shivvy
22 Mar 2005, 03:17 PM
It looks like this is just in their online edition, but we were directed to the "Ask Matt" feature in the Money section of usatoday.com earlier this afternoon. Kudos to you Matt Krantz for spreading the woxy.com love!
Q: It seems like Internet radio is becoming more popular. Are there ways to invest in the emerging technology?
A: While all the attention is going to satellite radio providers, many have overlooked something that may be just as, if not even more, exciting: Internet radio.
Thanks to the low costs of transmitting streaming audio over the Internet, dozens of "Internet radio" stations have cropped up. They deliver high-quality and professional music and talk streams over the Internet to any consumer with audio software. In fact, some radio stations have been so attracted by the economics of Internet radio, they've given up their space on the airwaves. Consider www.woxy.com, an excellent broadcaster of new rock. The station, originally known as the famous 97X in Cincinnati, now broadcasts its high-quality music online.
Internet radio can be heard on any device that connects to the Internet. That includes everything from PDAs connected to the T-Mobile network in Starbucks coffee houses to home stereos with Internet capability. There are also services that help consumers find Internet radio stations, such as shoutcast and live365.com. There are thousands of Internet radio stations that cater to lovers of everything from rap to speed metal or hip hop.
But for investors, the possibilities are more limited. Currently, none of the Internet radio stations are publicly traded. Woxy.com and the rest are privately held. Really, the only way to invest in the industry is through the large software companies that make the tools that make Internet radio happen. Microsoft, for instance, embeds powerful Internet radio tools in its Windows Media Player 10. Likewise Real Networks and Apple Computer provide tools allowing broadcasters to stream Internet radio and for consumers to listen.
Stay tuned, though, since this emerging industry will certainly generate some interesting investment possibilities.
the article can be found online here:
http://www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/columnist/krantz/2005-03-22-net-radio_x.htm
Q: It seems like Internet radio is becoming more popular. Are there ways to invest in the emerging technology?
A: While all the attention is going to satellite radio providers, many have overlooked something that may be just as, if not even more, exciting: Internet radio.
Thanks to the low costs of transmitting streaming audio over the Internet, dozens of "Internet radio" stations have cropped up. They deliver high-quality and professional music and talk streams over the Internet to any consumer with audio software. In fact, some radio stations have been so attracted by the economics of Internet radio, they've given up their space on the airwaves. Consider www.woxy.com, an excellent broadcaster of new rock. The station, originally known as the famous 97X in Cincinnati, now broadcasts its high-quality music online.
Internet radio can be heard on any device that connects to the Internet. That includes everything from PDAs connected to the T-Mobile network in Starbucks coffee houses to home stereos with Internet capability. There are also services that help consumers find Internet radio stations, such as shoutcast and live365.com. There are thousands of Internet radio stations that cater to lovers of everything from rap to speed metal or hip hop.
But for investors, the possibilities are more limited. Currently, none of the Internet radio stations are publicly traded. Woxy.com and the rest are privately held. Really, the only way to invest in the industry is through the large software companies that make the tools that make Internet radio happen. Microsoft, for instance, embeds powerful Internet radio tools in its Windows Media Player 10. Likewise Real Networks and Apple Computer provide tools allowing broadcasters to stream Internet radio and for consumers to listen.
Stay tuned, though, since this emerging industry will certainly generate some interesting investment possibilities.
the article can be found online here:
http://www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/columnist/krantz/2005-03-22-net-radio_x.htm