Stuart Dredge: Pure promotion takes a back seat in favor of new ways to experience music

The first generation of music apps on artists tend to be purely promotional. There was talk that this is a new way to live with fans on a more personal level, but generally, that translates as just another channel to tell them to buy gig tickets and iTunes downloads, watch YouTube videos, and follow tweets.

The second generation of artists is very interesting apps, especially for artists who are working with the creative possibilities of interactive applications. Today 's version of the Radio Soulwax App for iPhone and iPad, and Bjork' s are coming Biophilia project, good examples.

Belgian duo Soulwax (aka 2 Many DJs known) seem to have their app has been working for two years with a team of people: the App Store listing credits art director, executive producer, musical assistant, five vinyl encoder and the app designer.

Has the app is next to the Radio Soulwax mixes website, the 24-hour with accompanying visuals - "We call it mixed, but in reality more like musical movies are based on the record cover," says the app store listing. A new show every week will come in the coming months, expect a deep insight into Soulwax 's record collection.

Users can stream their mixes on the IOS device or download. The former is probably more popular, however: to download the first mix, Introversy weighs 537MB. The app is free to download and use, conceived as a labor of love, rather than a commercial venture.

"We grew up \ of our dad's extensive record collection and many of our earliest memories are album covers around, so it only makes sense that we made this tribute to lost art form, albeit in a very digital," is the listing.

As for Bjork, the iPad Apps for biophilia not yet available, but their release is imminent. You will be in the form of ten apps - one for each song on the album biophilia - described sitting under what 's as a "parent app" to enable a central point of access.

"The layers of content in each app include: an interactive game based on the song's scientific and musical subject matter, a musical animation of the song, an animated score, lyrics, and an academic essay," explains a statement released as a teaser for the apps.

"The game allows the user to interact with musical elements of songs and various musical functions, learn to prepare their own version, the musical animation and animated film music both conventional and innovative ways of representing music together visually, and explores the academic essay The idea behind each song and how she realized app and musically. "

What is Radio Soulwax and Bjork app creative projects together is commitment from the artists, working with developers, designers and interactive artists. Especially for the fans? Perhaps, but they are still two more steps on the way out, such as tablets and smartphones can adjust the way we like to change music.