 RAIN 5/1: RAIN reviews TuneKast mobile interface; PRS announces UK royalty rates ·May 1, 08:36 AM TUNEKAST OFFERS BACKGROUND PLAY, VIDEO ADSAirKast has been in the news quite a bit lately, what with partnering with Ando Media and StreamTheWorld to create a radio package to be sold by Triton Digital Media (RAIN coverage here). RAIN took the chance to take a closer look at the company’s TuneKast iPhone “app,” specifically, the platform for KLOS in L.A. (test for yourself on your iPhone here).
TuneKast is not a traditional application. Where Pandora and Last.fm require a download from Apple’s App Store, TuneKast’s is simply an Internet interface. Users point their Safari web browsers to the correct address and from there can start listening. This has its ups and downs. On the one hand, some may want their radio to be self-contained on the iPhone and not be opening new tabs in the web browser. Additionally, when listening to the actual radio stream, all you have to look at is a blank QuickTime backdrop—no album art, no meta data, not even a station’s branding. But, that blank backdrop allows for a very important feature that many iPhone users have been long waiting for. RAIN UPDATE: It should be noted that competitor FlyCast has long offered such a background play feature. Though FlyCast itself is a downloadable, stand-alone iPhone app, by activating “Background Play” through FlyCast’s settings, a user can listen to a music stream while performing other tasks, like checking email. The process resembles TuneKast, in that the user is presented with a QuickTime backdrop in their Safari web-browser. The user can then navigate away from Safari to perform other tasks, like check their calender, while the music stream continues to play. TuneKast also offers on-demand content, like podcasts, and keeps track of recently played tracks. This list of tracks yields links to lyrics, where to buy the track, links to YouTube videos and ways to share the track with friends. Movie ads greet a new listener, which is probably a big part of the monetization AirKast is pushing with this platform. The interface offers more options and features than most radio apps—it’ll be interesting to watch not only how TuneKast develops, but how it affects the mobile radio industry. AirKast tells us to expect a stand-alone downloadable app in coming weeks that expands the features offered in their web interface. — MS UK’S PRS ANNOUNCE “FIRST STAGE” OF NEW ROYALTY RATES, SAME AS OLD RATESThe UK’s royalty collection agency PRS For Music today released the “first stage” of new royalty rates for Internet music services. The new rates are set to replace the Joint Online Licence which expires in June. Rates for subscription-funded webcasters, download services and on-demand subscription services were announced. Subscription-based non-interactive webcasters will pay the greater of 5.75% of gross revenue or 20p per-listener, while interactive webcasters pay 6.5% of gross revenue or 22p per-listener. Find details on the new rates here. These new rates are identical to those from the earlier Joint Online Liscense (PDF outlining the Joint Online License rates here).
Rates for non-subscription based webcasters should be published within the next month and are currently “under consideration.” PaidContent:UK notes (here) that this “leaves the door open for PRS to heed growing calls, from web streamers that are struggling to profit from ad support, to drop prices for this fast-growing sector…Striking a workable rate is critical not just for online services, but also for the music business.” SLACKER HITS 1 MIL DOWNLOADS ON BLACKBERRYSlacker’s Blackberry application has now been downloaded 1 million times, more than even on the iPhone. Slacker CEO Dennis Mudd says this may be because Slacker offers additional features on Blackberrys, like caching, due to the company’s close relationship with RIM. “We probably could [have those features on the iPhone]. But it’s difficult to do something like that without cooperation from the developer of the handset. We were able to get closer cooperation with BlackBerry that we were with Apple,” he said in speaking with Billboard (here). He also discussed how Slacker’s mobile focus has shifted to smartphones away from their own branded devices. “There are many, many more people using the cellular applications,” he said. “My prediction is that most radio in the future will be consumed over smartphone devices.”
BROADCAST RADIO’S APPROACH TO STREAMING WAS WRONG, SAYS DEL COLLIANOBroadcast radio missed out on a big opportunity in Internet streaming, says industry analyst Jerry Del Colliano. Instead of creating special streams for advertisers or streams with a “specific purpose” in mind, broadcasters saw Internet streaming “as a chance to repurpose on-air formats without spending a dime…what they got was chump change for revenue.” Del Colliano lists 7 trends radio missed out on in his Inside Music Media blog (here). This list includes podcasting, social networking, iPhone applications and mobile phones.FMC: 85% OF MUSIC ON FM FROM MAJOR LABELS; INTERNET RADIO BEST BET FOR INDIE MUSICA new study from the Future of Music Coalition (FMC), checking up on payola in broadcast radio after a scandal two years ago, found that there’s “no measurable change in station playlist composition.” The FMC says 85% of music played on broadcast radio comes straight from the major labels. Ars Technica notes, “The FMC study does make clear that if you want your indie rock, your best bet isn’t to flip through the dial but to hit the Internet, where Pandora, eMusic, and Last.fm offer up everything from the craziest Animal Collective noisemaking to Tom Waits, Josh Ritter, and Arcade Fire.” Find more on the study at Ars Technica here.
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By hosting a station’s stream in Safari, TuneKast lets users leave the radio stream playing as they do other things on the iPhone, like check email or view their schedule, something stand-alone apps like Pandora’s can’t do. Plus, the Internet interface takes away a few extra steps for users.
