Alterhit is an online music community.

The idea for Alterhit came to me in December 2005 at Transmusicales in Rennes. The festival itself is a cacophony of raucous expression and the idea of a music community that was self-governing presented itself to me and the thought struck a cord.

Over the coming months, I started scribbling down plans and diagrams, designing how the site should work, the schematics becoming more and more detailed. Suddenly one day I realised that I was getting up at 4am most mornings to work on a hypothetical website that I didn't have the programming skills to build. However, at that point it was too late, as they say, the horse had bolted.

In July of 2006 I made contact with a number of Indian web application designers. I had comprehensive plans outlining the Alterhit strategy. I thought they'd understand what I needed from them and most importantly as Alterhit is completely self funded, they would be cheap. They were cheap but couldn't quite get it.

A few weeks earlier I had met Will Robertson and Tim Morgan. It was one of those great random school-nights down the pub, when all of a sudden it's 5am and you're pretending that work really isn't something that you do every day.

In August, after I'd lucked out with the asian developers I remembered that Will and Tim worked in IT. I had Will's card so I gave him a call. I told him about Alterhit and he asked me to come into Code Circus' office for a meeting.

I met Dave Shanley that day and showed them my plans for Alterhit. I remember Will being taken back by the comprehensiveness of the schematics and commenting that most people came to them with ideas jotted on the back of a napkin. It was a nice thing to hear but secretly I'm sure they must have thought that my plans looked like the scribblings of a madman.

There were further designs, cost and development issues to work through and coding began in February 2007.

This particular web application is a massive undertaking and it's a testament to the monumental efforts of the Code Circus guys who have taken my mad scribblings and turned them into something real. Myspace and Facebook have teams of people working on them. Dave Shanley and Tom Harding have built an entire social network by themselves and I doff my cap to them.

Alterhit's simple, elegant interface designs were put together by Stylorouge. I contacted Rob O'Conner at the eleventh hour in need and he rose to the challenge. I had met with Rob a couple of months prior and was kicking myself for not going with him after our initial meeting. Michele Rossi and Anthony Lui had merely one week during May 2007 to conceive and design an entire site but they got it done. It was a priviledge to witness such consummate creativity and passion.

Thanks to my friends for all their support over the past two years, especially Penny. Everyone has patiently listened and successfully banished looks of boredom when I've started talking about Alterhit, which is usually at every conceivable opportunity.

Almost finally I'd like to say good one Mr Shanley. This journey has seen it's ups and downs but I know that without your efforts this couldn't have happened. You've gone the extra hundred yards and further whenever it's been needed. I'm extremely grateful for all those late nights/early mornings and weekends you have spent toiling to bring this website to life. I am immensley fortunate to have had you put this together.

So finally it's up to you to get out there and use it. Listen to music, join a scene or start a label, do what you will. No site quite does what Alterhit does and I know you'll have fun finding out about all it's little quirks. Finally please remember that this is still a not quite a production version. If something needs fixing. or if you have a suggestion, get in touch. And if you just want to tell me what you think, it would be good to hear that too.

Bud Atapattu.
bud@alterhit.com