Feeling upset? Music can solve all your problems. Or at least that’s what Grooveshark’s latest publicity stunt, emotionalbagcheck.com would have you think. Grooveshark, a kind of Pandora/Spotify-esque all-in-one streaming site, started up in 2009 and is now up to over 35 million users. Grooveshark, trying desperately to stay relevant as Spotify enters the U.S. and other services grow in popularity, created emotionalbagcheck.com as an indirect gateway to the music 
site. Entering the site, you’re presented with two options: “I’ve got baggage” or “Take that for you?”. The former is for you to vent your own issues while the latter is to read someone else’s problems, recommend a song to heal their woes, and write a short reply. Upon first inspection, it seems like a really cute idea. Helping out those in need, healing with music, letting other people know they have help.
But where emotionbagcheck.com and Grooveshark fail is on execution. The site, obviously relatively new, doesn’t have many visitors yet and there doesn’t seem to be a sophisticated system in place to ensure that once someone starts to “take that for you,” they finish. What this means in practice is if someone leaves the page your response is on, Grooveshark won’t send you any music recommendation or words of comfort, as happened to me in my three attempts to get some comfort for the harsh realities of my life.
On the other hand, reading about someone else’s issues and doing your best to assuage their grief or help them in any way is rewarding in itself. Almost addictive. One of the first baggages I carried was someone’s woe over a lost boyfriend: “I really, really, really miss you and hope you’re doing well at that new job at Whole Foods.” I responded with a recommendation of “Someone Like You” by Adele and wrote, “I know how it feels to really miss a love one and still care about them to wish them help in the future.” And that was just one of many responses that hopefully consoled weary souls in whatever plight they were in.
I can’t help but wonder what Grooveshark’s aim is in emotionalbagcheck.com. Is it just another way to get users hooked on their service? Are they really trying to help people? Frankly, I think with the real social interaction built directly into the normal Grooveshark player or even into Facebook, as Spotify did, this idea could be a hit. It’s a new social twist on music that if implemented correctly (send me a damn response, Grooveshark), could be something big.
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