Motorola says iRadio’s initial 435 commercial-free channels cover genres and styles that "break the mold of competing radio services" including:
- Over 40 styles of Rock, from Grunge to Heavy Metal to Hair Bands to Classic Rock
- Twelve different Jazz stations, from the fusion sounds of Miles Davis to the smooth stylings of Lee Ritenour and David Sanborn
- Individual artist channels, such as 12 stations featuring the music of Nashville’s top Country stars
- Genre channels for every decade since the 1900’s
- Specialty channels spotlighting specific themes such as "1 Hit Wonders", "Rockin’ Cowboys", "Just Broke Up", and "Angry Women"
“Motorola iRadio is truly a revolution in digital radio – offering more choice, higher audio quality than satellite radio, and features that allow listeners to identify and purchase the music they like” said Mike Gaumond, vice president and general manager, Motorola Digital Media Services. “Today, we’ve taken a giant leap beyond traditional and Internet-delivered radio by introducing a single service that incorporates incredible choice, the discovery of new music, impulse acquisition, and seamless portability.”
New Listeners for Clear Channel
iRadio has also sealed a deal with Clear Channel Radio to broadcast portions of the company's content.
"Motorola iRadio lets us deliver top-rated talk content and custom music channels to listeners wherever they are throughout their day," explains Jeff Littlejohn, executive vice president at Clear Channel Radio. "Whether they're underground in a subway tunnel or traveling outside their local radio market, they can still take along their favorite Clear Channel Radio content. We believe iRadio is an important addition to the choices now available to consumers and the service has our unqualified support."
Mobile Phone Infrastructure Wide
700 million mobile phones were sold worldwide in 2005, making the mobile phone a natural device to distribute music, talk and other digital content. Motorola says its iRadio unifies content that has historically been segmented across different devices and mediums, such as traditional radio, MP3 players, Internet radio and car audio.
24/7
Using Bluetooth® wireless technology, a user’s customized choice of content moves automatically from the phone, through the car stereo, across the home stereo system or on-the-go. When a call is received on the phone, the music is automatically paused, resuming after the call has been completed.
Proprietary Advantages
Unlike other radio services, iRadio’s proprietary technology frees it from bandwidth limitations. This means the service can offer a nearly unlimited selection of channels, and new ones can be added without removing older ones.
The Motorola iRadio platform also allows independent artists, radio personalities and talk show hosts to create their own iRadio channels. The Motorola iRadio Get Heard Network provides a digitally protected distribution channel for music and spoken word artists to expand their audiences and to be discovered by new listeners.
"Motorola has really raised the bar for consumer choice and portability," said David Del Beccaro, president and CEO of Music Choice. "We're thrilled to be a part of this radio revolution."
iRadio will cost between $7 and $10 dollars-a-month.
- Portions from a Motorola News Release
(The author wishes to disclose in a separate position he is an employee of Clear Channel.)
