We just launched Awl Music for the iPad. Really though, we’re launching it for Apple TV. The thing about AirPlay is that it allows really anyone to build a television channel. That’s essentially what this is about. Run the app, hit the AirPlay button (prominently displayed), and then sit back and watch. Or, you know, pick something off a menu on the iPad, if that’s how you like to do it. The iPad becomes a remote control at that point.
The motivating force behind what we did here was to emulate the analog experience of watching MTV thirty years ago. We have VJs picking videos, not some discovery engine. The order in which they play is random, so it’s always mixed up like an MTV programmer would do back in the day. And no video will stay in the main feed longer than two weeks, which keeps the music fresh. There are also more developments to come!
The design work was done by Garrett Murray over at his iOS development shop, Karbon. The coding was done by Dan Wineman. There’s a whole back end pipe system that was built by Philip Bump. These guys do fantastic work.
Oh, and we use Tumblr as our CMS. The Awl Music tumblr feed goes right into the app.
Please go download the app! I hope you like it.
Eric makes magical things for your electronic devices.
