Tangible music player: Music collaboration

Music is something most of us immerse ourselves in every now and then. Whether it is when riding the bus, while cooking dinner or when attending a concert, music is something we often find ourselves surrounded by. Though for the most part music-listening is very much an individual experience. There are occasions where several people listen to the same music, though more often than not it´s still one person who dictates what is playing. Therefore we propose a new way to make music a collaborative experience, where all listeners also share control over what music is being played. To realize this we look at the possibilities for making music tangible, and allowing all participants simultaneous access to the playback device. This allows for all involved users to take part in the music selection process, something not possible with traditional music playback devices. We outline the process of creating a prototype utilizing tangible marbles to represent songs, with focus on satisfying the diverse habits of music listeners. We highlight the issues with converting staple media player functionality to a tangible environment, as well as the ways in which this type of device can be utilized for social settings.