LAUNCHcast
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|
| Developer(s) |
LAUNCH Media (2001-2002) Yahoo! (2002-2009/2014-present) CBS Radio (2009-2012) iHeartRadio (2012-2014) |
|---|---|
| Initial release | November 11, 1999 (as LAUNCHcast) |
| Type |
Broadcasting Internet Radio |
Yahoo! Music Radio (formerly known as LAUNCHcast) was an Internet radio service offered by Clear Channel Communications' iHeartRadio through Yahoo! Music. The service, formerly offered by LAUNCH Media, and originally developed by Todd Beaupré and Jeff Boulter, debuted on November 11, 1999, and was purchased by Yahoo! on June 28, 2001. Previously, LAUNCHcast combined with CBS Radio beginning in 2009, then iHeartRadio in 2012. The service closed in 2013 or 2014.
LAUNCHcast allowed users to create personal radio stations or playlists of songs tailored to their musical tastes.
To create a personal station, users rated music on a 4-star or 100-point (depending on one's preference) scale. The service used those ratings to create a personal station of songs based on a user's favorite genres, artists, albums, and songs. The generated playlist contained a combination of rated and recommended songs. The ratio of rated/recommended songs could be specified by each user, but by default it was 50/50.
A recommendation engine suggested songs that might have matched a user's particular musical taste according to the following similarity criteria:
Users were not required to participate in the ratings system to listen to music. Pre-programmed stations based on theme, genre, or artist were available throughout the Yahoo Music website.
Music videos could also be rated, allowing users to create personal music video channels as well. For legal reasons, specific songs could not be played whenever one wished. However, videos could be. The service could generate a personal video channel based on a single selection.
Users also have the option to turn off explicit lyrics while listening to their customized stations.
Users could share their personal stations publicly and listen to other users' stations.
When LAUNCHcast plus was implemented in January 2003, music was available for streaming for free at "Low" or "Medium" quality; although in 2007, these were combined into "Standard".
Between tracks, free accounts would hear commercial advertising for the Yahoo service and its partners and affiliates. The advertisements were generally 30 seconds. In 2007 Yahoo added permanent banner ads to the LAUNCHcast player.
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