The Music Tree…another simple Cross-Platform proposal
The Music Tree is an Online encyclopaedia that takes the user through a 3D journey through the musical roots of history through to the present. Find out about new or old artists similar to one you already like and how they developed their sound through their influences. Travel along the attractive 3d time roots of the Music Tree discovering as you go along.
Many people believe that music is a gift and one which artists borrow, adapt and evolve. It’s this philosophy that makes The Music Tree such an exciting possibility. Existing sites that document the medium of Music do so in a very linear/non visual way. Look at wikipedia – the depth of information available is very good but it stands as one page of text on its own, the way in which the story of the artist is told doesn’t represent the essence of music at all. Music is synonymous with sights, sounds and stylistic imagery. The Music Tree would offer the user the same wealth of knowledge but do so in a very visual way – the ‘3D time roots’ would be attention grabber and the strength of content, that is constantly updated during the user journey, would ensure the sites longevity.
Green soot shoots would continue to grow and strengthen organically as users continue to make and reference further links between artists, using the same editorial methods as Wikipedia. Visually, as certain roots become popular they become more and more highlighted and popular ‘off-shoots’ onto other bands would become clear to the user. When the user chooses to go down the root of an artist a ten second clip plays of their music to give the user a quick blast of their sound, further enhancing the stylistic nature of the site. Each band would have a profile containing links to their website address, videos, tour dates etc.
The homepage interface would be a 2D tree with floating genre tags attached to its roots, the user has the choice of choosing a genre and then finding an artist or to type in the name of the artist they wish to look up. Upon choosing a genre/artist the 2D tree falls backwards on its self and the roots become exposed into the air and the 3D musical journey along its roots can begin. The journey along a root is chronological and the user is presented with the story of the artist with information bubbles containing referenced information on discography, life story, the climate they produced their music in and also their influences. At this point a green shoot appears and you can then follow the artists who were influenced. A scrolling time line is ever present on the page and enables the user to fast forward or rewind to the era that they wish to explore.
Pick up the story of Little Richard, an artist considered key in the transition from rhythm and blues to rock and roll in the 1950s. The user, types in ‘Little Richard’ and is transported to his ‘root’ and is able to choose what year they want to pick up the story in. Say the year is 1963, hear a blast of his music, see pictures and learn about America in the midst of the civil rights movement ….. then have the option to choose to follow a new green shoot of influence – that created by Jimi Hendrix, influenced by Little Richard and events such as the Vietnam war. Follow this linear root through to artists such as the Beatles and Oasis.
The history, the data, the editors, the moderators, the creators and the curious are already in place – The Music Tree would harness all of this and repackage it into a fun, informative and representative platform to aid the discovery of music new and old.
Do you know how much music you are likely to use and what clearances you will need (or will it you use such a small amount that it doesn’t need to be cleared.
It is nice to set the music in the social/political context in which it was made but where will you access this from?
To what extent will people be able to add their own content? Who are the creators/moderators/editors? Where will they come from and why will the want to be involved?