CBC Music Service

The Canadian Broadcast Corporation has launched a free online music service—CBC Music.

The service is available online and via the CBC Music app. More and more listeners are turning to the Internet for live radio streaming, whether it is from a local or international station or a service like Sirius XM Radio, which for a monthly fee gives you access to dozens of satellite radio stations.

CBC Music, however, is free. The app itself is laid out quite nicely. Once installed, just click on the app and you will be given a choice of CBC Radio 2, CBC Radio 3, or a variety “Genre Steams,” which include Classical, Jazz, Singer-Songwriter, World, Blues, Pop, Electronic, and Aboriginal, to name a few. There is even a tantalizing “Complete Cohen” stream for all you Leonard Cohen fans. It is much like the Sinatra station on XM, which features music by the artist himself and by other notable Cohenites.

Within each genre stream, there is a subset of streams. Under Classical, for instance, there are 10, ranging from Baroque, Modern Masters, and a personal favorite, the “Glenn Gould Sampler.” The streams offers ‘uninterrupted’ music (there is the occasional ‘ad’ about the service), although some channels do have a host.

The online site offers a greater range of categories and services, such as an “on demand” section that includes featured artists and playlists from guest DJs like Vish Khanna and Lana Gay. Some of the channels play strictly Canadian music while others play a mix Canadian content and music from around the world.

With blogs and live chats, CBC Music provides a way for music fans to connect with their favorite artists and DJs. This is all a big step for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, which is notorious for its strict, centralized policies.

The service was made possible in part by a deal the CBC cut with the Audio-Video Licensing Agency. The CBC can now provide a broader range of music unedited and on demand, which seems to be a growing trend both in music and in video.

CBC Music and services like this offer the music lover a wide range of content without the constant interruption of invasive ads that populate the airways of your average radio stations. Of course, the success of CBC Music will depend on the content being both dynamic and engaging.

Despite iTunes ubiquitous appropriation of your computer’s media files, it has taught users and providers of content alike a valuable lesson. Choice is not to be underestimated. Neither is a good recommendation.