Motorola Inc. scored its first content agreement for its forthcoming iRadio service, a deal that will make Universal Music Group’s extensive music catalog available to iRadio subscribers.
The news comes as Motorola quietly pushed back the release date for its iRadio service. Earlier this year iRadio was scheduled to be available in the fourth quarter, but Motorola has pushed back the launch date to the first quarter of next year.
“The innovative Motorola iRadio service can securely deliver a customized choice of radio stations right to the fans of virtually any artist. So now, consumers can hear album tracks or discover new performances through their existing car stereo or their always-with-you mobile phone,” said Mike Gaumond, vice president and general manager of Motorola’s iRadio service. “With the world’s largest music label on board, iRadio is well on its way to revolutionizing the radio listening experience.”
Motorola’s deal with UMG will add acts like U2, Kanye West, Bon Jovi, Sheryl Crow, Eminem, Shania Twain, The Game, The Killers, Mariah Carey and others to its iRadio service.
Motorola’s iRadio service essentially uses cell phones to link consumers’ home PCs with their car stereos. With the new offering, users will be able to download streamed music, talk and “podcasts” from home computers to phones via USB cables, then play the audio through their car stereo systems with Bluetooth connections. The service will support a variety of music files including MP3, AAC and WMA.
Consumers will be able to pause and resume music broadcasts and fast-forward and rewind other content through their in-dash decks, which will need Bluetooth adapters. And the playback automatically will pause when a call comes into the phone.
While only Motorola phones will support the service at launch, other manufacturers’ handsets could be equipped to work with iRadio. The service is expected to cost $5 to $7 a month-about half the cost of a satellite radio subscription-and iRadio phones will cost about $200. The in-dash Bluetooth adapter adds another $65 or so to the bill.
Interestingly, the service also will include daily updates over cellular networks. Subscriptions will include the automated delivery of time-sensitive information like traffic updates, breaking news and sports, requiring users to buy data service packages from their carriers. What’s more, content will include metadata such as song title, artist and label that will be displayed on a stereo face, potentially allowing users to purchase songs and CDs over the network.
