Scott, one of our writers, received a wireless microphone for review and was encouraged, as a side trip, to visit GruvMe.com (there’s an umlaut over the U, but I don’t feel like finding said umlaut and I am purposely leaving out the link so no one stumbles into this trap like I did). Offered up by a PR person in what appears to be a fit of misguided bundling, I find that I cannot recommend GruvMe.com to anyone except the willfully masochistic and the brain-dead.
What is GruvMe? Once you dig past the empty start-up screen and highly intrusive and ungrammatical sign-up page, you are offered a media player. You can play songs in this media player and you are offered the opportunity to search for artists and buy music using some unnamed method. I searched for “dog,” feeling that perhaps “Hound Dog” or “Three Dog Night” would appear. They did not. Because the music player was playing techno I tried “drum bass.” Again, no results. I then clicked on the song list on the side. The song title was there, but there was no band name. I attempted to search for an artist that I knew was in the list – it was right there on the sidebar – and hunted for Bryan Adams. There was one song – “Summer of 69.” I play it. It plays “Here Without You” by 3 Doors Down. When it was over, it repeated the song. I closed the tab for GruvMe and shivered the way you shiver when you swallow one of those gross lumps of who knows what that you sometimes cough up during the course of a day.
GruvMe must fail. In a world of good ideas, it is a me-too media service that can’t even get its core business model – selling the songs people want to listen to – right. These clowns can’t even explain themselves in their FAQ, let alone produce a service worth or time and/or effort.
11. Does GRÜVme work with my portable player?
GRÜVME offers a vast selection of titles and more are being added daily that can
be used on virtually any MP3 or I-Pod style device. Our user generated
content is non DRM and can be purchased or downloaded for free. We
encourage our users to create and share their content with each outer.
A GRÜVme membership give you more ways to discover and enjoy music on
more players.
User generated? Vast selection of titles? Perhaps the creators of GruvMe are mistaking their service for iTunes. Apparently there is also some sort of IE-only site I’m missing, but to dig further would be worthless. If this public-facing “free” service is any indication, the rest can’t be much better.
Overall, I find GruvMe to be an affront to all those with a good idea and little capital but the site sets the bar so low that clearly anyone with “Learn CSS in 30 Days” and a dream can now produce any sort of trash.
You know, while I do agree with your comments, I do find you come across a bit rude, and almost like you have a personal vendetta against this site. In essence what you are saying is for people not to try, follow their dreams, etc.
I give them credit for trying, that is more them most of the people in this world.
Oh no. GruvMe should have an undercover deal to get them negative publicity via TC, so more people are curious to try out.
TC did this with Payperpost.com as well, and look now. There used to be this personal vengeance against this site every week or so..and look now, they are still ranking high, live and kicking!
Not everything that shines is gold, nor every web startup going to make it rich…..
hminaya
Google SEO Tools
Not everything that shines is gold, nor every web startup going to make it rich…..
hminaya
Google SEO Tools
I wish you could stop prevaricating here, John, and tell us what you really think.
Jeez…take it easy. I went to the site and admit that it is not worth a visit, but it seems like you have a vendetta against these guys. At least they are trying to do something.
It is significantly more difficult to create something than it is to sit on the sidelines and write attack articles against aspiring entrepreneurs.
Go find something interesting and write about it! No one is interested in more bloat articles that add no value.
I have a vendetta against me-tooism and obviously slip-shod work. I’ve reviewed other sites that TC readers deemed “too stupid to live” and I understood the value of hard work and a good idea. This is lazy work and a bad idea.
C’mon John! Don’t be so lazy! The “umlaut” is easy to include in text: just press the NumLock then Alt+0220 …
um, that might not print in all cases – try using the HTML entity like this – ü
Stop sock puppeting… this comment is clearly from the same person as “Michael”
yow! pretty confusing… but hey, I kind of like the umlaut-over-u idea – it works for us at gruvr.com, people instantly get the connection to the ‘fukengruven’ bumpersticker/meme .
I do hope nobody confuses us (gruvr is about local live music) with this other — thing. thanks. I guess.
:-)
Yea! that’s right! Stop prevarisdia… err r. precatvarating, rrr… yea! what he said!
Hey, thanks for the coverage! We’re getting so much more traffice nows.
I’m glads you can has traffice nows.
I can haz cheezburger?
/tinfoil hat on/
I see this as an attempt for multiple music-playing-and-swapping web sites to proliferate the same way file-sharing web sites did.
Or the start up is just trying to refresh their own music collection with user uploads.
Or maybe this is RIAA’s honey pot.
/tinfoil hat off/
Seriously, though, what’s the license on that music?
I want some more traffice nows two. All kidding aside, I agree with John.
Why are they using the Ubuntu logo for their Community button?
See http://www.crunchgear.com/?pp_album=main&pp_cat=gruvme&pp_image=wtf3.jpg or http://www.gruvme.com/index.php
The real question is why ubuntu is using the neighborring.org logo: http://neighborring.org/t_intro.php
http://funnyflux.com/ – Extensive collection of clean humor,
funny pictures, movies and flash Videos
Stereogrammes, Cross Eye 3D, Illusions, 3D Illusions, Optical Illusions, Magic Eye
http://stereogrammes.org/
There is nothing wrong with an honest, critical review. TC was approached for a review and reciprocated a review. If you’re going to be a player in the online industry, you better bring your A game. If anything TC did them a favor by pointing out flaws immediately so Gruvme can try to correct them.
I agree. If you ask for a review, you may get one –unfortunately, it could be done by someone having a lousy day… and the result would not be that great.
Always aim for perfection and although it could be nearly impossible to achieve, try anyway. Unless you have a [really!] outstanding product or service, where minor design flaws maybe overlooked, try your best.
No one can make everybody happy all the time… “reviewers” are like movie or theater critics: they have never *done* anything of value, so they just bark from the sidelines…
Good review. Don’t sugar coat.
Wow. Way to be rude and immature in your review. Give them credit for trying and take your personal hatred elsewhere Johnny Boy. What have you tried to make lately??
the site, in the state they sent it to me, was garbage. What have you tried to make lately?
Not to be too nitpicky, but even their mailing address (listed in the privacy policy) is a fail:
350 South County Rd, Palm Beach FL, 3341
C’mon – only four digits for the ZIP?
Hey,
Try not to be so rude. I checked out the site, and I agree it needs work. But the part about GruvMe using “Learn CSS in 30 Days” hurt. I mean, we didn’t even use that book. Much.
Vern
CEO, COO, CTO, HAIC, Chairman,
GruvMe
In the sign up page, what are the terms and conditions? What kind of community is that? Sex driven?
Terms of service copied&pasted from itunes store, laughable.
Waste of time