Radical.FM debuts on Android; Another ad free streaming radio service to try Out

Yesterday you might have seen the news that Google bought up Songza. Good for Songza and good for Google Music All Access. While Songza is still up and running as normal, there will be a time when it will be absorbed by Google and the current apps will cease to exist. There are more streaming services out there than one can possibly count and now there is one more that is looking to give you your streaming music fix, Radical.FM.

“Tremendous effort has gone into making these powerful new apps faster and more intuitive,” said CEO Tom McAlevey. “But unlike Beats, which offers nothing Spotify hasn’t offered for years, or Amazon Prime Music, which is missing half the music iTunes has offered for a decade, Radical.FM offers a truly unique concept built on one of the world’s most comprehensive music libraries.”

The app seems pretty simple to use. You set up your account for free and cruise through the set up process and add the genres and styles you want to hear. You can adjust and fine tune what is delivered on a separate settings screen or search for specific songs and artists. The service has been out on iOS for quite sometime and one can tell that is where it got its roots when you look at the screenshots below.

Very iOS like isn’t it? While it could use a major UI overhaul for Android, it does stream music to your device and is commercial free for free. Random.FM claims access to over 25 million searchable tracks too. So how does a free app, without ads, without commercials be available legally? Well, Radical.FM compensates artists, composers, and labels for all the music streamed and runs solely on a “Pay What You Can” model. In a nutshell, you drop a few bucks here and there so they can pay the guys for the tunes you are listening too. If you don’t pay anything, you can still listen. 

“It’s a radical revenue model, and people wonder how we can pay music streaming’s high royalties on a free app without commercials,” continues McAlevey. “When I drove my dune-buggy across Africa, I was confronted by Arabic police, spear-wielding natives, and AK-47-toting militia. More often than not, they helped rather than hindered me, reminding me that if treated with respect, people tend to do the right thing. As users discover Radical’s outstanding service, many of them will be proud to support it.”

It has some potential if they can get someone with some Android skills at the helm for a redesign. Feel free to give it a download and try via the nifty box below. Oh, and it is US only for now. Sorry everyone else in the world.