Suck it – traffic signs of all types. This is an undeserved message with a tune that rocks. F-T-S-S
- Weaslecoup (level 7) reviewing Stop Signs R 4 Suckers

Suck it indeed.

Not many of you know me, but those of you that do know that I’m incredibly skeptical of social media websites, especially those that claim to specialize in music. So, it was with little expectation that I started playing around with a little website called The Sixty One that claimed to be “a music adventure.” Uh-huh. Whatever.

I signed up for an account and was rewarded with 65 points and told that I was “level 1.” Huh? Time to hit the about page:

thesixtyone makes music discovery a fun, adventurous experience with persistent reputation and rewards — it’s like a massively-multiplayer game for music junkies who are always on the prowl for new sounds. For everyone else, it’s a spot where anybody can instantly start listening to good new music…a place that personifies people getting excited about music simply because they enjoy it.
…
Musicians upload their music for listening, but rather than allowing the Simon Cowells of the world decide which songs go on the homepage, the listeners do. How, you say? If you like a song you’ve found on thesixtyone, just click the “bump” button to increase its bump count. Doing so will cost you points, but if songs you bump get bumped by others, you can earn more points! Collecting points increases your level and reflects your skill in picking top songs in your favorite genre!

Maybe it was the old D&D player in me, or maybe it was that whole American Idol “you choose the talent” angle, but I was hooked. I spent my initial points on a new Breeders track and a couple of other great singles by bands I’d never heard of before. And I even started to earn points right away because that Breeders song was brand new when I “bumped” it and was quickly becoming a hit. This website had actually managed to turn discovering new music into a compelling “experience points” based game.

Then I decided to upload a few of The Skullcranes’ tracks in my capacity as their “Executive Digital Producer.”

Within 6 hours, The Skullcranes on thesixtyone.com have reached “level 2″ (meaning they’re starting to get some buzz), have 10 new listeners, and The Omaha Jones is currently one of the most active rock tracks. In fact, eatabagel (level 18 with 93 subscribers) has added Love Theme From The Skullcranes to his Underrated Top 25 playlist.

If you love listening to new music and like the idea of being rewarded for being the one of the first to discover a new hit, you owe it to yourself to register for an account on The Sixty One. Once you do, be sure to give a bump to The Skullcranes’ tracks. I’m sure you’ll be richly rewarded with points, a level or two, and maybe even a Staff Of Elvenkind.

Until then, I’ll see you in The Keep On The Borderlands.