Philly.com Tries To Bring Its Own, Vaguely Cheesesteak-ish Flavor To The World Of Music Sites

Dan Gibson | December 23, 2008 2:00 am

The two still-standing daily newspapers in Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Daily News and Philadelphia Inquirer, have turned part of their Philly.com site into the standalone, somewhat painfully named local music destination Phrequency.com. At first glance, having a one-stop shop for area music seems like a great idea, but after awhile, the “Does my favorites list really need another music directory?” fatigue sets in.

Going to bands’ Web sites and seeing the 15 sites (from Purevolume to MySpace to whatever else is beyond that) where they’ve staked out a web presence, with each site trying to add pieces to the puzzle of where the act is playing next and what music they have coming out, has become something of an irritable, Flash-laden ritual. The idea of adding another site to that mix just hurts my brain—especially since, despite the marketing dudes’ insistence that Phrequency is a Web site that loves you back, it seems to have competing with MySpace in the ever-crucial “crush my antiquated computer” race as one of its main goals.

“The site is dedicated to the local Philadelphia music scene and combines reviews, videos, artist profiles, event listings, music downloads and user comments for a comprehensive user experience,” a release stated. “Phrequency’s goal is to bring the virtual and physical worlds of music together by allowing users to learn about artists, watch and hear the latest local music to make their own opinions and then find out when shows are scheduled so they can attend.”…

“Phrequency.com is another ‘first’ for our company, and is one more way in which we are providing increased access to new information for our readers,” Philadelphia Media Holdings CEO Brian P. Tierney said in a statement. “Innovative ideas such as this new website are what continue to distinguish us as a leader and make us the number one source for local news and information in the region.”

Added Philly.com president Eric Grilly: “Phrequency is truly a dynamic step forward for philly.com motivated by the desire to fill the need for a comprehensive go-to music site in the Philadelphia market. Fans of all types of music will be able to learn more about the artists they already love and discover new bands that they will also enjoy.”

As a fan of many types of music, I should let you know that my favorite source for information this year was the Silverplatter e-mail, a weekly e-mail that contains a simple, largely graphic-free list of nearly every show hitting the Phoenix area. Silverplatter promotes the nightlife while maybe selling a few ads, and I don’t have to worry about missing news because I didn’t happen to check a venue’s MySpace page. Information I don’t have to fight with technology to obtain is something I’m hoping to find more of in 2009.

Phrequency.com [Official site] Philadelphia Papers Launch Local Music Site [Billboard.biz]