It’s time to say hi to the hipster of the online radio block – 8tracks.
I was first exposed to 8tracks when I peeked into the homescreen of Ze Yan, who is the founder of local salad cafe, The Lawn.
Back then, I didn’t thought much of the snakey logo – that is until ZALORA Singapore’s Marketing Director, Dione Song, had it on her homescreen too.
No way am I not Googling this app, I told myself. Today, allow me to spill the beans.
Meet David Porter, the CEO and founder of 8tracks.
Also touted the pioneer of social Internet radio, David initially drafted the business plan for 8tracks, then called Sample & Sorted, back when he was still a business student at Berkeley in 2005. In 2007, 8tracks was eventually founded and the subsequent year saw its launch into the web.
If you have not known, 8tracks is an online music discovery app that allows users to create curated playlists they enjoy. As the name suggests, these playlists must consist of at least 8 tracks.
What’s refreshing is that it promotes users to create mixes; this means you get to hear a lot of original beats and tunes you have never heard of before.
Well, if you’re a late adopter of apps like me, then fret not!
You don’t have to be all hippy and cool to enjoy 8tracks. In fact, the app allows a wide variety of playlists to be created according to occasions, moods, genres, personalities.
Allow me to introduce the coolest search bar ever found on 8tracks.com:
Refreshingly human indeed.
This search is so much more intuitive, at least for me. Did you know that it was reported that 8tracks rejected an offer made by Google last year? Now, why do I sound like a fan already?
Some examples of unique playlists are “Songs To Lie On Your Bed And Stare At The Ceiling,” “99 Songs To Make Your Homework Awesome,” and “Singing In The Shower.”
Today, David continues to spearhead 8tracks and frequently shares about it in his personal blog.
When asked to name his life motto, David shared a quote he always hold on to from Thoreau:
“I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man
to elevate his life by a conscious endeavor.”
I swear, I do this in all things besides driving and cooking – David
He was also kind enough to allow us a sneak peek into his homescreen and talks about the apps he uses frequently apart from the usual suspects (Facebook, Gmail, Maps).
1. Asana
“This is a project and task management app based on the Getting Things Done (“GTD”) workflow philosophy, which has a lot in common with Zen philosophy. I use it to help me allocate time for both professional and personal items.”
2. Lyft
“Lyft help pioneer the concept of drivers driving their own cars as a cab (and we share an investor in Andreessen Horowitz). I’ve never owned a car so Lyft is my go-to to get around town.”
3. Pocket
“People forward things to read throughout the day. Pocket offers a browser plug-in so that I can add the text/images of a post to the Pocket iOS app for asynchronous, offline reading, e.g. in the back of a Lyft, before I go to bed, on a plane, etc.”
4. Sprig
“I also don’t really cook. And I’ve very little time. So having an app that delivers one of three healthy lunch or dinner selections in a matter of minutes is hugely helpful. Meals are planned by Google’s former executive chef and are generally excellent.”
Thank you David for sharing with us your list of apps and your affliction with cooking. Perhaps some Drowning in Flour music to lure out the cook in you? As the playlist creator aptly puts it –
sometimes it’s no baking when there’s no music!
If this is your first time reading this – Apps I Live By is weekly series where we take an exclusive peek into the smartphones of influential personalities. Here, we discover apps used by these persons and find out how they are made useful in the midst of their hectic lives. Last week, we took a look at the smartphone of Danny Tan, Founder of online furniture marketplace, HipVan. Rick Tan, Co-Founder of anti-loss device makers, Protag, shares the apps that get to be part of his lifestyle. Should you have any stories to share, or would like me to feature any personalities, do note hesitate to contact me at dawn@vulcanpost.com.