Worldspace Radio Live on MSN India

Worldspace Radio Live on MSN India

Madhavi Gokhlay, Aug 09, 2007 1930 hrs IST

With this, music lovers will have 24x7 access to the five Worldspace stations, including Farishta (Hindi film classics), Gandharv (Hindustani classical),...

Today, MSN India, Worldspace Satellite Radio, and music maestro A R Rahman, announced the launch of 5 Worldspace stations on MSN India.

With this, music lovers will have 24x7 access to the five Worldspace stations, including Farishta (Hindi film classics), Gandharv (Hindustani classical), Sparsha (Kannada), Spandana (Telugu), and Shruti (Carnatic music) at http://www.in.msn.com/worldspace for a monthly fee of $9.9 (Rs 400 approx).

Users can play any/all of the five channels basis their choice, and receive weekly and monthly program guides along with RJ profiles for particular channels. All they need is bandwidth in the region of 64 kbps.

According to Worldspace and MSN, the monthly fees are on the higher side because this is the only 'legal' online streaming channel where moneys go to the concerned artistes, and copyright fees end-up getting paid.

Of the five Worldspace stations accessible on MSN India, 'Farishta' plays Hindi music from the 40s to the 80s, packaged in a way so as to stimulate and entertain listeners.

'Gandharv' takes listeners through a melifluous journey of discovery into a genre as vast and ethereal as Hindustani Classical music. The station features some of the greats produced by this genre -- right from old timers like Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan and Ustad Allaudin Khan to contemporary masters, including Ustad Zakir Hussain, Vidushi Ashwini Bhide Deshpande, and Vidushi Shubha Mudgal.

Meanwhile, Shruti (Carnatic music), Sparsha (Kannada), and Spandana (Telugu) provide that distinct local flavor, and are intended to be a reflection of the tastes and culture of the people hailing from these regions of the country.

"We believe that with this initiative, we will help bridge the needs of Indians across the globe to be closely connected with their roots and Indian culture, and provide them a platform to savor songs online even when they don't have access to Worldspace Satellite Radio," said Velu Shankar, senior advisor - content and programming, Worldspace India.

"This association is part of our commitment to our users in bringing the best of entertainment online. Users now can listen to their favourite music online," said Jaspreet Bindra, country manager India - online service group, Microsoft.

"While music on the net is gaining popularity today, users in India do not have many radio stations online to listen to the music they love. Now, users in India can log on to MSN India and listen to music that is relevant to them," said Krishna Prasad, executive producer of MSN India.

Musician par excellence and brand ambassador for Worldspace, A R Rahman, said, "Technology is breaking barriers, and going beyond geographical boundaries helping musicians gain recognition outside India. At the same time making their music available worldwide."

Worldspace India, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Worldspace, is headquartered out of Bangalore, and boasts a range of over 40 radio stations across musical genres.

The offline service has about 1,70,000 subscribers across the country. It's Indian programming includes 2 Indian classical stations -- Shruti (Carnatic) and Gandharv (Hindustani), as well as regional stations -- Sonar (Bengali), Sparsha (Kannada), Spandana (Telugu), Tunak Punjabi (Punjabi), Falak (Urdu & Ghazals), Surabhi (Marathi), Radio Umang (Gujarathi), to name a few.

While the offline service is reasonably popular, the association with MSN India is an exercise in increasing the reach of Worldspace through the online medium. For MSN too, it's as much about increasing reach, as it is about giving consumers something unique and exclusive vis-a-vis competitors in the online space.



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USER COMMENTS

I have heard alot about wsp as i stay in a remot area i have never listined to it

by Dipti r barik, Rourkela, on Nov 09, 2008 12:08 AM, Report abuse   Reply

I am using the world space radio and enjoying the music, the grievance is there will be no body to answer when the unit is not working or when we feel difficulty in getting the stations, some service provider`s tel numbers should be given so that we can get the service instantly.

by srinivasa murth, Bangalore city, on Nov 08, 2008 03:35 PM, Report abuse   Reply

Hi, While I respect the fact that services cost money, It should be kept in mind the afordability of the consumer. The charges you are asking is equal to cost (may be a shade less ) of internet connectivity in India. I would say Rs.400/- per quarter would sound more reasonable . Remember there are plenty of free to air FM channels with good quality. Vaidyanathan R.

by Vaidyanathan R., Chennai, on Oct 20, 2008 05:11 PM, Report abuse   Reply

you dont inform about the renewal of subscription also we do not know the address where the subscription is to be paid

by Rajesh sharma, Chandigarh, on Oct 01, 2008 10:13 AM, Report abuse   Reply

hi this is ankit mathur wishing to listen fm online

by ankit, Hydarabad, on Aug 08, 2008 12:01 AM, Report abuse   Reply

am subscribed to Worldspace for two years. The normal subscription fee itself is more I felt. And the charges for Net radio is too too much. Any Indians such a stupid to pay 400 bucks per month for 4 channels that too you need to turn on PC and boot up to listen? This is nonesense. And their reason for this is so funny to hear. worldspace radio is excellent and intertesting. our family is fan of worldspace radio

by sunita chamoli, ghaziabad, on Aug 23, 2007 03:18 PM, Report abuse   Reply

i want the details of the cost of world space radio

by sravz, hyderabad, on Aug 07, 2008 09:45 AM, Report abuse

to relax myself i listen radio

by sac, hyd, on Aug 04, 2008 06:19 PM, Report abuse   Reply

my father wants to hear gandharva channel

by kakunooridayaka, hyderabad, on Jul 29, 2008 12:02 AM, Report abuse   Reply

WE WANT TO HEAR ALL THE RADIO STATIONSPLZ INVITE ME TO ALL THE STATIONS ARE FREELY AVAILABLE IN NET

by kakunooridayaka, hyderabad, on Jul 28, 2008 11:58 PM, Report abuse   Reply

i like it evary time

by RAJESH GOHER, BETUL (M.P.), on Jun 19, 2008 06:56 PM, Report abuse   Reply

woh

by ashish, patna, on Jun 07, 2008 06:11 PM, Report abuse   Reply

i want to subscribe, kindly inform me the tarrif and mode of payment

by ashokkalla, gurgaon, on May 05, 2008 01:43 PM, Report abuse   Reply

a very modern device like Computer should provide Radio Services, free of cost as most of us are always online.

by Dr. G.Usha, delhi, on Dec 21, 2007 03:23 PM, Report abuse   Reply

hi

by yathiraj, mangalore, on Dec 14, 2007 06:49 PM, Report abuse   Reply

Too pricey. Perhaps aimed at the overseas market (like me) who can't access their radio). A much better business model would be to make it free or negligible cost, and have ads on the page instead. Think about it Worldspace.

by Madhusudan, Urbana, on Dec 03, 2007 09:40 PM, Report abuse   Reply

on GANDHARV why not have gharana spl progm ? am not recving monthly mag atall >

by dr . ghate m, navi mumbai / vashi, on Nov 21, 2007 12:49 AM, Report abuse   Reply

pl give me detail abt world space radio & how to purchase subscription for it. I am located at Mohali, near Chandigarh Punjab

by Gursharan Singh, Mohali, on Oct 19, 2007 10:39 AM, Report abuse   Reply

music is d best pastime

by maddy, delhi, on Oct 10, 2007 12:40 AM, Report abuse   Reply

hi i am popy

by rajiv, chandigarh, on Sep 15, 2007 12:17 PM, Report abuse   Reply

i love musci

by Aditya, india delhi, on Sep 04, 2007 06:02 PM, Report abuse   Reply

give me details abt world space radio & its purchase details .

by DR. ATUL MULE, VENGURLA, on Sep 03, 2007 07:22 AM, Report abuse   Reply

very good

by raj, LUCKNOW, on Aug 28, 2007 01:18 PM, Report abuse   Reply

I am subscribed to Worldspace for two years. The normal subscription fee itself is more I felt. And the charges for Net radio is too too much. Any Indians such a stupid to pay 400 bucks per month for 4 channels that too you need to turn on PC and boot up to listen? This is nonesense. And their reason for this is so funny to hear.

by Anand Krishnan, Bangalore, on Aug 19, 2007 08:33 PM, Report abuse   Reply

i want to listen online radio

by aana, delhi, on Aug 17, 2007 06:35 AM, Report abuse   Reply

i'm an existing subscriber using the diva model. how do i subscribe to the online facility and i would like only two channels of the given five

by mamta sahai, calcutta, on Aug 14, 2007 10:28 AM, Report abuse   Reply

we want to acess the music from any part of the earth as i am the existing customer using the diva model not able to take any were other then the stationry instaltion EXPECTING THE SAME FIVE CHANNELS AT 200/-

by M.A.SHANAWAZ KH, HYDERABAD, on Aug 10, 2007 03:49 PM, Report abuse   Reply

Why will cost Rs.400 per month for 5 channels when it is costing less than Rs.150 for all 40 channels through the receiver? It should ideally cost around Rs.10 per channel and Rs. 25 for a bouquet of 5 channels. Looks like M$ is ripping us here.

by Srikanth, Hyderabad, on Aug 10, 2007 09:59 AM, Report abuse   Reply

For all you internet radio fans you should try out the internet radio streaming application Mundu Radio at http://radio.mundu.com and guess what its absolutely free !!!

by Ajit B, Mumbai, on Aug 10, 2007 01:51 PM, Report abuse

mast hai bidu

by vikram Dharra, chandigarh, on Aug 09, 2007 10:46 PM, Report abuse   Reply

why cant they have a free internet radio service in india that works on our connections... trust me it will take a long time to come to that standards...

by Punit, Mubai, on Aug 09, 2007 11:31 PM, Report abuse

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