22/09/2010
Psonar recently doubled the rate of user signups (i.e. the proportion of people who visit the website and actually sign up) from around 5% to > 10% by making a few small but significant changes.
Psonar sign-up button
Firstly, we used crazyegg‘s heatmap to visualise where our users were clicking. This showed us that only a small number of users were clicking the ‘click here to sign up now’ link on the ‘Getting Started’ page – the most popular landing page from external sites.
We speculated that the colour of this link didn’t do much to make it recognisable as a call-to-action despite the wording, so we converted it to a red button. Remarkably, this change alone made the majority of the difference in signup rate.
In addition, we changed the ‘sign up now’ link in the website header on the homepage to a red button and added signup buttons to each of the other content pages so whichever page the user is browsing, the route to signing up is always clear. We also reordered the clickable icon links on the home page in order of popularity (also to an order that made more sense when using the service, chronologically speaking).
That’s it! Pretty basic stuff but very effective. Overnight, our signup rate doubled and has remained high ever since.
It’s also worth noting that the relative proportion of users who actually go on to use Psonar (download the SongShifter, upload their tracks and stream them for free using a web browser) has remained roughly the same; we did speculate that people who were put off by the difficulty in signing up may simply now be signing up and not actually using the site, but this hasn’t turned out to be the case.
These simple changes won’t work for everyone of course, but hopefully reading this post will prompt you to re-evaluate the signup process on your site. Making a few simple changes can have a very large effect, as we discovered.
2 Comments | 
Company, Updates | Tagged: browser, crazy egg, crazyegg, heat map, heatmap, music streaming, navigation, Psonar, signup, signup rate, songshifter, users | 
Permalink
Posted by Richard Urwin
03/09/2010
The speculation from ex-Lala users on Twitter, leading up to Steve Jobs’ presentation at the Apple music event yesterday was by-and-large reasonably optimistic. Many were hoping that he would announce that the streaming functionality from the popular but now defunct Lala had been integrated into iTunes to enable Apple device owners to stream the contents of their libraries via an online incarnation of iTunes.
Lala's technology appears not to have been reappropriated for iTunes after all
Most were sorely disappointed however; it now looks as if the technology may well have been reappropriated to deliver the improvements showcased with Apple TV instead.
To the uninitiated, this lack of streaming might seem a little strange, however looking more closely at the reasons behind it, I don’t think so.
- Apple iPods are designed to store thousands of tracks. Why on earth would Apple suddenly make the one of the primary function of these devices (a mainstay product) effectively redundant by allowing streaming of users’ libraries? Not to mention the massive associated costs streaming billions of tracks would incur.
- iTunes store download sales delivers an enormous amount of revenue to the labels; 10 billion tracks have been downloaded thus far and Apple is still currently the largest single retailer of music in the US with its 25% share. Adding streaming to iTunes would surely reduce the number of paid-for downloads thus eating into these profits. Would the labels have been happy with this?
- Apple takes large percentage of the revenue from download sales. More streaming and less downloads would simply mean less revenue since the amount changing hands is smaller; each user would have to stream several orders of magnitude more tracks to make up the shortfall.
- Apple is still geared very much towards selling downloads as illustrated by the announcement of Apple’s new music social network, Ping, Jobs also announced yesterday. Look no further than the fact that Ping is built into the iTunes store for confirmation of this.
- Why change your strategy in the market in which you’re already the dominant player and likely to remain so; additionally why switch to one which has so many legal challenges in terms of resistance by the labels? There are a number of big streaming players – the likes of Spotify, Rhapsody and now Sony’s Qriocity are all competing in an ever-more crowded space. Jobs has never led the company into uncharted territory – he has always taken a model that is gaining popularity and made it much more usable to unleash a wave of free spending new users. Streaming is a new field, especially on mobile devices, where there is no clear road-map for Apple to follow.
- The iPhone browser blocks downloads to force users to buy music and apps from iTunes. It would be much harder to block streaming services, whcih are already allowed on the iPhone without provoking outrage from existing users by removing such functionality. So streaming is not a usage mode that Apple wants to encourage.
So – perhaps streaming to devices in the Apple ecosystem might be delivered at some stage (after the labels have been won around in a desperate attempt to look for new revenue generation areas) but if you’re an ex-Lala user looking for Apple to deliver this streaming fix, I wouldn’t hold your breath.
All is not lost however; if you own a web-enabled Apple device and you want to stream your music, why not sign up to Psonar for free, upload all your tracks to the Psonar Cloud and browse to our mobile website where you can do exactly this. You can also download your music to any computer, any other device (Android, BlackBerry, MP3 player, laptop, etc.) or stream it to any web browser whenever you like, all completely free.
4 Comments | Company, Music, Updates | Tagged: Apple, Apple TV, downloads, iOS, ipod, itunes, iTunes store, lala, lala.com, macworld, MP3, MP3 Player, ping, steve jobs, streaming, twitter | Permalink
Posted by Richard Urwin
31/08/2010
I thought it was worth quickly blogging about how easy it is to upload tens of thousands of the tracks you own to Psonar so that you can listen to them for free at any time, anywhere on any internet-connected device.
The Psonar SongShifter
Unlike web browser-based uploaders, where you need to manually select each track or folder to upload and additionally leave the browser open for the entire time uploading is in progress, with Psonar, this process is taken care of with the SongShifter, the downloadable app which we’ve created to both upload and download tracks from your PC, MP3 player, phone or other storage device.
Using the Psonar SongShifter is as simple as this:
- Download & install it
- Step through the simple wizard to tell it where your music is located
- Forget about it!
The SongShifter runs whenever you log in, scans the configured folders and uploads any new music it finds without any intervention from you. You really can just set it and forget it.
Additionally, every time you plug in an external storage device, the SongShifter will also scan it for your music. So you can seamlessly upload and download directly from your iPhone, MP3 player, memory card or other USB device… and configuring these devices is even easier!
We’ve also developed an alpha version of the SongShifter for both Mac and Linux users. If you’d like to get your hands on it, please email support@psonar.com.
Lastly, if you haven’t already signed up for Psonar, you can do so here and if you need any convincing, here’s a video to explain why you should right now.
Happy listening!
Leave a Comment » | Uncategorized | Tagged: ipod, itunes, linux, Mac, Macintosh, Music, music library, music streaming, PC, Psonar, psonar cloud, psonar shongshifter, stolen ipod, streaming, upload, upload music, web browser, windows, xii | Permalink
Posted by Richard Urwin
13/08/2010
We recently commissioned a video from the excellent animator, Mike Booth, to explain what Psonar is all about.
Amber Lamps, featured in "What is Psonar?"
You can watch it on the Psonar homepage or on YouTube instead if you wish.
Mike’s work includes animated shorts such as “God’s Voiceover” for the BBC’s Mitchell & Webb in which God does the voiceover for a dog food commercial (definitely worth a watch.) He’s also behind the popular ‘somegreybloke’ on YouTube. I like his recent explanation of “What Twitter is for”. You can also read his blog here. Psonar’s video was created using Smith Micro’s Anime Studio Pro.
The soundtrack, ‘Spaced Aged Funked’ by Le Jockey and Jamie Henderson is an outstanding homage to Chicago house in its own right. Listen to the full track here. Le Jockey also releases music on his own ‘HoresePlay’ label and you can listen to his tracks on SoundCloud or download some from HorsePlayDigital’s website. His latest EP, ‘Perfect Cadence’, released on Fullbarr Digital and available on Beatport contains several deliciously melodic, deep house tracks and is one of his best works to date.
The video and audio were assembled by Richard Millen from Cambridge Film & Television Productions.
Anyway, we hope you like the finished product. Please share it with your friends if you do!
Leave a Comment » | Company, Music, Updates | Tagged: Amber Lamps, Android, Cambridge Film & Television Productions, CFTP, cloud, dog food, iPhone, ipod, Jamie Henderson, Le Jockey, Mac, Macintosh, manage music, Mike Booth, Music, music backup, PC, personal music player, Psonar, psonar cloud, save music, Spaced Aged Funked, stream music, upload music, Video | Permalink
Posted by Richard Urwin
01/08/2010
There’s been a lot of heat and not much light about which internet music services work on the iPhone – and whether you need to download an app to use them. As far as Psonar is concerned it’s simple – we’re taking advantage of the HTML 5 support that Apple has built into the iPhone’s browser to allow us to stream music from Psonar to our users when they’re out and about with their iPhones without an app. Navigate to the Psonar mobile website, log-in and enjoy your music.
I have to confess to being rather an agnostic in the great app debate – on the one hand it’s all much easier if rich functionality and content can be accessed directly through the browser – just navigate there and get going – as Rich Urwin explained in his Psonar blog post There’s No App for That in March. On the other, apps are a great way for people to identify and access content as well as applications in a way that is safe and easy – and they can also get to them again using the icon that’s installed with every app.
Of course, it’s also easy to add Psonar to the list of app icons on your iPhone or Touch – navigate to www.psonar.com, touch the ‘+’ symbol on the bottom of the iPhone browser screen, select ‘Add to Home Screen’ and a Psonar ‘P’ bookmark will be added:
1 Comment | Company, Music, Updates | Permalink
Posted by Martin Rigby
24/07/2010
Rory Cellan-Jones’ blog post yesterday about the challenges that UK tech start-ups face getting attention, relative to those in Silicon Valley, got me thinking about the differences between the UK and US.
Mike Butcher, TechCrunch’s European editor, told Rory Cellan-Jones that he thinks it’s the negative coverage that the UK media gives technology that’s the problem, citing an example of a piece in the Guardian about an alleged increased risk of stalking from using foursquare (the location-based social network). While I think Mike has got a point about UK journalists loving the Quatermass-like threat of new technology, he’s neglecting an enthusiasm for technology that stretches back to Tomorrow’s World and is alive today in Click or even Rory Cellan-Jones’ own blog posts and podcasts.
Reginald Tate as Professor Bernard Quatermass - BBC Image
I think the problem is deeper – the innate conservatism (small ‘c’) of the British compared to Americans. We’re still secretly sympathetic to the Luddites and frame-weavers whose craft-based lifestyle was swept away by the Industrial Revolution and we’re suspicious of innovation – look at the furore over GM crops in the ’80s. In contrast, the USA is the land of ‘Venturesome Consumption’ to use the phrase coined by Professor Amar Bhide. Bhide’s thesis is that what gives the USA its clear productivity edge over all other economies is the willingness of both US companies and individual consumers to try out and then adopt new technology. Buying that new iPad is seen as an investment in essential new personal skills rather than a self-indulgent acquisition of a new toy. Even the smallest US business is much more likely to use IT for stock control, marketing or logistics than its European counterpart.
In the end, it’s the enthusiasm even, dare I say it, zest for life shown by people in the Valley like Robert Scoble that infects their exploration of new things and the way they evangelise about them to others. A good dose of ‘glass half full’ is what we Brits need – maybe a rainless summer might start to change the national outlook and let start-ups like Psonar make a bigger splash (if you’ll forgive the pun).
2 Comments | Company, Music | Permalink
Posted by Martin Rigby
10/07/2010
AT&T’s announcement that it’s limiting transfers on its mobile data plans has thrown a serious spanner in the works of on-demand video and music consumption over wireless networks, as Wired and PC World reported last week.
It was always a rather challenging vision – being able to stream music and movies to your phone, iPad or other 3G connected device wherever you were. ‘Challenging’ in that the networks were never up to it: too little coverage outside the metropolitan areas and too little available bandwidth even in the metropolitan areas. Spectrum is limited and can’t be indefinitely stretched by yet more clever wireless technology such as CDMA. The network operators are busily trying to get everyone to use Wi-Fi to transfer some of the burden onto fixed line broadband.
Psonar has always been about letting people access their music anywhere, any time and on any device. Sure we support streaming straight to mobile (where the phone operating system lets us) and we’re always looking to improve the quality of that experience. The reality is, however, that the easiest, quickest and free way to enjoy music and movies on your phone or portable device is to hook them up to the internet directly, or via a PC or Mac using USB, and let the wires take the strain. The Psonar SongShifter is optimised to make the transfer of music files to and from all your devices (PC, laptop, phone, mp3 player, iPad etc) as pain-free as possible.
As usual, it’s wise to be wired.
1 Comment | Company, Music, Updates | Permalink
Posted by Martin Rigby
25/06/2010
Thanks to everyone who completed the Psonar user survey – a total of 58 users so far. Many people took the trouble to suggest specific changes that could improve how Psonar works now and made suggestions for new features.
Demographics
Respondents were mostly North American (55%) or European (39%), male (84%) and evenly split across those aged 25-34 (37%) and 35-44 (36%) – although 18% of respondents were aged 14-24.
What Users Want
Most people came to the service looking for somewhere to keep their music and be able access it anywhere at any time – and 5 people specifically mentioned the demise of Lala. Nearly everyone (90%) had downloaded the SongShifter, uploaded tracks (86%) and streamed music using the player (69%). 8% of respondents had download (not streamed) music and 2 respondents (4%) had published a track on Facebook.
Comments on Psonar
The main comments were:
- color scheme too garish (update: latest release – 21 June – has reduced the amount of purple/pink and made other improvements to layout)
- “clunkiness” (update: latest release – 21 June – incorporates database access and AJAX enhancements to improve speed)
- it would be better to have a player integrated into the web page (update: we’re developing an embedded player which will allow drag to player but which can also be “popped-out” of the page if wanted)
- add shuffle play (update: due for implementation in the next 4-6 weeks);
- several people commented that a browser based upload solution would be better than the SongShifter (update: SongShifter allows access to USB connected devices, such as phones and mp3 players, and enables track downloading (as opposed to streaming) – but we’re developing a lightweight uploader which will run on Mac, Linux and, potentially, PC which would obviate the need to use the SongShifter in some circumstances)
Suggestions for Improvements
Besides these comments, other improvements suggested were:
- ablility to delete tracks;
- renaming tracks, add more metadata or edit metadata;
- Last.fm Scrobbler integration;
- greater control over SongShifter (e.g. select tracks for upload);
- include more social features, such as comments on tracks or playlists and recommendations to friends;
- add album art;
- add lyrics.
Paying for Music
On paying to listen to music they don’t own, respondents had mixed views: 39% said they wouldn’t be prepared to pay at all, 33% said they’d like to see Psonar offer access like Lala’s “web songs” (where a payment of 10c gave the right to stream, but not download, a song an infinite number of times so long as the user remained a Lala member) and 16% said they’d be prepared to pay 1c or 1p (n.b. for our non-UK users 1p = 1/100 of £1) for one or more plays of a track. Several people said that they would be prepared to listen to ads to support free streaming.
Mobile Site
A significant majority of respondents (62%) said they were very or quite likely to use (or continue to use) the Psonar mobile site.
Thanks for the Offers of Help!
Finally, we’re really grateful that so many people offered to help develop Psonar: 80% of respondents said they’d complete further user surveys and 80% said they be prepared to test new features. We’re proposing to email everyone who volunteered and offer to include them as ‘beta users’ to test new features prior to production deployment.
Best wishes and many thanks,
Martin, Rich and the Psonar team
Leave a Comment » | Company, Music, Updates | Permalink
Posted by Martin Rigby
21/06/2010
Today we released improved playlist management on the main Psonar website.
It’s probably still a little rough around the edges, but we figured it was better to get something out there for you to use ASAP. We think it’s a big improvement.
New Playlist Panel
The main changes are:
- the playlists panel has been made smaller, giving the main tracks display area more room
- double-clicking a playlist now displays the contents in the main tracks display area
- deletion of tracks from and reorganisation of tracks within a playlist now happens on the client. When a deletion / move operation is performed, buttons appear at the bottom of the track list to allow you to either save the changes (whereupon they get persisted) or cancel them (the playlist gets reloaded and the changes are undone)
- management of tracks in the player is performed in the same way
- we’ve added a ‘new’ button at the top of the playlists panel for 1-click playlist creation
We hope you like the changes. We think it makes playlist management much less clunky.
Look out for more similar UX improvements in the coming weeks.
We also listened to what you said in the Psonar survey (please do tell us what you think if you haven’t done so already!) about the colour scheme and toned it down somewhat. We’ve also widened the scrollbars, reduced the initial load-time for large collections and added ‘Like’ and ‘Share’ buttons amongst other things.
If you like the new playlist management, colour scheme or Psonar in general, please show your support by clicking the Facebook ‘Like’ button in the header to spread the word and help make Psonar simply the best place to keep your music on the internet. Thanks!
Richard
Psonar CTO
2 Comments | Company | Tagged: AJAX, color scheme, colour scheme, feedback, javascript, management, playlist, Psonar, survey, tracks | Permalink
Posted by Richard Urwin
11/06/2010
We do hope you’ve had a great time using Psonar since you signed-up.
We also hope you’ve had a chance to use Psonar recently and get the benefit of these great enhancements:
- slicker interface that reduces page loads and speeds up response time (using AJAX)
- play button on every track
- Facebook share button to post any track to your your News Feed
- redesigned and faster mobile site
- mobile player support that works on all major phones (iPhone, BlackBerry, Nokia, Android, etc.)
In the next couple of months, we’re also introducing (amongst other things);
- Much improved playlist management
- Speed improvements when browsing your library of music
- SongShifter for Mac and Linux
- Last.fm scrobbling integration
- ‘tweet a track’
- Facebook playlist sharing
To make sure we’re delivering what you want, and to identify any areas where we haven’t yet got it right, please take a few minutes to complete our 4 page survey.
We’ll use it as a key part of our commitment to you: Putting the Community in the Driving Seat
Thanks for taking the time to read this and for your help in building ‘simply the best pace to keep your music’.
Best wishes,
Martin, Rich and the rest of the Psonar team.
7 Comments | Company, Updates | Permalink
Posted by Martin Rigby
