It’s only been a couple of weeks since Rdio launched in the US and I started using it, and I’m already pretty sure I’ll be hooked for a long, long time – and I’ve tested a bunch of online music buying, sharing and streaming services in the past few years so that’s saying something. Check out Erick’s review if you’re interested in learning more about the service.

Anyway, if you’re a music fan and a proud owner of an Android-powered smartphone, today’s a good day. The startup, which was founded and financially backed by Skype, Kazaa and Joost founders Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis, has just announced that its oft-requested Android application is now available, albeit in beta form.

If you have an iPhone or iPod touch, you’re all set already. If you carry around an Android-powered handset, all you need is an invite for Rdio to get cracking. Were you too slow to take advantage when we offered you 1,000 trial accounts? We hear you: another 2,000 TechCrunch readers can sign up for an invite to Rdio right here.

The free Android app lets you do much of the same as its counterpart for the iPhone; it lets you browse and listen to the collection and playlists you’ve stored in the cloud using Rdio. You can also search for (and play) a couple millions of songs, and sync music – meaning full songs, full albums and playlists – to listen to when you’re offline.

Yet, as mentioned, the app is in beta, which Rdio warns about in its blog post:

Major functionality is available, and we’ve tested it on a variety of devices and versions of Android, but there’s still more to do — we wanted to get it in your hands as soon as possible. We’ll keep working on it so expect frequent updates, and don’t install it if you can’t live with the occasional quirk or even crash.

I’ve run into a bug or two with the iPhone app and Web service as well, so I indeed wouldn’t recommend to use Rdio as a 100% replacement for iTunes or whatever you currently use for buying and listening to music on your computer. I do think, however, that services like Rdio (and Spotify, Pandora, MOG, We7 and many others) will be shaping the future of digital music purchasing and listening in the next few years, so make sure to give it a whirl if you consider yourself an early adopter.

To download, just go to the Rdio website or click this link from your Android smartphone. The app should work fine on devices running Android 1.6 or higher, but the startup promises it will support phones running Android 1.5 soon, too.

CrunchBase Information

Rdio

 

Android

 

Information provided by CrunchBase

 

Step one: Dig out your old Livestrong bracelet (or any other silicone bracelet) from your junk drawer. It’s probably right next to your old WWJD bracelet.

Step two: Curse Apple’s name.

Step three: Stretch the bracelet around the iPhone 4’s fancy bezel.

Step four: Curse Apple’s name.

Step five: Finally place a call while holding your iPhone 4 anyway you please.

[The iPhone Guru via Lifehacker]

NPR has been making a name for itself as an online platform for streaming music – and doing a nice job of it. Their First Listen series has debuted music by artists like Norah Jones, David Lynch, Shaangan Electro (new wave dance music from Africa), Herbie Hancock, Bettye LaVette, The National, Josh Ritter, and David Byrne. Are you getting the idea of the diversity and stature of the list? Seems like everyone wants to debut their new tunes on NPR Music…

The number of people coming to the site continues to increase, to about 1.7 million unique users in May.

The platform has provided listeners with excellent front seat coverage of big music festivals like Bonnaroo and SXSW. Kinsey Wilson, NPR’s general manager of digital media told the NY Times that since the music site went live in 2007, its staff has “provided a hub where things can originate,”. Wilson says the site expands on the reputation that NPR has for helping folks find unusual things they might not otherwise come across.

The new app enables listeners to easily listen to music by genre, build playlists, and purchases songs. On new iPhones, listeners can do all of this in the background while multitasking. It’s another in a long list of great digital tools that NPR continues to develop – NPR’s digital platform has been leading broadcasters who are looking to extend and expand their brand online…

Good news, MOG fans. The online music streaming service, which allows users to listen to as many songs as they want for a flat monthly fee, has had its iPhone application approved by Apple after spending well over a month in App Store purgatory. The application isn’t available for the iPhone quite yet (MOG says it will launch in the next few weeks), but it’s been given the green light by Apple, which is important considering that the company was worried it might be blocked. In addition to that news, MOG has also announced a new partnership to put MOG on Roku media players.

Roku makes an inexpensive set-top box for streaming media to your TV; this marks the first hardware integration for MOG. The service is included as part of MOG’s existing premium plan, which runs $4.99 a month and lets you stream as much music as you’d like from the site (and now, your Roku box). MOG CEO David Hyman says that this is the first on-demand music service that’s on Roku, noting that Pandora’s Internet Radio is available as well (Pandora doesn’t let you choose what song you want to listen to).

MOG’s iPhone app, which we got a preview of in March, lets you download an entire album to your phone in one tap (it looks quite nice). It also includes a radio feature that lets you stream songs that sound similar to a few seed artists or songs, as you would with Pandora. Apple’s approval of the application has to have the company and investors)breathing a sigh of relief — a big part of MOG’s premium strategy involves its mobile applications, and for a while it was looking like Apple might block it because it stands to compete with its own upcoming cloud-based music service.

All-you-can-eat access to MOG’s mobile applications will cost $9.99, which includes access to the aforementioned web and Roku service. Hyman says that we can likely expect the iPhone application in July, and that it will launch alongside an Android app.

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CrunchBase Information

MOG

Website:	mog.com
Location:	Berkeley, California, United States
Founded:	June 1, 2005
Funding:	$24.9M

Headquartered in Berkeley, CA., MOG was founded in June 2005 by David Hyman, former CEO of Gracenote, former SVP-Marketing at MTV Interactive, co-founder of Addicted to Noise, and self-proclaimed music junkie. In December 2009, MOG launched its… Learn More

Information provided by CrunchBase

June 25, 2010 at 4:16 AM (PT) Post a comment! SHARE THIS PAGE Like on Facebook ESPN RADIO's online stream saw its biggest audience ever for a single stream for this week's U.S.-ALGERIA WORLD CUP match. The broadcast peaked at 180,000 listeners, according to ANDO MEDIA; the audience was nearly double its previous record, set on JUNE 18th for the U.S.-SLOVENIA match. ESPNRADIO.COM also set a new record for its online traffic for the U.S.- ALGERIA match, with 668,000 visits and 1.1 million page views throughout the day, according to OMNITURE. From JUNE 11th-20th, the WORLD CUP generated nearly 3.8 million total listening hours, with an average time spent listening of 47 minutes. « back to Net News

RAIN 6/23: RAIN announces RAIN Internet Radio Awards
·Jun 23, 12:06 PM
Posted by: Michael Schmitt

INAUGURAL WINNERS TO BE ANNOUNCED AT RAIN SUMMIT EAST THIS FALL

To recognize the achievements of Internet radio’s most ambitious and innovative services, RAIN is proud to announce the RAIN Internet Radio Awards. Broadcasters and webcasters are encouraged to enter their services for the awards, which will be presented in Washington D.C. in September during RAIN Summit East (exact date to be announced shortly).

There are three categories within the RAIN Internet Radio Awards. The first, “Best Overall Online Radio Service,” will recognize the online-only or streaming broadcast station with the best overall online listener experience. That includes programming, technology, popularity of the service, attractiveness of the site and/or player and many other factors.

The second, “Best Streaming Broadcast Station,” awards the broadcast station that has executed the best streaming strategy.

The final category, “Best Overall Digital Strategy,” spotlights the broadcast station, broadcast group, or online-only webcaster that has implemented the finest overall digital strategy. This includes a service’s mobile and streaming efforts, websites, downloads, video and many other features.

You can enter the competition or nominate a service via the RAIN Internet Radio Awards site until 11:59pm CT on Friday, August 20, 2010. There is a nominal $19 fee per entry.

The RAIN Internet Radio Awards are sponsored by Triton Media, AccuRadio and Audio4Cast. (Note that AccuRadio and its related brands will not be eligible to compete.) The awards will be presented in September during RAIN Summit East in Washington D.C., at the RAB/NAB Radio Show. Find out more about the RAIN Internet Radio Awards here.

 

 

82 Prozent der Deutschen hören unterwegs Radio

Veröffentlicht am 16. Jun. 2010 von JB unter Deutschland

TNS Emnid-Studie zur mobilen Mediennutzung in Deutschland: Medien to go – was unterwegs ankommt

Vor allem die jungen Zielgruppen haben den deutlichen Wunsch nach mehr medialer Unterhaltung und Information auch außer Haus. Das Handy avanciert hierbei zum Empfangsgerät mit dem größten Potential: Knapp 70 Prozent der mobilen Nutzer unter 30 Jahren würden unterwegs gern noch häufiger zum Handy greifen – wenn da nicht (noch) die hohen Kosten wären. Das meistgenutzte elektronische Medium außer Haus ist bei allen Zielgruppen das Radio: Zum Empfang kommen zu Autoradio und portablen Geräten speziell bei den Jungen insbesondere MP3-Player und Handys hinzu. Audioportale wie iTunes oder Last.FM werden von der jungen Zielgruppe unterwegs – wie Radio – stärker via Handy genutzt als etwa über das Notebook. Diese sind unterwegs allerdings für Video-Portale wie You-Tube erste Wahl. Die mobile Fernsehnutzung ist aktuell noch vergleichsweise gering.

Zu diesen Erkenntnissen kommt die repräsentative Studie “Medien to go – was unterwegs ankommt”, die die TNS Emnid Medien- und Sozialforschung in Kooperation mit der Radiozentrale durchgeführt hat. Im Januar befragte TNS Emnid dazu 1.416 Personen ab 14 Jahren in Face-to-Face-Interviews.

Mobile Mediennutzung heute: 82 Prozent der Deutschen hören unterwegs Radio. Das gilt auch für die junge Zielgruppe: Mit 91 Prozent ist die mobile Radionutzung der Unter-30-Jährigen sogar deutlich höher. Elf Prozent der Deutschen setzen unterwegs auf Audioportale, 13 Prozent der Deutschen tummeln sich auf Video-Internetseiten und zehn Prozent schalten TV-Angebote ein. Bei den Jungen sind unterwegs Video-Internetseiten deutlich stärker gefragt (31 Prozent). 31 Prozent setzen bei der mobilen Nutzung auf Audioportale und 20 Prozent auf TV (Untersuchungsbasis waren die elektronischen Medien).

Und welche Empfangsgeräte sind hierfür erste Wahl? Bei der Radionutzung unterwegs ist das Autoradio uneingeschränkte Nummer eins. Das gilt auch bei den Jungen – 71 Prozent hören außer Haus Radio via Autoradio, gefolgt vom MP3-Player (30 Prozent), dem Handy (20 Prozent) und dem Notebook (12 Prozent). Bei den reinen Audioportalen favorisieren die jungen Hörer Handys (18 Prozent) vor Notebooks (16 Prozent). Für Video-Internetseiten liegt ihre Präferenz hingegen beim Laptop (28 Prozent) – da hilft bislang auch eine Voreinstellung auf dem iPhone nicht. TV wird derzeit auch über Notebooks mobil kaum genutzt. Diese Ergebnisse belegen: Radio wurde von den neuen digitalen Medienangeboten nicht von seinem Spitzenplatz in der Außer-Haus-Nutzung verdrängt, das Medium wird vielmehr über die mobilen Geräte an noch mehr Orte mitgenommen.

Das Handy - das mobile EmpfangsgerŠt der Zukunft. Welches EmpfangsgerŠt fŸr die mediale Nutzung am liebsten mehr genutzt wŸrde - unabhŠngig von den Kosten. Die Verwendung dieses Bildes ist fŸr redaktionelle Zwecke honorarfrei. Veršffentlichung bitte unter Quellenangabe: "obs/RADIOZENTRALE GmbH"

Medien to go – das Potential: Insbesondere die Unter-30-Jährigen wünschen sich mehr mobile Möglichkeiten der Mediennutzung: 73 Prozent der jungen mobilen Mediennutzer haben Lust auf mehr Radio to go, je rund 45 Prozent wollen mehr Audioportale und mobiles TV. Und mehr als die Hälfte der Jungen würde unterwegs gern mehr Video-Internetseiten anschauen. Und das am liebsten über das Handy: Knapp 50 Prozent der mobilen Mediennutzer könnte sich vorstellen, noch öfter zum Mobiltelefon für Information und Entertainment unterwegs zu greifen. Bei den Unter-30-Jährigen sind es knapp 70 Prozent.

“Die Studienergebnisse zeigen vor allem bei den akustischen Medien einen verstärkten Wunsch nach mehr mobiler Nutzung via Handy. Die Ohren sind schließlich frei. Bei TV-Angeboten liegt das Mobiltelefon mit dem mobilen Computer ungefähr gleich auf – hier spielen Display-Größe und Auflösung eine entscheidende Rolle. Man darf daher gespannt sein, inwieweit das iPad hier die Entwicklung weiter treiben kann”, so Jan Peter Glootz, Senior Research Consultant bei der TNS Emnid Medienforschung.

Lutz Kuckuck (Radiozentrale)

Lutz Kuckuck, Geschäftsführer der Radiozentrale: “Bereits vor drei Jahren ermittelte eine TNS Emnid-Studie* Radio als meist genutztes Außerhaus-Medium. Das mobile Web inklusive der Smartphone-Entwicklung haben diese Stärke von Radio sogar noch untermauert. Die optimale Partnerschaft mit dem Handy machen Radio zum mobilen Leitmedium im konvergenten Zeitalter.”

Die Studienergebnisse sind als Chartpräsentation abrufbar: http://www.radiozentrale.de/site/795.0.html.

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RAIN 6/15: Radio chafing under simulcast streaming constraints from Arbitron and AFTRA
·Jun 15, 11:16 AM
Posted by: Michael Schmitt

EXPERTS: CONCERN OVER SIMULCASTS MISSES WEB’S REAL POTENTIAL

A recent Inside Radio article is stirring up analysts. The piece covered broadcasters’ consternation over online simulcasts due to A) AFTRA licensing, which requires some over-the-air ads to be replaced in the online stream and B) Arbitron’s refusal to add web audiences to total line reporting if the online stream isn’t 100% the same as the AM/FM broadcast.

The easiest solution then, as Mark Ramsey of Hear 2.0 writes, is to rewrite AFTRA rules. But that’s not the best solution, he argues. Instead, broadcasters should stream more and different content online, not just a simulcasts. Rather than cannibalizing AM/FM listening with an identical online simulcast, Ramsey advocates aiming to cannibalize “everything else [listeners] do with their entertainment time besides listening to your station” with new and different web content.

Plus, he says (here), broadcasters should take advantage of web radio’s high ad accountability. “Matching the stream to the station surrenders all the power of this accountability.” Jennifer Lane of Audio4Cast agrees, adding that ads that work well for AM/FM aren’t well suited for online listeners. “In the long term, the ability to offer advertisers specific channels that target certain listeners and behaviors will enable broadcasters to compete with new media platforms,” she writes (here).

FUTURE PERFECT RADIO RELAUNCHES WITH NEW NAVIGATION

AccuRadio’s indie rock Internet radio service, Future Perfect Radio, relaunched today with a “search-focused” user interface. Now, instead of navigating through a potentially-overwhelming directory of more than 35 channel options, indie rock fans can simply enter their favorite artist (e.g. “LCD Soundsystem”), scene (“Portland”), festival (“Coachella”), or style (“twee”) into the search box to get a selection of Future Perfect Radio channels focused on their tastes. Users can also “share” their new favorite channels with direct links to Facebook and Twitter. Future Perfect Radio was designed and is programmed by RAIN associate editor Michael Schmitt. — PM

SALEM EXPANDS WEB PRESENCE WITH TWO SITE ACQUISITIONS

Salem’s online division has acquired two Christian content websites: social networking site Tangle.com and video site GodTube.com. “Both of these brands have pioneered new content and community interaction in the faith-based market and give Salem a strong presence in the rapidly growing web 2.0 video and social networking space,” said Tom Perrault, Senior VP of Salem Web Network. Find more here.

GRACE DIGITAL ADDS iHEARTRADIO STATIONS

Grace Digital has added Clear Channel’s iHeartRadio streaming stations to its line-up of Wi-Fi radios. That line-up includes devices like Allegro Wi-Fi Internet Radio (RAIN coverage here) and Solo Wi-Fi Internet Tuner (here). Find more coverage here.

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RAIN 6/15: Radio chafing under simulcast streaming constraints from Arbitron and AFTRA
RAIN 6/14: Pandora adds interactive display ads to iPad app
6/11: Ando's March and April ratings show Pandora climbing, CBS Radio down
RAIN 6/10: Nearly 45% of iPhone, Android users stream music or Internet radio, says Nielsen
RAIN 6/9: Conclave to host RAIN Summit Midwest
RAIN 6/8: Bridge releases study on effects of social media on radio listening
RAIN 6/7: iPhone 4 unveiled
RAIN 6/4: GotRadio unveils elegant new site
RAIN 6/3: AccuStream predicts big listening gains for Net radio over next 18 months
RAIN 6/2: AT&T to eliminate unlimited data plans

Want to experiment with a new approach to drive times?
·Jun 9, 08:45 AM
Posted by: Kurt Hanson

According to comScore, about 20% of your listeners now own smartphones. One implication of this fact is that those listeners could theoretically listen to on-demand streams of your programming during their commutes.

This opens up a plethora of potential new opportunities for you!

One possibility, for example, derives from my long-held observation that morning and afternoon drive air talents (on a music station) are doing a four-hour show, yet your typical listener only tunes in for a half-hour or so of it, which means that a lot of great material goes unheard.

How’s this for an idea? From 6-10am, your “Mike & Melinda” morning show could do their normal four-hour shift, in which their mic is open for, say, about 15 minutes of entertainment material each hour. From 10am to 12n (or maybe starting even earlier, before the live program ends), one of your interns could stitch together an MP3 file consisting of 40 or 50 minutes of their best material, interspersed with spots for three title-level advertisers.

Then, starting at 12n, you could post the “Mike & Melinda Entertainment Hour, brought to you by Dave’s Pizza, Butternut Coffee, and The Bedding Experts.”

Once that’s posted, your afternoon drive listeners (or your next-morning listeners) could have the option of listening to a tight, bright, topical (i.e., only a few hours old) “best of” program — which might, for some of them, be a preferred drive-time listening experience.

And if Dave’s Pizza, Butternut Coffee, and The Bedding Experts get appropriate exposure within and around the show, you could end up making more money per listener-hour!

Is anybody doing this now? Or does anybody want to give this a try? I’d love to hear if it works!

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Other blog entries
Want to experiment with a new approach to drive times?
Kurt's iPad review: Absolutely, astonishingly game-changing!
Apple iPad: No Flash, no multitasking... yet
What might the Apple tablet mean to online radio?
Missing the obvious: NBC did. Are you too?
Conan: Classiest, smartest guy in the whole NBC/ Leno imbroglio
Lesson for radio?: NBC's value today is in its cable channels
Internet radio is coming to your nightstand's clock-radio
Best RAIN Summit ever? Maybe! Thanks to everyone
Let's get together in Philadelphia for a RAIN Summit East!