This says to me that what will be called in from listeners will be the most popular songs/musicians. This will deprive other listeners of hearing new music altogether and will bring us one step closer to streamlining the media. How can a fresh new sound be heard if the DJ doesn't play it. There can't be enough votes for it to be heard. Marketing has taken the place of music. Good music will eventually always come thru somehow. Doesn't the station want to be in on it. It seems to me that the listener can hear the songs they want and know online. What is the point of a radio station then? How about the DJ's comments and stuff about the music, or some background info? Isn't this stuff interesting to anyone? I like to hear about the song that was written while in a drunken stupper on a train ride to nowhere. It keeps me interested even if I have heard the song 100 times. I vote keep the DJ and let them do their job. Pick and play MUSIC.

den, dutchess, new york

while this is to be applauded, internet radio has already lost to services like Pandora; A personalised station with no audio ads, that plays what you want it to play.

it's just a shame that they're having to jump through hoops that the US congress keeps putting in front of them.

fod, london, england

Very interesting development of content access by users. Choice (personalisation) of content is more advanced via the Web and it is clear that other media now need to model this characteristic to improve the user experience so that they can continue to engage with their audiences. A question that springs to mind is the extent of user testing carried out by XFM prior to the launch of this service. The article mentions 'audience research' but does not define the mechanisms used within this research.

This service will push data traffic onto the Web and onto mobile networks hence increasing the value of these platforms - perhaps XFM's sales teams are discussing sponsorship of the 'user generated' programs with a mobile network operator.

The Television industry also needs to take note of these developments as TV's value chain continues to fragment with ad revenues slipping further south.

Ifraz Mughal, Brighton, United Kingdom