A FREE Music Library On A Similar iPod Like Device? The iPod Killer Could Be Stepping Up.
03.16.07 - 11:40am
What if you could make a profile of the music you like, including artists and then have a continuously updated stream of music designed for your tastes flowing through to a small portable iPod like device with no ads? Not only that but have the ability to punch in any artist you can think of and have it immediately play that artist and music from artists similar to it. Don’t believe me? Try it - go to the Slacker website here, punch in your favorite artist and be ready for a completely new music experience! It’s like being in your favorite record store with access to every album.
The new threat to the iPod and satellite radio is now this; Slacker: a personalized music service much, much, much more customized than satellite radio, yet offering a constant stream of free music that you choose, and soon it will be available on a portable iPod like device. Basically Slacker lets you call up music by artist and then plays that artists songs as well as others with similar music - you get an instant library of CD’s at your fingertips!
With the Slacker Portable Player coming out this summer you can access this service on a small device with a 4″ screen, that you can carry around with you. It charges while it plays (so much for all that money spent on chargers and docks). You can save your favorite songs and replay them as you wish when you get the premium service that offers no ads for only $7.50 a month (like Tivo for your radio).
Then not only does it play a medley of songs around that artist but if you don’t like one you simply hit skip and it goes onto the next one - and if you need to take a phone call and love the song you’re listening to you simply hit pause - just like the iPod but with way, way more music! That and CD quality sound.
Now say if you like a mix of Tim McGraw, Dido, Bruce Springsteen, Moby, Black Eyed Peas, and Led Zeppelin, you can basically design your own radio station. To add artists to a radio station say around Dido you simply click on artist radio and “add this artist to current station”, or delete artists if one comes up you don’t like.
This kills satellite radio and now with the Small Slacker Portable Player soon to be out it is a serious threat to the iPod. It is simply much cheaper and you get access to an unlimited amount of music without ever having to download through your PC or pay $.99 a song for music from iTunes. $7.50 a month is nothing for a infinite music library with no ads. Also when you type in the artist, new songs coming out with a similar sound will be played, so you don’t have to listen to your iPod and then listen to the radio and hear a bunch of songs you don’t like to find the new songs that you do.
Susan Kevorkian, an IT analyst with IDC said, “They’re leveraging multiple distribution channels, so they won’t be just satellite radio and they’re not quite an online music provider either. They’re providing a high level of ease-of-use for the consumer that no one else has offered before.â€
Slacker started out as a PC-bases service but will be expanding to the pocket sized player that will play wherever, without needing to be connected to a computer, instead the player only needs to be in reach of a wi-fi network or a satellite connection. It does not need to be plugged in but will simply recharge itself while it plays music.
The player supports MP3, WMA, video files, displays album art and reviews, artist photo’s and more. The device itself will cost $150 to $299 (no word yet on the difference in the players that will be offered). Service with ads is free and service without ads will cost $7.50 per month.
I checked out this service offered currently online and put in Dido for a station and the selection of music chosen was very cool. I then put in Led Zeppelin and got a whole different mix. I put in Depeche Mode and got another mix - I got to listen to old and new Depeche Mode songs without having to have uploaded their album (it was awesome!) With a device I could run to! or hike with! or sit at the park! Without ads for $7.50 a month? Are you kidding? I’ve never experienced anything like this service! I put 10 artists just to get a feel and it was awesome! and I didn’t have to change CD’s or do anything harder than punch in a name - This could give the iPod a run for it’s money. I know it’s all I’ll listen to now through my PC and I can hardly wait till I can carry it around with me - I just have never had access to so much music that I can choose except when I’ve lounged in record and CD stores. It’s fun! I can even hear Andre Bocelli! and I’ve always wanted to find artists with music like him and now I have a whole list at my fingertips. Also when I just listened to separate artists styled music there were no ads and that’s free (you can’t save favorite songs though.)
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