There seems to be ever more crowdsourced, consumer media generation, web 2.0, music wiki craziness going on these days. (I like fuzzy buzz words.) Not that I’m complaining; I LOVE Wikipedia, and am always psyched for the next music wiki blip to pop up on my radar.
So far, music wikis tend to each have their own approach or focus; they’re worth checking out, and if nothing else, are easy sources of links for your band or music blog (…I need to get on that). Here’s a quick look at some of them:
A Music Wiki Smackdown:
- Wikipedia: "Music" — When in doubt, start with the grandfather "music" wiki of all wikis.
- WikiMusicGuide – Simple and to the point, it’s "the music fan site anyone can edit." If you’re not careful, you may think you’re at Wikipedia. Which I don’t mind, ’cause I like the scheme and process of the original. The forums aren’t too active, but there seems to be a good amount of content.
- Wikia Music Wiki – Not exactly a focused wiki, this one is a "music wiki devoted to creating the definite music encyclopedia which includes aspects of all music topics." The site is a little ad heavy, but you can create a free login account to view the music wiki ad free.
- SoundUwound — Amazon’s music wiki, launched on 9/1/2008. It’s young, but it’s very visible, and even IMDB is contributing. However, their "we own everything written here" take on the effort is pushing a lot of wiki purists away. Contribute as long as you don’t mind someone else owning what you write. (I still recommend adding your band as an entry.)
- S21 New New Music Wiki — This site’s goal is to create "…a reader-created community/encylopedia of new music composers, performers, history, schools, and important works." They encourage bands and musicians to contribute…however, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of activity here.
- Wiki Recording — An audio recording music wiki that’s a "…free online guide to audio recording, editing, mixing, and mastering that anyone can edit." A cool idea, but it doesn’t seem to have gotten a ton of traction. Honestly, most pro and/or home recordists probably prefer a forum/discussion format to share ideas.
- TheMusicSnob Wiki — The self-proclaimed "…most innovative directory of music industry resources and the insights of the people who use them." The site feels a little more like a yellow pages directory listing of businesses than a community generated site, but at least it’s a stab at a need serving bands and musicians.
- Fuse Artist Wiki — Kind of self-explanatory, it’s Fuse TV’s artist wiki. Writers can talk about shows, albums, music, etc. Not the most aesthetic option.
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