internet radio

Internet radio will have a new competitor early next year if Apple successfully negotiates a deal with record labels. Talks are in progress according to Bloomberg and could be concluded by the middle of November. Apple is seeking to take on Pandora, the current online radio leader.

Apple's radio service would differ somewhat from Pandora's model, with a customized app making it possible to purchase songs as streaming files and re-listen to music in automatically generated playlists on iOS devices. Access to both services will be free, with iAds providing revenue for Apple's service.

Subscribers to the Rhapsody music service will soon have their own iPhone app. That is, if Apple approves the software for distribution in the App Store.

Rhapsody is a service developed by RealNetworks, charging $14.99 monthly for streaming access to over eight million songs. The iPhone application would make it possible for Rhapsody To Go plan subscribers to listen via Wi-Fi, 3G or EDGE.

There's good news for those of you out there who are fans of Live365 and would like to listen using your iPhone or iPod Touch. An application that will stream audio from Live365 Internet radio stations has officially been submitted to Apple for approval.

The app was planned for release in the third quarter of 2008, however it did not materialize. At the time of this writing, the ball has been in Apple's court for two weeks.