The “now playing” message pops up in your Media List, and is a reasonable (if somewhat navel-gazing) way to see what your friends like from your list. It’d be better if it kept statistics, but it still dovetails nicely with the chat feature. Nothing like interrupting a friend getting their groove on by asking them what they think about the music.

As the self-imposed deadline of June approaches, Simplify Media remains in beta for Windows, Mac, and mobile users. The iTunes and Winamp plug-in that lets you share your music with friends has, however, added three new features: chat, a “now playing” message that displays what your friends are listening to from your collection, and a built-in password reset for the forgetful among us.

(Credit:
Simplify Media)

The chat feature is the strongest, allowing you to directly communicate with friends, family, and even enemies with whom you’ve shared your music. It’s a great way to give and get some direct feedback on what you’re currently listening to, almost like a personalized mixtape with live commentary.

The new chat function lets users talk to their friends about the music they're borrowing from them.