Presentation of the 8tracks playback API by Rich Caetano at Music Hack Day on Nov 21st, 2009.

1. 8tracks Developers API
Richard Caetano
8tracks.com/arsy
caetano@gmail.com

2. 8tracks
• Simple way for people to share and
discover music
• A mix is a short playlist contains at least 8
tracks
• Listeners can stream the mix in a legal
radio style manner

3. Stratus
• Stratus is an API management service
• Front end to API (auth, security,
monitoring, etc)
• Recently launched

4. API
• Search and Play mixes
• Simple XML or JSON
• Register for a key at developer.8tracks.com
• Documentation available

5. Authentication
• Use your Access Key and Secret Key from
Stratus
• HTTP Basic Authentication
require 'Base64'
creds = "{accesskey}" + ':' + "{secretkey}"
puts 'Authorization: Basic ' + Base64::encode64(creds)

6. Search for mixes
http://api.8tracks.com/mixes.xml?q=miles+davis
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<response>
<logged-in type="boolean">false</logged-in>
<status>200 OK</status>
<errors nil="true"></errors>
<notices nil="true"></notices>
<mixes type="array">
<mix>
<description>Ten tracks including music by Charles Mingus, Charlie Parker and
Dave Brubeck Quartet.</description>
<first-published-at type="datetime">2009-09-17T21:36:33Z</first-published-at>
<flagged-for-review type="boolean">false</flagged-for-review>
<id type="integer">47967</id>
<name>Consider me Miles Davis</name>
...

7. Mix Information
http://api.8tracks.com/mixes/47967.xml
<mix>
<description>Ten tracks including music by Charles Mingus, Charlie Parker and
Dave Brubeck Quartet.</description>
<first-published-at type="datetime">2009-09-17T21:36:33Z</first-published-at>
<flagged-for-review type="boolean">false</flagged-for-review>
<id type="integer">47967</id>
<name>Consider me Miles Davis</name>
<plays-count type="integer">46</plays-count>
<published type="boolean">true</published>
<slug>consider-me-miles-davis</slug>
<tag-list-cache>jazz</tag-list-cache>
...

8. Playback
• Get a Play Token
• Call Play mix
• Play the media (mp3)
• Call Next or Skip

9. Play Token
http://api.8tracks.com/sets/new.xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<response>
<logged-in type="boolean">false</logged-in>
<status>200 OK</status>
<play-token>570329908</play-token>
<errors nil="true"></errors>
<notices nil="true"></notices>
</response>

10. Play Mix
http://api.8tracks.com/sets/570329908/play.xml?mix_id=47067
<track>
<djName>jaguarshark9</djName>
<is-fav type="boolean">false</is-fav>
<item>http://8tracks.s3.amazonaws.com/tf/000/003/020/01_So_What_54122904b931a7814659.mp3</item>
<mixName>Consider me Miles Davis</mixName>
<album>Kind of Blue</album>
<year type="integer">1959</year>
<duration type="integer">0</duration>
<title>So What</title>
<mixDescription>Ten tracks including music by Charles Mingus,...</mixDescription>
<trackId type="integer">3020</trackId>
<price></price>
<referenceUrl>http://8tracks.com/jaguarshark9/consider-me-miles-davis</referenceUrl>
<contributor>Miles Davis</contributor>
<photo>http://cf3.8tracks.us/mix_covers/000/047/967/6983186934.sq56.jpg</photo>
<allowSkip>true</allowSkip>
</track>

11. Next or Skip
http://api.8tracks.com/sets/570329908/next.xml?mix_id=47067
http://api.8tracks.com/sets/570329908/skip.xml?mix_id=47067

12. Ideas
• SoundManager Javascript
• Twitter Player
• Genre Player / Music Stations
• Firefox Player

13. iPhone Demo