Peter Gabriel Backs Media Recommendations Service The Filter

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 15, 2008 - 9:29am.

Bath, England - The Filter, a new media recommendation and discovery service, announced on Tuesday the launch of an invite-only private beta, and the raising of $8.5 million in funding, from backers including musician Peter Gabriel's Real World Group and Eden Ventures. "We believe one of the many joys of the internet would be freedom of choice, but many of us are now drowning in an ocean of options," said Gabriel.

U.K.-based The Filter was developed by physicist Martin Hopkins initially as a downloadable playlist creator and music discovery application, which has been used by Nokia and MSN.

The service has now been expanded to include movies, TV and other media, and along with past purchases and stated tastes, can also incorporate websites viewed, searches performed, friends' picks and critics' opinions into its recommendations.

The company said its database currently includes over 5 million songs, 330,000 movies and more than 50 million individual purchases and playlists, providing samples of media along with links to make purchases from third-party retailers.

"An intelligent filter can remove the burden and boredom of choice and get us what we want and need with plenty of exploration and discovery," added Gabriel.

"The Filter is a smart on-line companion -- once it knows you, your tastes and your moods, it can discover treasure for you every time."

The Filter is slated to become available to the public next month.