In a nutshell, Grooveshark Beluga is a free artist analytics service.  Simply type in the name of any artist, and asumming its one that Grooveshark users (20 million of them) actually listen to, you’ll have instant access to geographic data, demographics, user habits, and more.  We don’t see specific numbers, but we do see levels of confidence and z-scores, making this a haven for statistics buffs.  To expound on what this does, we will look at two artists featured recently on I AM TUNED UP; twenty one pilots and Dry The River.

twenty | one | pilots:

• Top cities: Columbus, OH; Reynoldsburg, OH; Dublin, OH; Dayton, OH; Cincinnati, OH
• 41% male, 59% female listeners
• Top states: Ohio, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Michigan

Dry The River:

• Audience is 68% female, 32% male
• Top countries are the UK, Austria, Netherlands, Ireland and New Zealand
• With 97% confidence, Beluga predicts that users tend to own a PS3 more often than other systems
• With 92% confidence, Beluga predicts that users more single than taken

Beluga is a GREAT free tool, but its best suited for those already familiar with their stats jargon.  I could see lots of consulting firms picking this up, or new positions being created in existing publicity or marketing firms.  If Grooveshark can keep its head above the water and away from controversy (as a streaming service, they have faced heavy scrutiny in the past) Beluga could become a new standard.