Nokia has created music for your eyes with their latest visual radio systems. Visual radio is radio broadcast paired with song information, video and interactivity that allows listeners to respond and give feedback—all via your Nokia cell phone. They are offering visual radio through Infinity radio, a station conglomerate that owns about 180 radio stations located in 22 states. Visual radio is also broadcast in seven other countries. The radio system not only shows pictures and reveals the name and artist of the song being played, but users can also directly purchase ringtones, take quizzes on the artists, rate DJs and songs, and get insider facts about artists and concerts.
Nokia actually understands that consumers consider interactivity with their stations and mobility as two key characteristics of quality radio. Visual radio offers consumers these two attributes, through a venue that they already own (their phone) and stations that they already listen to (their local FM), but also add a little extra through the additional features.
So Visual Radio is easy to use and accessible. But will it be a hit? It’s great that Nokia is working to help fix radio and actually encouraging technology, interactivity and a mobile radio through multi-functioning devices. However, the downfall of visual radio is that while the additional features are nice, it fails to change radios largest downfall—the content. The songs that listeners hear are identical to what they would hear on their local radio station, because it is just that—their local station. The cost of internet-ready phones and a wireless plan that includes internet access may also be a problem for lower-income users. And I wonder how much using visual radio drains the battery of your cell phone—enough to make visual radio dead?
1 comment:
The ugly hidden truth about most of the current music services offering (Check the Snocap pricing matrix here ) for artist is that through complicated fee matrix that hide the fact that they create an uneven playing field for independent artist and labels that are not attached to one of the majors. Some of the services that participate in the lowering of the field for independents artist and labels are backed by the majors either financially (Directly or through proxy investors) or helped along in their business by begin given some access to content. This means that the through these services the majors have cooped the independent artist into their distribution channel and into their drm schemes. All of this while charging the independent artist and label to use the service.
I think that the only way to truly lower the playing field for independent artist and labels is to have a service that gives them the ability to sell and distribute their content at a price point that mathces what the majors would pay to use such a service. Zero.
Currently Darmik.com charges no fee to list or to sell music. Currently Artist and independents that sell on Darmik.com receive 100% of the revenue. All we ask in return is that you use your Darmik payment rule to donate to at least one Darmik listed charity. Once an Aritst or Label has their tracks on Darmik they can be easily sold on the adelph.us social network as well as any other webpage or social network. As companies Adelph.us and Darmik give a portion of their revenue to charity.
Post a Comment