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.
They can swap MP3 files, but only play them back over their own computers or hand-held devices. And regular chat rooms lack the ability to play songs in the background that everyone can hear and discuss at the same time. That's where WARR comes in. Stead and his team believe it can create the kind of bonds formed at rent parties more than a half-century ago, where jazz and blues musicians would take requests from the crowd. It's already changed how they view co-workers who use the service.