With the rise of Internet radio, The Wheel’s Still In Spin lists the recent online news articles about the future of Internet radio.
Deloitte: Cheaper Wi-Fi Radios Could Lead to Internet Radio Boom in ‘09
MediaBuyerPlanner.com ascertains, “This year may be a defining one in the radio industry, if consulting outfit Deloitte is to be believed. Deloitte predicts that internet radio may just be the savior the radio medium needs in 2009.
“Driving the revolution will be technology that releases internet radio from its bounds on the computer, allowing it to become much more portable, Deloitte says (via Media Life).”
Pure Digital Claims Internet Radio in Not the Future
T3 reports that, “Pure Digital, who has just released its all-in-one Avanti Flow internet and DAB radio, has made a bold statement in saying that internet radio is not ‘the future’. They're adamant that since it costs broadcasters more to stream to individual users over Wi-fi than to do so over DAB frequencies, the internet radio trend will stay small fries for some time to come.
“‘We aren't really particularly interested in 'internet only' radios – radios which are only there for streaming – because we still see that as relatively niche the foreseeable future.’ Said Pure's marketing director Colin Crawford, speaking to TechRadar.
“On top of this, Crawford says that people with internet radios will more than likely listen to the same stations they would over DAB anyway.”
As one commenter on that article states, “FM and Internet are global standards” and implies that Mr. Crawford’s comments are UK-gentric and incorrect.
Commercials Come to Pandora Internet Radio
Wired’s blog recounts that, “Faced with increasing broadcast fees and limited success with visual ads, Pandora, the streaming radio service that grew out of the Music Genome project, has begun including in-stream advertisements as a way to raise revenue.
“Pandora previously experimented with in-stream ads, but scrapped the idea due to negative feedback. Now, however, it would appear that Pandora is feeling the pinch (the company also recently laid off staff) enough to give the ads another try, despite the initial negative reaction.”
Sirius XM Raising Costs? Vive le Monopoly!
Entertainment Weekly’s online Pop Watch comments that, “Some six months after last summer's merger between Sirius Satellite Radio and rival XM Radio, we're now seeing reports that the new Sirius XM is raising prices starting March 11, charging $2 more per month for additional subscriptions, and $2.99 a month for online streaming (formerly part of the base package). This move is seemingly in line with the FCC merger agreement because technically, the company is not raising its base price -- if you have one receiver and don't stream online, you're not affected. What's more, if you call Sirius XM customer service, someone will explain to you that you can lock in the current rate if you sign up for a three-year subscription (which in satellite radio years, is like, well, a decade). Still, the post-merger move feels like a disconcerting harbinger of price increases to come.”
Spacial Audio Helps Radio Vets Go Digital
Radio Ink reports that, “Spacial Audio is offering to help 50 radio veterans move to Internet radio, with software, hosting, and support in setting up an online station. For 10 consecutive Tuesdays, beginning February 3, Spacial will randomly choose five radio veterans who have been laid off recently and supply them with a package that includes the SAM Broadcaster v4 automation system, StreamAds ad-insertion and accountability software, and stream hosting at 128 kbps for up to five years.”
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