Music video startup AtticTV takes on YouTube

Music lovers who want to get their daily fix now have another way to get it — via AtticTV, an online music channel that aims to be an MTV for the Internet generation.

Founded by Malaysians Johnson Goh and Grey Ang, who had previously worked together on another startup that didn’t take off, AtticTV is their second venture together. It allows users to lean back and discover new music videos from YouTube.

The website essentially streams users a constant diet of music videos — it’s like watching MTV the old-school way. You consume clip after clip, making a mental note of those you like (or don’t).

Except that for AtticTV, viewers can surf by music genre, skip over videos they don’t like, add noteworthy tracks to an online library, or share them with friends.

They can also create ‘mixtapes’ — essentially a series of music videos organized around a certain theme. For instance, if I feel heartbroken after a breakup, I can create a list of songs that fit my mood, and share it with my friends.

AtticTV, in essence, hopes to do music discovery better than YouTube.

In some ways, it has achieved that. The interface is beautiful, and I find it generally a joy to use. Unlike YouTube, which refreshes every time you load a new video, the transition in AtticTV is seamless and elegant.

Also, when you switch to the next track, the current song fades out before the next one plays,  — a subtle but nice touch. YouTube can take some notes on how AtticTV does this.

But I do wonder whether a nice interface and a focus on music discovery is enough for this startup to take off. Johnson considers YouTube and VEVO to be direct competitors, and these heavyweights have a lot going for them.

AtticTV, for instance, doesn’t have a long tail of music content.

If I watch the music video of Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ on YouTube, I will not only receive recommendations to other Michael Jackson videos, but also footage of his concerts, parodies, and even covers by other artists.

For Michael Jackson fans, this bonanza of content drastically increases YouTube’s stickiness.

In addition, I find YouTube’s ability to discover new music for me rather decent. I’m a sort of YouTube addict, thanks to the website’s recommendation engine, and the result is that I often watch more stuff than I intended to. I’m sure that’s the case for many users too.