Split Magazine has launched an online music radio channel. The channel is available here.
This channel is going to be dedicated to rock, so all you fans can cheer. Also, the company would allow users to skip tracks and all. Most of the online radios including Pandora do not give users any such ability. The best on offer is the ability to skip a certain number of songs every hour or so.
With the growing problems on audio with the RIAA, the online radio industry is looking for a place to crash. If all goes as RIAA plans, by 2010 there would be hardly any online radios catering to mainstream music would disintegrate, due to the heavy cost they need to pay to the Labels.
After audio, the problem has moved to Video as well. With the recent lawsuit on YouTube by ViaCom, it looks like the video community is set to go down like the audio one (read Napster).
However, I do believe that markets alter themselves in a way that they can overcome the problems they face. For example, I posted about a new company called GrooveShark, which is a new p2p service which intents to pay both the the music labels as well as the music pirates through it’s service.
UPDATE : AlooTechie, which has covered the same news has some words by the founder
“Most mainstream radio stations restrict their play lists to Indian film music and other Indi-pop. If they do play any English music at all, it’s probably from some top 10 international hits chart or Bryan Adams,” Arun Kale, editor of Split Magazine, has said, adding, “I thought an internet radio station would be a good initiative to promote music by rock bands and other independent musicians from in and around India.”
When dealing with independed musicians in and around India, you won’t have to worry about the big Labels would you.
Now this is an interesting idea, how about this radio for example, take up the rights to broadcase the music of some independent artist, and if the artist gets popular, sell the rights to them. Basically, who finds the guy first, makes the most money.