iLike reaches 0,5m users

According to Techcrunch it appears that iLike is growing, and fast…

Later today music social network iLike will report that they’ve reached half a million registered users in the first four months since launching. What won’t be disclosed, but I’m hearing from insiders, is that around 20,000 new users are joining daily.

Admittedly, their iTunes integration is pretty damn slick but I still can not see myself engaging in a meaningful way with the service. The design of the site is clear and well-structured but also, well, boring. Music is about entertainment, passion and culture and for me the site simply gives no vibe.

I believe it is crucial for any social app out there to choose between two main paths when considering what the site should communicate to its users. Either step back or step forward. What I mean is simply that you have to either create a feel and identity of your site that is engaging in itself or either step back and let the users (in e.g. profile pimping) set the atmosphere. iLike desperately falls in between the two by not providing a compelling feel for itself or its users.

This is further reflected when actually browsing around the site. I simply can not feel the social factor at all. The other users do not give enough social cues (or rather are prohibited to) of their personality to interest me. With the people-surfing factor left out the algorithmic music recommendation is all that is left and this simply doesn’t come close to last.fm.

Anyhow, it’s very interesting to see that iLike has grown so fast and I am quite amazed by how many “non-techies” i know that have asked me if i know about the service. Obviously somebody is doing something right.

On a side note I´d love to see stats of how the “free song download” is doing. The few times I have previewed a recommended track that is free my old gut feeling of free-as-in-not-good-enough-to-pay-for gets boosted. Slightly sad. Wouldn’t it be nice if the free stuff was just as good as the not-free?