Over a year since we saw caught the first glimpse of its Jukebox, embedded in its (then) freshly designed homepage, Indiatimes*, the Internet and mobile division of the Times of India Group, is gearing up to launch its music portal. The landing page is up, and Indiatimes CEO Rishi Khiani told MediaNama that the product is set to launch next month. He declined to comment any further on plans. We haven't been able to ascertain exactly what is planned, but sources some say that the Indiatimes Music might be a subscription based service, while still others suggest that it will be an advertising driven model. Now in a market which has a number of online music streaming services, it will be difficult for Indiatimes to adopt a subscription route, unless the music is DRM free, which is unlikely to be approved by Indian labels; We're not sure of how well Hungama has done with its DRM protected monthly subscription plan, but when there is a better product (pirated DRM free music), it's unlikely that consumers will choose subscription. The free live streaming music services offer consumers easy discovery and immediate gratification. Now, there are a couple of things that Indiatimes Music can look at, if it is choosing the advertising route: - Radio Mirchi tie-up: while Indiatimes itself tends to operate in silos, the divide separating it from sister company Radio Mirchi has been bridged once in the past, when the two partnered to offer Radio Mirchi on Mobile in…
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