Boom.fm Social Radio: Indie Artists In Social Listening Rooms

boom.fm offers yet another twist on social listening rooms by featuring music uploaded by artists. In addition to finding another way to avoid major label licensing, boom.fm is creating a social platform for music marketing. Starting from a base in South Africa, they intend to take their project international.

boom.fm recently launched in beta but the basic concept is well sketched out. The key feature is "radio for the digital age" in the form of "Radio Rooms" in which listeners can also participate as dj's, much like Turntable.fm.

However, unlike Turntable.fm and other social listening platforms, boom.fm's music does not come from major label licensing, listeners' personal collections or via services like SoundCloud and YouTube. Instead, participant bands upload their music for free streaming on the site and Radio Rooms draw from that music for listening.

This approach ties directly into boom.fm's version of music marketing platform creation which will include a variety of ways artists will be featured from tweets and Facebook posts to onsite band battles to new release listening sessions in the Radio Rooms.

Currently boom.fm is focused on South African acts is involved in local events featuring the boombus. Though the company plans to go international, being in South Africa means that many of the listening room and dj sites currently making waves in the U.S. are not available due to licensing restrictions. So boom.fm can build a solid regional base, establish what works and what doesn't and then grow as seems appropriate without fixating on the battle in the States.

Plans are in the works to offer music sales via the site and to deepen involvement in offline events.

For more on boom.fm's history and development, check out Craig Wilson's article in TechCentral: How Boom.fm plans to shake up SA’s music biz

Hypebot contributor Clyde Smith is a freelance writer and blogger. He blogs about web business models at Flux Research and the world of dance at All World Dance. To suggest music services and related topics for review at Hypebot, please contact: clyde(at)fluxresearch(dot)com.