The thrilling life of a Shazam music hunter
If you're a vinyl aficionado, if you frequent college radio, if you've usually lost interest in the Next Big Thing long before they finally get a proper record deal, get ready to meet your dream job. It's held by a few select people around the world, including Charles Slomovitz. Charles works for Shazam, the music identification service, and his gig is basically to hunt down what's new and fresh. Hot Rhianna remix hitting the clubs? He's on it. The Fleet Foxes album that's on the way? He'll be there, faster than a speed picker on Red Bull. The service is popular because it can identify what's new while it's still new, and it's largely those like Charles searching the various musical niches scattered around the country that keep it fresh. The New York Times profile of his career on the other end of the source link is worth a read, and might just be something you want to talk to your guidance counselor about.

[Image credit: Jim Wilson/The New York Times]

ZTE Amigo, Blade, and Skate hands-on