Got an email about a week ago that Last.fm wants me to beta their new website. The catch? I had to renew my subscription. But let me tell you, it’s worth $3 to hear your “loved” tracks non-stop for a month. And coincidentally that day I was looking over an old resume, remembering I had beta tested cool software as far back as I can remember, like OS/2, Rhino3D, and MeasureMap. Last.fm is right up there on the cool scale, I was game.
To access the beta pages I needed to punch in my cc info, I ended up on some foreign banking page, Chase London? I can’t remember. I was surprised when I got my bank statement, WaMu decided to charge me a $1 “foreign banking” fee. Nice. Next time I’ll use Paypal, grr.
Off to the beta page. I punch in “last.fm”. No beta link on the homepage. Fail. No beta link on my profile either. Fail. OK, this is a secret beta? I go back to my email and the beta links are in there. I’m in.
First impression: 30,000+ other “beta testers” complaining this beta looks just like Facebook, and their whining comments scroll Facebook-like down my screen. So much for any coherent, thoughtful analysis of the interface. Instead I get this riot, chorus of discontent.
What else did I notice? Gigantic banners (reminiscent of Myspace) pushing bands I’d never listen to in a million years. I don’t listen to bands, why are they showing me bands? I listen to IDM, ambient, electronica. The whole point of last.fm is to learn about me, what I listen to, right? Last.fm recommending music contrary, oblivious to my 20,000+ track history makes no sense. The boy-band ads made me queasy, like I swallowed some bad Myspace.
I was done. That was my “beta” experience. The 30,000+ other beta testers said what needed to be said: leave the interface alone, we like it the way it is. If it turns sour over at last.fm, I take comfort knowing there’s always Shoutcast, Winamp streams, artist homepages where I can download direct. Watch your step CBS.