We’ve had enough of ‘choose what you want’, now it’s time for ‘tell me what to choose’. Whether it’s listening to friends or to trusted influencers, Curation is hitting the mainstream.
By now, sites such as Last.fm have firmly established the idea of social recommendations: “Every track you play will tell your Last.fm profile something about what you like. It can connect you to other people who like what you like – and recommend songs from their music collections and yours too.”
Social search is on it’s way too, from start-ups through to Google. Techcrunch recently posted a video of ‘the future of Google search’, complete with a Digg-style interface that allows users to vote search results up or down, comment on results, and prioritise whose comments/recommendations they listen to (see below for a demo).
Back in the real world, club nights like Matter London are bringing in specialists to ‘curate’ the evening. One recent import was LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy and Pat Mahoney, who have been running a party in New York, ‘Special Disco Version’. The mix of DJs and artists they curated for one night only at Matter included Brazilian light and visual artists AVAF (Assume Vivid Astro Focus), who usually only do shows in art galleries.
Bestival, the boutique music festival on the Isle of Wight, is proudly “curated by BBC Radio 1’s Rob da Bank” and his wife, Josie. According to their intro, “It’s Rob and Josie da Bank’s creative vision that sets Bestival apart. Whilst the massive musical brain of Rob ensures the Bestival line-up is the most eclectic you’ll ever experience, it’s Josie’s creative wand that casts its magic over Bestival land. From the most original boutique campsite experience, to the Bollywood Cocktail Bar, fancy dress en mass and even a Hidden Disco, it’s this uniqueness that makes Bestival a wondrous world of discovery and adventure that will inspire peace, love and dancing not only in September but all year round…”
Since curation is the bread and butter of galleries and museums, the timing’s perfect to feed the mainstream hunger for ‘curated’ offers from authoritative influencers.
