Radio Services Are Paying Off For MusicMatch
By Doug Olenick -- TWICE, 8/6/2001
NEW YORK— Music software maker MusicMatch is positioning itself for what it sees as the next wave of computer audio usage, personalized music software services.
Best known for its CD burning and music file management software, MusicMatch's recently launched Radio MX service has attracted 18,000 subscribers, said Christopher Allen, the company's senior vice president of product marketing. The service comes in two flavors. A free version that can be downloaded from the Internet that gives users a limited ability to create song playlists or "radio stations" and a pay service, for $4.95 per month, that has much more flexibility.
The pay service has quickly become MusicMatch's second most important revenue stream behind selling upgrades to the basic software package that is bundled with most PCs and ahead of the advertising dollars generated by the free radio player, Allen said.
Paid services may play an even larger role for the company as it considers adding tasks like on-demand music tracks. The full version of Radio MX does not allow users to pick and choose which songs will be played, but does give them ability to narrow down what is played by a variety of means.
Allen said the company is also exploring developing a downloadable music service, but no further details were available.
Because Radio MX is a paid service it is fully compliant with copyright laws and will not suffer the same problems that have afflicted similar programs like Launch.com, he said.
