Lala Gives Music Back to the People

Since we talked about Bonaroo on our most recent podcast, it got me thinking about how great it is to find a new artist or a new song to obsess over.

Lala, a music sharing site that brags over eight million licensed songs available for play and download, allows users to upload their already existing music libraries (think iTunes and Windows Media Player) to their site, but why would someone want to do this? While studying at school or visiting grandma, users can access their music, advertisement free, just by logging on to lala. Along with uploading music to the site, a user can even bring along existing playlists that they've created. While iTunes can create playlists from music you already own, this site can let you explore new music.

Find a great song? Purchasing is less expensive than iTunes will ever be; get a web song for ten cents, or download the full song for around eighty-nine cents. I had already been using Lala after iTunes raised their some of their prices to an absurd one-dollar and twenty-nine cents in April of 2009 and I know this sounds like a commercial here, but this site has impressed me from the beginning.

Now awaiting approval from the Apple, Lala has an iPhone app waiting in the wings. I have tested the beta and it will prove to be an amazing app to those who take advantage of uploading their music to lala, because a users' entire music library can be access through the app using 3G or Wi-Fi.

Lala is a site made to be shared with friends. Many users link their Lala music profile to their facebook profile to share with their friends the new music are listening to and purchasing. New members even get fifty free web songs just for joining.

Give Lala a listen, enjoy the fifty free songs, and you can thank me later.

The New Girl (and her inner thoughts)

I'm going to treat this "get to know me" article like speed dating. (People do that right?) I think that will leave enough mystery to keep everyone coming back for more, yet give enough information for everyone to know what I am all about.

I'm the type of person who talks to themselves. So, for your reading pleasure I thought I would include many of the thoughts that pop into my head as I write this.

When Grant and Jody mentioned for me to starting writing on their blog, my first thought was,"I have a hard enough time keeping thoughts together, and they want me to write well organized, witty articles?!" Thanks to my degree in Communications from The University of Tennessee at Martin, I have been well trained enough to sound like I know what I am talking about (go Skyhawks!)

I truly enjoy what pop culture has to offer us! I have been a long time video game, movie, and music lover. I do not know where I get most of my information from (maybe from the depths of the interwebs), but now at 24, I find myself a plethora (one of my favorite words) of knowledge in all things pop culture that I am looking forward to sharing with you! I cannot being to convey my excitement and enthusiasm about writing for this blog. I hope you all enjoy reading what I have to say as much as I enjoy writing it.

Grant is going to be conducting a formal interview in a next days, so keep an eye (or two) out for that soon.

I also wanted to introduce a new series coming to Pop-Snap. This was inspired by a very good friend (thinking of clever aliases). Let's call her Beatrix. Well, as I was explaining to Beatrix what this blog was all about, I learned that she hasn't seen many of the movies that most people consider classics (many of these movies being the top grossing of their release year). So, over the next few weeks, Beatrix will be watching all of these movies and I'll be asking her questions about what took her so long to watch these movies;

1.) Back to The Future Series
2.) Indian Jones Series (Should I include The Crystal Skull?)
3.) The Princess Bride
4.) Top Gun
5.) Anchorman
6.) The Terminator Series
7.) Kill Bill 1+2 (two of my favorites)

Now, there is one series of movies she refuses to watch; Star Wars. I will hopefully convince her to watch them, but until then, I think we will keep her busy.

What do I get out of this (besides quasi-publicly embarrassing her)? Well, I am a chicken. While I feel that overall the horror genre is the weakest that it has been in years, I still don't like the basic startles that they offer. I agreed if she watched these movies and let me pick her brain that I would watch all of the Saw movies with her (mostly so she can laugh at me while I watch it with the blanket pulled up to my eyes.)

So stayed tuned folks! I hope to bring much to the popcorn box (but without the buttery fingers)!