Soundflavor - Frequently Asked Questions
Need help? Check out the Frequently Asked Questions below. If you can't find the answer you're looking for, ask us and we'll help you out.
What is Soundflavor? Finding Music You’ll Like Making Playlists
- How do I make a playlist on Soundflavor?
- What are “One-Click Playlists”?
- How do I copy someone else's playlist?
- How do I bookmark my favorite songs and playlists?
- How do I post my playlist to my Facebook, MySpace, Friendster, Xanga, Freewebs, Blogger, Piczo, TypePad, NetVibes, PageFlakes, Live Spaces, Live Journal, Black Planet, My Yearbook, iGoogle, or Multiply profile page?
- How do I post my playlist to my MySpace blog?
- How do I post my playlist as a comment on MySpace?
- How do I post my playlist to my Frappr profile?
- How do I post my playlist on my blog or website?
- I tried to post my playlist on Bebo, Hi5, YouTube, or some other site and it didn’t work - what can I do?
- I posted a playlist to my website, but want to change the songs now - how do I do that?
- I posted a playlist to my website, but I would like to remove it - how do I do that?
- How can I meet people on the Soundflavor website?
- How do you know if someone has similar tastes in music?
- How do I invite my friends to join me on the Soundflavor website?
- What’s a “Fan”?
- What is Soundflavor DJ?
- I have a Soundflavor.com account - what will Soundflavor DJ do for me?
- Where do I get it?
What is Soundflavor?
Q: What is Soundflavor all about?
A: Soundflavor Music Search is the easiest way to find music that you like, watch music videos, make and share great playlists, post playlists to Facebook, MySpace, Friendster and other websites or blogs, and meet people with similar musical tastes along the way.For a full overview of Soundflavor, click here.
Q: How is Soundflavor different from other music community websites?
A: Soundflavor combines a powerful music search engine with an accurate song recommendation algorithm. Our goal is to help you to make and share great playlists and discover new music based on your specific tastes.
We have a team of “Music Analysts” who listen to songs all day long, collecting musical, lyrical, and cultural attributes about each song. Based on this data, our recommendation algorithm suggests music that is similar to songs, playlists, or artists that you pick.
[back to top]Finding Music You’ll Like
Q: What can I search for, and how does searching work?
A: Soundflavor’s search engine allows you to find music, videos, photos, and band news by artist, song title, or by playlist name or description. Type in an artist name and/or song name, or any keywords you want, then click “Find”.
Out of ideas? Soundflavor’s powerful recommendation algorithm will suggest songs and artists that sound similar to songs and artists that you search for. You can even make a One-Click Playlist based on nearly any song or artist on Soundflavor.
Soundflavor scours the web for videos, photos, and news about artists that you search for. It also contains a massive library of playable playlists. You can search for playlists by artist, song, or any keyword that you can think of.
If you would like to search for a member on Soundflavor, click on the Members link in the top navigation bar and use the search box at the top of the Browse Members page.
[back to top]Making Playlists
Q: How do I make a playlist on Soundflavor?
A: There are many ways to make playlists on the Soundflavor website:
- By hand. When you are searching or browsing for music with Soundflavor, you will see “Add’ buttons next to songs. Click on the “Add” button to make a new playlist using that song, or to add the song to a playlist you’ve already created. Keep adding songs to your playlist and reorder the songs on your playlist page to craft it to perfection.
- Make a One-Click Playlist based on an artist or song you find on the Soundflavor website. Soundflavor’s song recommendation algorithm will find 30 songs that are similar to the artist or song you choose. Click the “Save as Playlist” button to save it as a playlist in your account. From there, you can play the playlist, change the name, add, reorder, or remove songs, or post it to Facebook, MySpace, Friendster, and other websites or blogs.
- Copy someone‘s playlist. . If you find a playlist that you like on the Soundflavor website, click the “Copy Playlist” button to make a copy of the playlist in your account. You can then add, remove, or reorder the songs. You need a Soundflavor account to create and save playlists.
- Use Soundflavor DJ to upload your iTunes playlists to the Soundflavor website (the easy way), or export them from iTunes and upload them to Soundflavor (slightly more difficult).
Q: What are “One-Click Playlists”?
A: Soundflavor can make a “One-Click Playlists” of songs that are similar to artists and songs on Soundflavor. At the top of the song or artist page, click the “One-Click Playlists” button to get a playlist of 30 similar songs.
Every One-Click Playlist is unique - if you don’t like the playlist you get, click the “get a new list of songs” link. When you get one that you like, click the “Save as Playlist” button. From there, you can add, rearrange or delete songs. When you’re happy with it, share it with your friends!
Note that not every artist or song has been “analyzed” by Soundflavor, but we’re adding new songs and artists every day!
Q: How do I copy someone else's playlist?
A: Easy. If you find a playlist on the website that you like, click the “Copy Playlist” button to make a copy of the playlist in your account. You can then go to your member homepage to pick your playlist, edit it as you wish, and share it with your friends
Q: How do I bookmark my favorite songs and playlists?
A: If you find a song that you would like to bookmark as a favorite, click the “Add” button and choose “Add to My Favorites.” To bookmark playlists, click the “Add To Favorites” button at the top of the playlist.
To manage your favorite songs and playlists, click on the “My Soundflavor” dropdown in the top navigation and click the links to those pages. You can rearrange, delete, and add comments to your favorites, and choose which ones you would like displayed on your profile page.
[back to top]Playing Songs and Playlists
Q: How can I get a copy of the songs I find using Soundflavor?
A: Click on the song that you wish to buy, then click the “iTunes” button to buy the song in digital form, or the “Amazon” button to buy the song on CD.
Soundflavor also hosts over 40,000 fully-licensed, FREE downloadable songs from great bands that you may not have heard. We have a relationship with IODA (the Independent Online Distribution Alliance), who provides us with thousands of promotional songs. You can download these songs directly from us, for FREE.
[back to top]Posting Playlists to Facebook, MySpace, Friendster, other Websites and Blogs
Q: How do I post my playlist to my Facebook, MySpace, Friendster, Xanga, Freewebs, Blogger, Piczo, TypePad, NetVibes, PageFlakes, Live Spaces, Live Journal, Black Planet, My Yearbook, iGoogle, or Multiply profile page?
A:
- From the playlist’s page, click “Post to Web”.
- Choose the style, skin, background color, and other options for your playlist widget.
- Choose the service you want to post to (Facebook, MySpace, Friendster, etc).
- Enter your login and password for the site in question. Don’t worry, Soundflavor does not record your login or password! Pick where your playlist should appear (if the site offers it).
- Click “Post ” and you’re done!
When posting in Facebook for the first time, you will be prompted to log in and add the “My Stuff” application. Once you’ve added “My Stuff”, your playlist widget will automatically be posted on your profile.
Live Spaces, Live Journal, Black Planet, My Yearbook, and iGoogle currently only support our Black Vertical widget (in the “Skins” option).
Q: How do I post my playlist to my MySpace blog?
A: After clicking “Post to Web” and customizing the look of your playlist widget, click the “Copy Code” button. Now open a new browser window and log in to your MySpace account.
- Under your profile image, click on the “Blog” link.
- Click on “Post New Blog” on the left hand side of the page.
- Above the blog entry, click on the link “If you can't input your Blog, click here.”
- Paste the Playlist code into the box under the “Body” section.
- Click “Preview & Post.”
To post your playlist in the header of your MySpace blog, click “Customize Blog” and paste the playlist code into the “Your Own Header HTML” section.
Q: How do I post my playlist as a comment on MySpace?
A: After clicking “Post to Web” and customizing the look of your playlist, click the “Copy” button in Step 2. Now open a new browser window and log in to your MySpace account. Then create a new comment and paste your playlist code into the comment. Easy!
Q: How do I post my playlist to my Frappr profile?
A: After clicking “Post to Web” and customizing the look of your playlist, click the “Copy” button in Step 2. Now open a new browser window and log in to your Frappr account.
- Under “My Frappr,” click on the “Edit Profile” link in the upper left-hand corner of the page.
- Click on the “My Interests” link on the left side of the page.
- Paste your playlist code into any section.
- Click “Save Profile.”
Q: How do I post my playlist on my blog or website?
A: After clicking “Post to Web” and customizing the look of your playlist, click the “Copy” button in Step 2. Now open a new browser window and either create a new blog post, or edit your HTML code for your website. Find the appropriate spot in your HTML, paste in the code for your playlist, and save your blog post or website code.
Q: I tried to post my playlist on Bebo, Hi5, YouTube, or some other site and it didn’t work - what can I do?
A: Certain websites such as Bebo, Hi5, and YouTube, restrict the types of Flash code that work on their sites. While we are working to make our playlist work on these sites, for now you’re out of luck.
Playlists post fine on Facebook, MySpace, Friendster, Xanga, Piczo, Frappr, Blogger, and a wide variety of other websites.
For Live Spaces, Live Journal, Black Planet, My Yearbook, and iGoogle, only our Vertical Black widgets post successfully.
If your playlist widget is not working for you, please email us us with a link to the site containing your playlist code and we will investigate the problem.
Q: I posted a playlist to my website, but want to change the songs now - how do I do that?
A: Once you’ve posted a playlist on any site, you can change the songs within your playlist widget by editing your playlist on Soundflavor. Add, remove, or reorder the songs in your playlist, and your changes will be reflected to the websites you posted to.
If you want to post a new playlist, first go into the Edit Profile section of the site you posted your playlist to and delete the original widget’s “code”. Next, post a new playlist as you had before. For instructions on how to delete a playlist widget from your website, read onto the next paragraph.
Q: I posted a playlist to my website, but I would like to remove it - how do I do that?
A: To remove your playlist widget, log into the website (e.g., MySpace), go to the edit page (e.g., Edit Profile) and locate the section in which your playlist widget is posted (e.g. About Me).
Find and delete the big chunk of code that looks similar to this example:
Click save, and you’re done!
[back to top]Free, Downloadable Songs on Soundflavor
Q: Where do they come from?
A: Soundflavor hosts over 40,000 free downloadable songs from great bands that you may have never heard of. We have a relationship with IODA (the Independent Online Distribution Alliance), who provides us with promotional songs from both major and independent artists. We also accept submissions directly from artists and labels through our “Get Found!” program. For more information on this, please email getfound@soundflavor.com.
Q: How do I find FREE downloadable songs on Soundflavor?
A: The easiest way to browse through our entire library of FREE downloadable songs is to click on the “Browse Songs by Sound” button and choose the “All FREE Songs” option.
When you use Soundflavor’s “Browse Songs by Sound”, “Similar Songs” or “One-Click Playlist” features, Soundflavor will suggest free songs that match your criteria. Free songs are labeled with a green “FREE SONG” banner on the album cover and will have a green “FREE SONG” download button on the Song details page.
We encourage you to download these songs, add them to your playlists, put them on your portable music player, and share them with your friends! If you find a new artist you really like, you can buy their albums on Amazon or iTunes. Don’t forget - you heard them here first!
Soundflavor DJ for iTunes is another great way to get free songs. It suggests and automatically downloads free songs for you that are similar in sound to the music you listen to in iTunes.
[back to top]Meeting People
Q:How can I meet people on the Soundflavor website?
A: You will find members of the Soundflavor community almost everywhere on the site! Every playlist page displays the author of a playlist and link to their profile page. We highlight new users on the site, so you can always find new and interesting people. You can also look for your friends on Soundflavor by using the search box on the Browse Members page. We’ll also show you people with similar tastes as yourself on your User Homepage.
Q: How do you know if someone has similar tastes in music?
A: When you join Soundflavor and begin playing music, or download and use Soundflavor DJ for iTunes, the website analyzes the songs that you play and scours the website to find people whose music tastes are similar to your own.
People who are highly compatible with your tastes will be recommended to you on your User Home page. When other people view your Soundflavor profile page, the website will tell them if you’re musically compatible.
Q: How do I invite my friends to join me on the Soundflavor website?
A: Soundflavor can help you import your contacts from such email services as Yahoo, GMail, AOL, and MSN and send invites to your friends. You can also share songs, playlists, videos, and photos with your friends, and we’ll let them know how to sign up for an account (although they don’t need one to hear anything you tell them about).
Q: What’s a “Fan”?
A: A Fan is someone who appreciates your taste in music. Think of it as a way to bookmark your favorite Soundflavor members. You can become a fan of anyone, and anyone can become a fan of you. As a Fan, you can view their favorite songs, favorite playlists, and latest playlists right from your Home Page. It’s a great way to find new music through people on the website.
Using Soundflavor DJ
Q: What is Soundflavor DJ?
A: Soundflavor DJ extends the power of Soundflavor to your desktop. It is a downloadable application that serves as a companion to iTunes that makes it easy to instantly make good playlists from your iTunes library, and upload them directly to the Soundflavor website. Use it to shop for new music “by sound.” Soundflavor DJ is also your personal DJ. As you listen to music, it picks and plays songs from your iTunes library that are similar to the music you’re listening to. Rediscover great songs you own but may have forgotten about!
As you listen to music in your iTunes library, Soundflavor DJ recommends similar songs that you don’t own, upcoming concerts, and related items for you to check out.
Soundflavor DJ even gives you FREE SONGS based on your taste in music. The more you use it, the more free music you’ll get!
Q: I have a Soundflavor.com account - what will Soundflavor DJ do for me?
A: Soundflavor DJ powers a number of additional features on the Soundflavor website. Soundflavor DJ scans your music library to understand the types of music that you like, which helps to power the “musical compatibility” feature on the Soundflavor website. As a Soundflavor DJ user, your iTunes play history, will be recorded in your “Recent Plays” tab.
Q: Where do I get it?
A: You can download Soundflavor DJ for FREE from our download page.
Privacy
Q: I received an email from Soundflavor that I didn’t want. How can I be removed from your list?
A: No problem. Log into your Soundflavor account, and access your Privacy settings under your member homepage (or click this link). From here, you can choose the various types of emails that you wish to receive from Soundflavor.
For further questions, please review our Privacy Policy.
[back to top]I’m an artist, and want Soundflavor to include my music
Q: I’m an artist or label, and would like my music promoted on Soundflavor. How do I do this?
A: If you’re an artist and would like to see your music on Soundflavor, please email getfound@soundflavor.com.