by Dave Mainella
A new, improved, and impressively thorough version of Seevl, the Google Chrome plug-in and “personal music assistant” for YouTube, is now online and aiming to provide the most complete music discovery experience to date. Seevl launched and established itself in 2011, but the recent updates are poised to have a profound impact on the way users watch, listen, and experience music through YouTube.
“What’s interesting to us is that there’s no ‘one-size-fits-all’ app or discovery method, and fans can tap into several platforms to satisfy their needs,” Dr. Alexandre Passant, CEO and founder of Seevl explains. “But I still believe YouTube to be the platform for discovering niche tracks and rare artist footage as well as for artists to gain a new audience looking for something that little bit special, or even more intimate.”
Seevl aims to become that “one-size-fits-all” app – to make easy the time spent searching for rare songs or finding new music on YouTube – by providing a handful of updated resources. Newly grouped artist biography, data, and related information is now immediately accessible when watching a video. Users can search a variety of terms including artist, label, genre, or even instrument; niche search results are accompanied by definitions and explanations. Suggested related artists come with explanations as well, making it easy to see connections and to dive deeper into that particular music scene. New discoveries are easily shared on Twitter via WebIntents.
A Firefox release is to follow, and even more upgraded features are expected by the end of the year. Seevl also aims to partner with indie groups and labels, helping them to secure more coverage and encouraging a better live performance turnout.
“I think the potential for YouTube is still un-tapped and that artists could, and should, engage further by incorporating live recording sessions followed-up with Google Hang-outs, for example, to get direct feedback from their fans,” Dr. Passant continues of his praise for the opportunities YouTube presents to Seevl, bands, and fans. “Radiohead changed the way people can access music a few years ago, and now Beck has just done something very amazing with his new release. I’m wondering who will be the first band to do a live recording with the involvement of their fans?”
With additional features like automatic playlisting, liner notes, and a social dashboard, Seevl is well-positioned to be a part of the developing online music discovery experience.
Seevl can be download for free from its Google Chrome store page and, once installed, will automatically update once a new version becomes available.
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