This isn't the first time we've seen the Jackson 5 get remixed, but it's certainly the first time we've seen it done with this level of finesse. At first, the features of Musicshake seem run of the mill. You can shake your device to automatically remix, you can switch around drums or instruments and you can adjust the volume.
Then you start doing a bit more digging and you realize you can download entirely new instruments for free and change the genre completely -- switch the piano out for a harmonium, or the drums out for some break beats. That, alone, is pretty cool, and it gives wannabe remixers a chance to fiddle around with a track without having any actual skill.
Here's the real kicker: MusicShake has the ability to record, which means you can not only remix the tracks, you can sing over them. Your terrible rendition of "ABC" can then be uploaded to Facebook, MusicShake.com or emailed.
What's cool and interesting here isn't exactly the fact you can create amazingly different renditions of a forty year old song using your phone -- it's that this tech exists, and it can be used for the good of the industry. It's gives the listener a chance to directly touch the song in a way not really possible before and then share it with all their friends.
It's actually kind of productive and interesting, unlike other artist-based apps we've seen. While the Jackson 5 might not be topping the pop charts anymore, what if the new U2 album was launched with a free copy of an app like this, or the new Lady Gaga single? It's not a game-changer, but it might make people more interested in buying songs if they can feel like they actually own a piece of it and can remix it to their liking.
