Listeners can log onto a channel and plug song choices into the playlist, which everyone hears simultaneously. They can chat online about the selections, or bounce to linked Web sites about artists. And in the ultimate act of empowerment, group members can vote to boot a song if it proves too annoying. The system creates a powerful database that can be used in a number of ways. Fans can call up archived playlists and information about other users' selections.
Advertisers conceivably can collect information to send targeted e-mail pitches.
And labels can notify fans of a new release of a user's favorite band, or offer volume discounts for music purchased through the site. It has proven to be wildly popular, expanding from a single channel to 10. It's no secret the Internet has broadened the concept of community, and music-related sites are some of the most popular destinations online. But there's no widely available technology that can provide the same immediacy and interplay for music that e-mail and instant messaging bring to text. Music fans can listen to radio feeds over the Web, but it's a passive experience.