According to an article in today's Chronicle ("Microsoft creates static over new radio feature")...
Microsoft is using playlists from more than 900 local radio stations around the country to create its own soundalike Internet stations -- stripped of local DJ chatter, traffic, weather and commercials.
And some local stations are crying foul and talking "trademark infringement".
How did Microsoft get the playlists? It bought them. Anybody can. The twist is that they feed those playlists into their automated system, which then plays the tracks from it, without those pesky commercials or perky DJs. They already have all the music (since they're going to be selling it) so — voila! Instant radio station, just add water!
My suspicion is that Microsoft would be better off not mentioning specific taglines like "Lite rock, less talk", much as TV commercials avoid invoking their competitor/inspiration's name. Otherwise, as things stand, collections of data (like playlists) cannot be copyrighted in the United States.
The question on my mind though, is, "Oh, who cares!?!?" I mean, I listen to Internet radio to get away from the crap on local stations. I like KFOG, I've started to like Live 105 again, and I like KALX. I can just turn on the radio and listen to them, and I don't mind the DJs. And in the case of KALX, there's very little talk and no ads, since it's a college station, and it sure doesn't look like Microsoft had any interest in copying them, from what I can see on their site.
When I get really sick of local stations, I'm looking for something different. There's commercial-free (and DJ-free) Boombastic Radio, there's Groove Salad (I'm too lazy to look for the URL right now), or maybe I do want to dial up a commercial radio station after all — how about Virgin Radio? (I do get a kick out of listening to the evening traffic reports in the morning, or the funny and veddy British commercials. Not to mention the DJs with their cute accents.) And how can I forget Shoutcast, whose top-forty list includes stations from San Francisco to Paris, but always seems to be dominated by South Korean stations?
Maybe I'm in the minority here, but it seems to me that by playing it so safe and unimaginative, Microsoft is completely missing the point of Internet radio.
Edited to add: Yeah, they have international stations too, but my point remains. There's a big world out there.
