Lost in the river of music?

Here's a question to set your Friday synapses firing.

Is living in the post-scarcity world of ubiquitous digital content actually *bad* for us? Now maybe it's just me, but isn't this your curmudgeonly grandad speaking?

Want to go deeper? Here's your chance then, because that's the issue being addressed at the Music Tank seminar next Wednesday evening, 3rd October: Music's New Conundrum: Too Much Choice?

I'd reframe the question: if a galaxy of music is at your fingertips, how do you choose what to listen to and discover new music? And that includes discovering new sounds from the archive, whether classical, blues or pop, that's been unleashed by digitization.

My guess? Through a combination of search and recommendation services, filters (be they radio stations, magazines or websites) and word of mouth, with ever more sophisticated social networks playing a big part in all of these mediums.

Start-ups & big music media lay their bets

People will fashion their own paths through the oceans of entertainment now available to them. What musicians and producers will do is perhaps more interesting, given the problems the music labels are facing...

I'm sure the artist's perspective will also be tackled by the Music Tank panel that includes speakers from Pandora, Emap and Universal, plus Andrew Keen, author of The Cult Of the Amateur - How Today's Internet is Killing Our Culture and a keynote from musician and broadcaster Tom Robinson.

Keen's book has been reviewed widely, but to be honest I'm more intrigued by panelist David Jenning's forthcoming title 'Net, Blogs & Rock 'n' Roll'.

Overall, the evening looks set to be a forum for some passionate arguments and leftfield ideas. Add in some complimentary drinks, and it's a steal at £30...