Current location:	Republic of Panama
Current mood:	nostalgic
Current music:	Man of God by Neil Diamond
Entry tags:	digital music

Fierce Competition in the Digital Music Domain

Apple iPod and iTunes have demonstrated how fierce the competition in the digital music domain can be. Besides the iPod,there is the free radio, the High Definition Radio, the Satellite Radio and the Internet Radio. All are looking for the jugular vein of its nearest competitor to make a killing. So far, Apple has been able to lead the pack by a wide margin.

In the area of Internet radio, Pandora Media Inc., provides extraordinary online music-customization services. However, they have not been able to make the "personalized music" portable, meaning not glued to a laptop, desktop computer or home media server.

This is where startup Slacker Inc., based on San Diego, CA comes in. Slacker is taking a different approach to digital music by combining elements of Internet radio, portable music and satellite distribution.

Users who log on to Slacker can begin listening to music from more than 10,000 stations that are built around specific artists and preprogrammed genres. Users also can create their own stations by indicating what types of songs they want and letting the Slacker "DJ"--a mostly automated system based on complicated algorithms--fill out the station program with more content.

I tested the Beta software writing "Neil Diamond" as my preferred artist. Immediately I had a personalized digital radio station with many of Neil Diamond's songs plus other related musicians like:

1. Melissa Manchester
2. Barry Manilow
3. Captain & Tennille
4. Barbara Streisand
5. Carole King
6. Bette Midler
7. Elton John
8. Karen Carpenter
9. Paul McCarney
10. Paul Anka
11. And a whole lot more

The Slacker player includes by default, radio stations covering the following categories:

1. Alternative
2. Blues
3. Comedy
4. Country
5. Folk
6. Reggae
7. Rock
8. Spanish/Latin
9. Pop & Hits
10. Jazz
11. And a whole lot more

In the "Now Playing" section, Slacker includes a color illustration of the CD being played plus a growing playlist of songs recently played. At this moment I'm listening to "Make the Man Love Me" by Cher, immediately followed "Thank the Lord for the Night Time" by Neil Diamond. It's pretty cool. I feel like a DJ with my own private radio station dubbed Neil Diamond Radio. So far all the songs are very similar to the musical style of Neil Diamond. It brings back many nostalgic memories from my past. That's what I like about music, it brings you back to the past with vivid memories.

If you're interested in reading more about this new startup, this is a good place to start: Startup to offer the "personal radio" .

If you want to get your feet wet with the Slacker player, kindly click here. .

Your opinions are most welcomed.








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Technorati Tags: Digital Music, Slacker

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