Sangeethapriya vs. Shrutiradio vs. Radioweb vs. MusicIndiaOn

[askn]

Currently there are a couple of choices that rasikas have for listening to Carnatic Music online. Each service takes a certain approach and provides a certain value.
Sangeethapriya provides concerts for free download , Shrutiradio provides free back to back 24/7 streaming of concerts , Radioweb provides curated & themed programmers that are presented by RJs on a subscription basis , MusicInidaOnline / Raaga etc. provide access to commercially released albums for free listening.

Am very curious to understand why do people choose a particular service?

For example:
Do people use multiple services for different needs??
Is it that is what was available first and then have stayed on the service?
Convenience / ease of use?
Free vs. paid?

Would love to hear your motivations and what do you consider while choosing a service.

[eesha]

Yes, people use multiple services for different needs, IMHO

Those who want to listen to a concert/song at their leisure or multiple number of times will go for sangeethapriya that allows download

shruthiradio offers multiple channels, covering carnatic and hindustani , so it caters to varied tastes

Those who are conscious of recording quality may go for Musicindia/raaga as these recordings are commercial recordings and hence well recorded. Also they host slokas/ vedam etc that are not available in the other websites

radioweb belongs to a different class , so not comparable with the above

[mohan]

I signed up for the 7 day free trial of Radioweb but it expired before I even got time to sit down and listen to one program! I have previously suggested a podcast.

Has Radioweb thought of getting advertisers for the radio programs and then making the service free to the public? A short ad can be incorporated into the recording or on the website.

Of the online stations I like carnaticradio.com the best because 1- I can access it on my phone (using an cheap app), it is available on WiFi radios or computers, it is good quality.

sangeethapriya is a different use beacuse it has a wealth of old concert recordings and radio recordings. The quality of some recordings is not that good. The new track search facility is awesome.

[askn]

radioweb belongs to a different class , so not comparable with the above

Would appreciate if you could expand on this. Why do you consider it to be different ? It is a place where people come to listen to music ?

[askn]

@ Mohan
We are definitely looking at doing podcasts in future (we also need to get consent from the content owners for this first)

We have considered advertising. Advertising (at current web ad rates) do not cover costs, considering the royalty payments that have to be made to the content owners.

Even otherwise, the amount of advertising that listeners would be exposed to would need to be significant. These are irritating and dilute the experience. We will have advertising at some stage, but in a manner that is not disruptive, and so as to keep the subscription amount at a reasonable level.

Carnaticradio just plays commercial albums back-to-back. Would it be right to say that convenience of mobility is a key factor in choosing which service to use? The leading question there is that then would Radioweb be a better choice that carnaticradio if it also provided the same facility?
If they are providing a free service and paying royalties, then would consider that worthwhile initiative.

I do agree with you on sangeethapriya, I think they do a great thing in making music available that otherwise is not readily available.

So comes to a kind of basic question , if a service addresses the availability & convenience needs , is it then just reduced to a simpler free vs. paid debate?

[mahavishnu]

Feels like you are getting an inexpensive focus group from your target consumers

I think Radioweb is a different service as Eesha points out.

My 2 paise. I would pay for the RJ service, if the RJ were someone known to me (defined broadly) such as: a leading musician with a penchant for good presentations/lec-dems, an eminent music scholar or if it featured interviews with leading music personalities. Currently there are few options for all of this "feature" content on all of the radio sites in question.

[mohan]

@ Mohan
Would it be right to say that convenience of mobility is a key factor in choosing which service to use?

Of course, there are different segments of the audience. People who do not work full time or some students may have time to log on to your website and listen to a full program. For people like me I'd like something I can listen to in bits and in various places including while in the car, while in traveling on public transport, etc.

[Sam Swaminathan]

Please add to the list of of Mohan the following site...

http://www.hummaa.com/

A good quality selection of songs on both Hindutani and Carnatic.

Regards

[askn]

Feels like you are getting an inexpensive focus group from your target consumers

I think Radioweb is a different service as Eesha points out.

My 2 paise. I would pay for the RJ service, if the RJ were someone known to me (defined broadly) such as: a leading musician with a penchant for good presentations/lec-dems, an eminent music scholar or if it featured interviews with leading music personalities. Currently there are few options for all of this "feature" content on all of the radio sites in question.

The items that you mentioned as what you would like to see are things that we definitely want to do. We should start to head in that direction, hopefully, sooner than later

But seriously, this is a real attempt to understand what, how and why people listen. Believe that here the feedback will be forthcoming and honest.

you & eesha say we are different, ( trust that it is different in good way ), however , different can be at an intellectual level , but may not translate to use. That can happen due to many reasons, including familiarity with an existing service, or saying "nice! but it is not for me " , if they did this this way then maybe I would use etc.

RadioWeb has sparked some reaction in people, but what has to happen for them to listen here on a regular basis. While I do have a vested interest, I do want to know what turns on the listener, what they want, what works and what doesn't.

This forum consists of people who have a deep involvement music , so one question would be , do you want to go beyond just listening to the music ? for instance to kind of program we did on the Bhakti movement where we have inputs from S.Sowmya or the Jayadeva special which looked at ashtapathis with VAK Ranga Rao & OS Arun talking about them?

[mohan]

CarnaticRadio and Shruti channels are available through the TuneIn website and apps (available on most mobile phone platforms)

[varsha]

Sangeethapriya provides concerts for free download

The altruistic work of Sangeethapriya will be a subject of study in the years / decades to come .
Great use of technology in all its deepest meanings , a voluntary model for sake of service for posterity , first-of-the-block whenever new technologies appear on the horizon , absolute lack of vanity fair , a set of people who can see the dawn before the morning , some fine organisation skills to stay united and relevant over a decade .......
But basically deep inside their hearts a passion for our art that a casual user will never even guess .
Looking at this body of work , One understands why people start giving back when they become rich in a manner that the riches last beyond a lifetime .
Sangeethapriya embodies the gift of giving in its most humble ,beautiful and spiritually appropriate mode
I tip my hat to them .
Sangeethapriya recognises that each one of us have our dimensions in space when cm is involved . And allows us to fashion it to our needs .
Thank you All . Just as I would thank all the other service providers too