Because of the social nature of listening to music, the music industry is the perfect hotbed of new technology, particularly with regards to social media. JukeFly, considered a social music player, is yet another social media application to arrive on the scene.
Launched in 2008 by two Silicon Valley entrepreneurs (Jeff Sidlosky and Dinesh Nair), JukeFly aims to give users access to their music libraries wherever they go, as well as allowing them to share music with friends and family.
What Is JukeFly
Like its name implies, JukeFly is a lot like a digital jukebox, but instead of set playlists, the users have complete control over what music plays, and in what order. They also have access to not just their own music library, but the libraries of streaming media sites like Last.fm, Amazon and YouTube. As opposed to a digital music locker (otherwise known as clouds), JukeFly is a streaming music server.
It taps into a a user's library as opposed to hosting the music on its own server, which means users don't have to take the time to upload every song they own to an outside server like they do with music lockers. Users have access to their music anywhere, provided the computer that stores their music is turned on and connected to the internet. Thus users can leave their laptop at home and pull up any of their music through the Jukefly site on a computer 200 miles away.
How JukeFly Works
The service works on two platforms: online music mode or streaming music mode, the difference between the two being the online music mode doesn’t utilize the downloadable application (called JukeFly Personal Music Server, or JPMS).
The online music mode also doesn’t access the user’s own music library, but instead streams music from online music information sources like Last.fm, YouTube and Amazon. Users can save any music they stream to their playlists and share them with others.
Streaming music mode, on the other hand, utilizes the JPMS, and aims at users with massive personal music collections who want to access that library wherever they go. The streaming mode also allows users to incorporate music from streaming sites into their playlists.
Types of Files JukeFly Supports
The service supports mp3s, iTiunes, unencrypted formats and Ogg Vorbis. Users don’t need to upload their entire library, as is the case with music lockers; instead, if they opt for the streaming music option, they download a small app (called a “client”).
As long as the user’s original computer is on and connected to the internet, he can access his music libraries, via Jukefly’s website, from anywhere an internet connection exits. The best part about it? It’s all free, at least for now.
Availability and Access
Currently, the service has two big detractions that limit its scope. The first is that, as of October, 2009, JukeFly is only available for Windows OS, though the company is working to expand its platform. Second, users can only share their music libraries with one other person at a time, due to the fact that the company utilizes the user’s own broadband connection as opposed to using its own. Once these restrictions are fixed, users will be able to share their music with anyone in the world from any location they want.
Jennifer Vitanzo - A writer and editor by trade—be it articles, grants, songs, poetry or reviews—Jennifer can cover it all. She's a part-time ...
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