Creating music playlists in YouTube--bye bye iTunes

OK, I've been living under a rock again. Normally, I try to accept facts about myself, but this is a hard one--especially when you are supposed to be a cutting-edge educational technologist!

Yes, I knew there were music videos on YouTube. Yes, I knew you could create playlists. But for some reason, until my son explained that he didn't use his iPod anymore because he could get all his music for free on YouTube, it just never quite clicked (/bows head to Chareen).

Here's how it all started. Someone mentioned AC/DC's "Hells Bells" on my Facebook page. I thought, "Oh, I love that song, I'm going to go download it on iTunes." Except you can't buy it on iTunes--whaaaat? Come to find out, a lot of artists don't make their music available on iTunes, but as my friend explained, I could listen to it for free on YouTube. Bingo.

I went to YouTube, found the song, and added it to a new playlist I created called Rock Music. It's sooo simple. Just one "click" and the deal is done. No waiting for nasty downloads. Then I notice links to other classic rock videos like Boston's "Carry On Wayward Son." No way! This is too incredible. By the time my night's over, it's about 4:00 AM, and I've got a new collection of songs on YouTube.

What do I do with these songs? Well, just play the playlist, keep it on random, and viola! Music in the background all day long, customized just for you! I can also insert the URLs into friend's Facebook pages, and give them a gift. I had a blast finding songs for friends, typing "here's a gift chosen just for you" and then pasting the link on their wall. It automatically inserts a thumbnail of the video which will embed on their homepage.

Ahhh...this is just too much fun! If you'd like to listen to my playlist of mostly classic rock, check it out: http://www.youtube.com/my_playlists?pi=0&ps=20&sf=&sa=0&sq=&dm=0&p=A3EBF2AB35866F3E

or just watch this: