments

I really disliked the redesign of thesixtyone. It was an interesting reconceptualization of what the website could be, but I still find it annoying to use in an actual browser.

Seeing Aweditorium, the direction they've taken makes all the more sense to me. The game elements in thesixtyone and the mini-map in Aweditorium trigger something really nostalgic in me. It will be interesting to watch these elements converge between the two services. I just wish I had the hardware to enjoy this.

I really like Aweditorium.

Sure, but the website could be better. Just went there on the 3g iPad to be presented with a mostly blank screen... took ages for anything to happen only to be presented with a high res photo. Looks plush, but checking back on Chrome I see that it was a 390kb image... that's a hell of a hit on an 3g connection. Tried it again and got a 850kb image.

Have we forgotten that 3g connections aren't wired broadband connections? All just for a page that links us to iTunes so that we can download an app. It looks lovely, but I thought the site was broken and only saw the first image because I put the iPad down whilst I checked on the PC... only by putting it down did I inadvertently wait long enough to load the background image.

I also dig the app, but I think it could use a better name.

For something this cool, it deserves an original, less-descriptive, feel-good name.

TheSixtyOne is a fantastic name.

The redesign was absolutely awful for artists and power users. Where there was once a thriving artist/listener community is now a giant generic band photo.

I'd like to see how many artists they lost after the redesign. There is a thriving Facebook group (about 230 active users) of ex-t61 users that are lamenting about the fact that there isn't another music site like the original t61.

I am actually curious as to how many users they lost in the redesign and if they have gotten them back.

I can't use the site anymore and even old.thesixtyone.com is gimped way more than the site was before the new update, I go on once every couple months to see if the site is improving but not much has changed since the big redesign and it is so hard to find music that I just gave up.

I think the volume of new music being uploaded has gone down drastically. Since all of the group and profile chat features have been removed, there is no way to tell anybody about something new.

If somebody built a site like the original t61, you would find yourself with several hundred dedicated artists immediately.

This is cool. If they can make creating interactive content as easy as they make it to consume that would be amazing. There are quite a few artists that I would be happy to pay 20 bucks for a really compelling ipad experience.

One of the most beautiful apps I've seen. Wish I had owned an ipad.

They are really great designers trapped in a terrible industry.

The reason it really works, though, is that they have great musical taste and it's full of delightful songs I've never heard before.

The new app is a pretty awesome and immersive experience for a v1. It can only get better, so kudos!

Thanks to thesixtyone, I discovered one of my favorite singer, Priscilla Ahn, demoed in the video.

The iPad is what I use when I'm bored in class.

I would love a good indie music discovery application for my web browser, which I could use at work and at home.

That's what http://thesixtyone.com is?

was.

It's missing a few features, like the ability to easily choose a genre, or the ability to see the songs that that my friends and subscribees discover and listen to (they've all left the site since the redesign.) Also, I'm still not sure the best way to find out what I've just played so I can remember it or even heart it for later is.

Yeah, they look cool-- both t61 and Aweditorium-- but my vision of music is clearly different from James'. After the initial bit, I don't need or want the flipboard experience. My eyes are not transfixed to music, but I still love music. Music is something that is with me while I'm working, in my car during commutes, and at home, none of which really leave me time to burn looking at my music player. I respectfully disagree with him in the video: it IS about the "beats" for me.

Pop-up Video for iPad! This is seriously cool.

errr, not sure why the downvotes... I like Pop-up Video, and I like the way that they have basically re-created it for indie artists in a beautiful app. I was trying to be complimentary and supportive. Perhaps I should have been more explicit in my first comment :) To be clear: I've played with the app, I like it it a lot. Well done.

wow sweet demo. nice work. I also loved v1 of your site.

Readers, start your downvoting engines...

new direction heh heh

Reply on news.ycombinator.com