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New music service to slug it out with satellite, iTunes

A new subscription service will use WiFi and satellite to get music out to its …

Broadband Instruments has launched a beta version of a new music service called Slacker. At first glance, it doesn't look like anything terribly remarkable—just another Internet music service with a browser-based player. But that's just the beginning of the company's plans for Slacker, which involve a hardware player and satellite-based service.

Users registering for a beta account with Slacker will get free, ad-supported access to the company's 10,000-plus stations. Those stations are organized by genre and artist, with users having the ability to create their own stations by indicating their own musical preferences and letting Slacker's back-end software customize a station based on their selections. In the near future, Slacker will offer a separate application that will, like iTunes and other software players, categorize and organize all the music on your computer.

Slacker Portable PlayerSlacker also has plans for a digital music player called the Slacker Portable Player. The player will feature a 4" color LCD capable of displaying album and artist information like other audio players. It will also have built-in WiFi connectivity, which will be used to update playlists and music. Broadband Instrument hopes to incorporate support for its new service into cellular phones as well.

The most ambitious plan for Slacker is its satellite service. The company will sell kits for the car and will push programming to them using Ku-band satellite. The in-car kits will be able to store music so that the listening experience is uninterrupted when subscribers pass out of reach of the satellite signal.

In addition to the free, ad-supported service, Slacker will launch a $7.50-per-month premium service that strips out the ads while giving subscribers access to more features.

With its multifaceted approach, it's certain that both online music industry stalwarts as well as satellite radio companies XM Radio and Sirius will be closely watching Slacker. While Slacker's subscription model is nothing new and noteworthy, the multiple delivery channels—especially WiFi and satellite—are. If nothing else, Slacker's emergence should provide XM Radio and Sirius with some ammunition in their upcoming regulatory fight over their merger.

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Channel Ars Technica