Motorola Unveils Music ServiceMotorola Unveils Music Service

LAS VEGAS, NV. — Seeking to penetrate the growing digital radio world, Motorola Inc. has introduced a subscription music service that uses mobile handsets as the base platform.

Motorola (Schaumburg, Ill.), announced the music service, called Motorola iRadio, at the Consumer Electronics Show here Tuesday (Jan. 3). The music service will initially contain 435 commercial-free radio channels, which the company claims is one of the widest selections of subscription music entertainment available.

The service is designed to compete with a growing genre of music services, including satellite radio, according to Motorola spokesman Paul Alfieri during a brief interview with EE Times Tuesday.

Competing with existing satellite music services won’t be easy. Sirius Satellite Radio recently said it surpassed 3 million subscribers. The larger XM Satellite Radio, reportedly approaching 6 million subscribers, is demonstrating at CES advanced vehicle services including in-car video, voice command, weather alerts, parking space locator.

Alfieri emphasized that iRadio will offer a different value proposition than other services as it revolves around the ubiquitous mobile phone.

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.

Alfieri said mobile phones equipped with Java, Bluetooth capability, and a storage card would be eligible to receive the music service. While expecting the service to be initially available on Motorola’s own cell phones, Alfieri said that wireless carriers could eventually make the service available on other Bluetooth and Java-equipped phones.

The service is slated to carry a full range of music, ranging from rock to jazz as well as oldies. There would also be channels specializing in individual artists as well as specialty theme music channels.

Motorola will incorporate proprietary rights management technology into iRadio, which will protect content owners and artists from piracy and unauthorized file-sharing.