The SixtyOne is a new music site that’s attracting a lot of attention right now through a grassroots effort of blogs, facebook types and creative marketing. One thing I’ve found about TheSixtyOne.com is that through the use of an almost game like format (you log in for points) consistently keeps you interested.

Specifically right now this is a great time to get involved because musically speaking, the big labels don’t have a presence their yet. But I wouldn’t wait too long – this is some really great stuff. I got to catch up with James Miao, 50% of the brain behind theSixtyOne.com to get his thoughts on the project.

Your music site is called the sixtyone, what’s the significance?

We’re named after Highway 61, a U.S. Route that runs out of a little town in Minnesota down to the heart of American music culture, New Orleans. From our “about” page:

A road is a road, but sometimes it’s more. Sometimes a road sings.

Drive down Highway 61 and you’ll find music everywhere you turn.

Muddy Waters rode the 61. So did Bob Dylan, Ike Turner, and B.B. King. Elvis grew up in the housing projects along it.

Highway 61 was the road by which people left to find better opportunities. And by leaving they took their music to the world.

Come join us on thesixtyone.

“There’s a gazillion “me-too” music sites since MySpace and Last.fm that haven’t delivered tangible value.” – James Miao

Were you sitting in your office one day and thought up this idea or did it have several iterations? How did the collaboration start?

The idea began back while I was in college. I was obsessed with building an interactive music station for video games, and that project continued to develop into what you see today. My collaboration with Sam, my friend and cofounder, started when we both realized that we wanted to make music discovery as fun as possible.

How is this site different than a Pure Volume or MySpace music?

thesixtyone focuses on helping artists find their audiences via interactivity. Sites like MySpace allow an artist to create a personalized web presence. That being said, having a MySpace profile isn’t too different from a standalone web address…if nobody knows who you are, they won’t find you.

Having used the interface, it would seem like you’ve incorporated slick programming like AJAX without having the site be full of fluff. What was the thought process in pioneering how users interact with the site?

It all comes down to necessity: there’s a gazillion “me-too” music sites since MySpace and Last.fm that haven’t delivered tangible value. Artists and listeners know that, and that’s why music sites are greeted with such skepticism. We knew what we wanted thesixtyone to be (and what it’s not), and that really helped us scope our initial goals.

Check out TheSixtyOne.com yourself and then look me up