Raditaz
Raditaz was an internet radio streaming music service for the web, iOS, and Android.[1] Raditaz was a free product, and users could create stations, listen to over 200 custom-curated stations, and utilize a tagging system to personalize their stations. Users could find stations not just based on artists, songs, and genres, but also based on metadata tags, such as @work, @gym, #happy or @driving. Raditaz had a location layer that enables users to listen to and share stations that are trending throughout the US. The explore feature let a user discover the latest music trends by location. Users could also share songs or stations by email, Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest. Raditaz had more than 23 million songs and uses The Echo Nest music intelligence platform for creating stations. When a user inputs the name of a specific band, artist or song, Raditaz could create a station based on that musician along with similar artists. Users also had the option to add an additional 9 artists to customize a station further. Listeners could adjust the popularity level of the artists and songs found within the station.[2] However, the site has gone offline to undergo a complete makeover, with new features expected when it returns. Listeners using the website had access to free lyrics.[3] The Raditaz revenue model is location-based advertising but no target date for ads has been set.[1]
 | |
Type of site | Free Internet Radio |
|---|---|
| Available in | English |
| Headquarters | Glastonbury, Connecticut, U.S. |
| URL | raditaz.com |
| Launched | November 18, 2011 |
| Current status | Offline |
Licensing
Raditaz formerly streamed music under the statutory license for Non-Interactive Internet Streaming defined by United States Code Title 17, Section 114, enacted through the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Raditaz paid sound recording copyright holders for each performance (each track played) through SoundExchange. Raditaz also paid the performance rights holders through American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) and Society of European Stage Authors & Composers (SESAC).
- Raditaz benefits from the lower statutory rates that resolved the U.S. royalty controversy in 2007.
- The statutory license limits where Raditaz can stream music geographically and how Raditaz users can interact with the system.
Geographic limitation: U.S. only
Since the statute only applies to the United States, Raditaz is not licensed stream music outside the United States. The Raditaz web site is only available to users who, based on their IP address, are located in the United States or one of its unincorporated organized Territories. The iOS and Android apps are only available in the U.S. sections of the App Store and Google Play.
Limitations of a non-interactive webcaster
For Raditaz to claim the statutory license for a Webcast (internet streaming of a playlist) it must follow a set of guidelines for programming rules. In general, Raditaz cannot:
- allow users to skip more than six songs per hour, per station - as interpreted by some major music Labels;
- play tracks within one hour after a request from a user (on demand);
- create a playlist that only plays songs from a single artist (an artist-only playlist); or,
- publish the exact playlist such that a user would know the exact time when a song would play.
References
- Roettgers, Janko. "Music fans meet Raditatz, Pandora for your neighborhood". Gigaom. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
- Houghton, Bruce. "Raditaz Partners with Echo Nest to take on Pandora". Hypebot. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
- Rodriquez, Armando. "Raditaz Gets Re-Designed, Also Gains Song Lyrics". PCWorld. Retrieved 11 June 2012.