In 1895, Nikola Tesla transmitted a radio signal 50 miles from New York City to West Point, NY in the first test of radio transmission. The golden age of radio took shape from the 1920s through the 1950s.
As traditional radio begins to the see the shadow of online radio, it’s clear that a transitional point is upon us. Last week, Pandora surpassed popular terrestrial radio stations in New York City for the first time. Online services including Pandora, Spotify, Turntable and Rdio have been rapidly growing thanks to the strength and speed of cloud computing and a renewed appetite for online music discovery.
Each service has carved out a specific niche: Spotify is music on demand, Turntable is social music curation, Pandora is a personalized playlist and Rdio is the leader of the socially connected experience. Here we break down these four pioneers of the online DJ experience and examine some key criteria.
The Largest Mix: Spotify
The competitive nature of Turntable pushes it to the top of the list for music discovery. Most Turntable DJs attempt to surpass each other with some exceptionally eclectic playlists, even though it falls short of including genres other than indie, hip hop and electronica.
For more casual hunters Spotify is the winner, thanks to its vast catalogue of music, numerous playlists across all genres and its ability to search through comparative artists. Users can click on an artist name to load a new window with similar artists. There are also phenomenal Spotify playlist generators such as Spotibot or playlist search tools like Sharemyplaylists.
Auto Pilot vs. Music on Demand
Not every music service offers the same kind of user experience, which is a good thing. While at work, for example, you might want an auto pilot, hands-off experience like Pandora, Rdio or Turntable offer. Users interested in actively digging up new finds might be more inclined to monitor Spotify or take a hands-on approach with Turntable.
Selling the Music
Whichever service helps record labels sell music will be the one they throw their adoration behind. Spotify took its time convincing U.S. labels that they could help them make money. Unfortunately in Europe, only 15% of users pay for a slightly more robust Spotify subscription, according to company representatives.
All of the services except for Spotify allow users to purchase songs. The idea is to get casual listeners hooked on a new find which they'll then buy. Spotify, however, is trying to push revenue through its subscription rather than individual music sales.
Social Features: Rdio
Rdio is the clear winner here. Not only does it display what my friends are listening to, but it also offers an embeddable music player.
Spotify also has some cool social features, allowing playlist and track sharing. The ability to start conversations and show comments is, however, limited.
Turntable comes packed with nifty chat features, allowing DJs to share information about the music they're playing or to talk smack about other DJs, as the case may be. Turntable also allows you to see which rooms your friends are in so you can join them. The social experience can be inconsistent, however, since so much is defined by the users in each room.
Pandora is the weakest of the bunch, with only a link to connect through Facebook.
Price: Spotify
Spotify wins price by a landslide. Spotify offers 15 million songs to choose on demand for free (though there are ads). This dwarfs Pandora's 800,000 songs, while also allowing more control over ad volume. Rdio is solid, but there isn't the same variation in music styles. It also comes with a $4.99/month starter package. Turntable is free but it doesn’t allow users to play music on demand since the goal is to create a shared listening experience.
And the Winner Is ...
In the end, Spotify wins out over the other music services. Spotify's "freemium" version surpasses Pandora’s offerings and is only poised to grow.
Which web radio services do you use and why? Share your opinions in the comments below.