Friday, February 25, 2011

DAR.fm Looks To Timeshift Radio

Michael Robertson, the founder of MP3.com, has debuted his newest startup: DAR.fm, an online service which allows people to record and play back radio programs anytime they like. Billing it a "Tivo for radio", Robrtson said that the service will allow users to access recordings of radio shows from their PC, smart phone, internet radio, and video players like Roku. Robertson says the service currently have access to about 600 stations. DAR.fm is connected to one of Robertson's other online services, MP3tunes, which allows users to store MP3 audio files online. Robertson said the service "moves radio into the 21st century". Robertson has made a career of trying to move the media business into the digital age, not without a number of lawsuits and constant clashes with studios, publishers, and other content owners over his attempts to do so. Robertson's MP3tunes has been locked in a legal battle with EMI since 2008; Robertson battled Warner Music Group over his firm AnywhereCD; and MP3.com itself was taken down by the RIAA. It's unclear if Robertson's move to record and replay Internet radio will face any of the same scrutiny.