AudioVroom Takes on Pandora – Has Bump Feature – Not Enough to be Viable
We all know there are several Internet Radio companies out there on the market. The trick in that business is to become relevant enough to be a player. Only a handful of Internet radio companies have true viability. When a new company launches, they tend to target the big boys and add some sort of unique feature that others do not have.
Welcome to AudioVroom, your social playlist generator for iPhone, iPad and iPod, where music is collaborative, like getting a mix tape. Their app allows users to exchange music profiles and stream the relevant music legally from the Internet. It is like having the world’s largest music collection in your pocket (millions of songs) and all of your friends’ favorite playlists to enjoy.
Like Pandora, the more you use AudioVroom, the smarter the app gets about your musical tastes. Also like Pandora, you can “love” or “fail” the songs you hear. So far AudioVroom sounds like a re-branded Pandora, but the trick up AudioVroom’s sleeve is the “BUMP” feature. Bump is an award winning app that allows users to swap contact information simply by “bumping” their phones. The concept is cool, but admittedly I have rarely used it. I think that most people that have downloaded Bump do not use it either. This is the major flaw in the plans of AudioVroom, and in my opinion this Internet Radio business will fall short and never be viable.
For Satellite Radio the key is watching the audio entertainment landscape and identifying potential competitors with viability. For Sirius XM the key is maintaining their advantages, and not letting an upstart steal any thunder. Sirius XM long had a dual advantage. Superior content, and availability in the dashboard. The dashboard trump card is vanishing, but the company still boasts the most compelling radio on radio. Satellite Radio 2.0 seems promising in that it will update capabilities to match, or in some cases exceed, what the competitors are doing.
While in my opinion AudioVroom will fall by the wayside, there are still players out there to watch, and upstarts looking to become overnight success stories.
Position – Long Sirius XM Radio
I would just be happy if Sirius supported a blackberry that was made within the past year. No OS 6 support means i am paying for 2 services!
As a loyal Sirius customer for years who just switched to the annual subscription to AudioVroom, I politely disagree with your conclusions.
If you actually use this application, Audiovroom is like nothing we have ever seen in music:
First, I am able to start new radio stations with simple clicks, much like sirius but customized for my taste and dynamic. Pandora and Sirius playlists often have an end to them. I haven’t had that experience with Audiovroom which I read has ten million songs in its catalog 10x pandora I believe).
Separately, pandora requires too much work! Why should I be required to know an artist name to enjoy new music? I start a playlist by just clicking one button on Audiovroom which goes through my own library and figures out what I like. It works really well.
Also, you will notice that the bump feature works seamlessly if you want to share music preferences with friends. Not sure why your observation of bump use elsewhere has any relevance here. It could have been more useful to know that each of those bumps actually mean free music points on Audiovroom 🙂
Finally, what I am waiting for is the now-disabled DJ feature I see on Audiovroom. I will be able to join group sessions in the neighborhood. Neither Sirius nor pandora allow for any real social interaction, and hence lose out in my humble view. The world is no longer about solitary music listening experience…