 RAIN 10/19: New Radioplayer platform aims to be one-stop location for streaming UK radio ·Oct 19, 10:25 AM “iPLAYER FOR RADIO” TO LAUNCH IN DECEMBER A new online radio platform, nicknamed an “iPlayer for radio,” will launch in December with over 50 channels — including BBC and commercial stations. Called Radioplayer, the platform is meant to be a one-stop location for UK radio online and by February should include more than 200 stations. Backers include the BBC, Global Radio, GMG Radio, RadioCentre and Absolute Radio.
“This is a defining moment for UK radio,” said Michael Hill, managing director of UK Radioplayer. “We hope all broadcast stations, of all sizes and types, will participate.” Tim Davie, director of BBC audio and music, added that Radioplayer is “the sort of innovation we need to make digital radio a reality.” No word on if Radioplayer will be available for U.S. listeners. The Daily Mail has more coverage here. MERCEDES DEVICE “RETROFITS” CARS WITH NET RADIO CAPABILITIESMercedes has announced a new accessory that will allow drivers to “retrofit” their cars with Pandora and Internet radio compatibility. Called the Media Interface Plus (MIP), the device is basically a Bluetooth receiver that hooks into a Mercedes’ Media Interface outlet — allowing drivers to control music playback through the car’s existing media UI.
Drivers can then use an iPhone, Blackberry or any other device capable of playing music through a Bluetooth connection to stream Internet radio (or other music) to their car stereos. AutoBlog.com has more coverage here. IMEEM CO-FOUNDER SHARES HIS THOUGHTS ON THE ENVIRONMENT FOR DIGITAL MUSIC START-UPSImeem co-founder and former CEO Dalton Caldwell recently discussed his outlook for digital music start-ups, and that outlook is pretty bleak. He did note that he thinks the most promising strategy is “the Pandora model,” meaning streaming web radio.Even then though, Caldwell doesn’t think there’s much room for start-ups. And there are barriers — especially the lack of an “affordable way for start-ups to license music.” VentureBeat has more here. (“Hat-tip” to Jennifer Lane of Audio4Cast for the story link). PALM AND HP LAUNCH NEW DEVICE, FLASH-FRIENDLY UPDATED OS Palm and new-owner HP have unveiled an updated mobile device — dubbed the Pre 2 (pictured right) — and a major update to their webOS operating system. The device update simply brings the Palm Pre form up-to-speed with current smartphones; the real action is in webOS.
Among other upgrades, webOS 2.0 includes Flash support. This is great news for webcasters that use Flash in their web-players — it should mean webOS users can listen to your streams without need of a separate app. Of course, we won’t know for sure how well Flash-support will work until webOS 2.0 is released. No word on when that will be. PreCentral has lots more coverage here and here. share: del.icio.us.  Reddit  Digg  Yahoo  Wink  Windows  Google  Newsvine 
CommentCommenting is closed for this article.  Other stories RAIN has upgraded (and moved)! RAIN 9/13: RAIN Summit Chicago takes place today! RAIN 9/12: First Summit in RAIN's hometown takes place tomorrow RAIN 9/9: Summer holidays, "doldrums" impact July Webcast Metrics, but audience up over last year RAIN 9/8: Clear Channel launches new customizable iHeartRadio beta; RAIN goes hands-on RAIN 9/7: Meet more speakers you'll hear at RAIN Summit Chicago in less than a week RAIN 9/6: Clear Channel taps The Echo Nest to take on Pandora RAIN 9/2: RAIN reviews Spotify's radio-like product Artist Radio RAIN 9/1: UK online radio aggregator Radioplayer campaigns b'dcasters to create "all radio" ratings RAIN 8/31: Execs from Merlin, Triton Digital, jacAPPS and more to appear at RAIN Summit Chicago |
