The bèta version was in the running for a while, but today is the day: the official stand-alone Laid-Back Radio application is here. And I truly believe this is the future of radio.

I haven’t seen any online radio player like this, up yours BBC!

Download the application right here, and read along…

At the basis of this new application lay some conclusions Julius made when debriefing the Radio 2.0 conference he organised in december:

“Today, most radios have a website where listeners can find additional information about the programs. Most radios implemented podcasts and streaming in addition to their FM activity. They seem satisfied with the results but could reach a much wider audience on these new channels. We think there should be specific ways to present those podcasts or streams.”

“When radio becomes interactive and 2.0, announcers can reach their consumers who are one click away from buying.”

“Nevertheless, why do we have to open a web browser and go to a website to listen to an online radio? Where are the software and hardware making it easier to connect to online radios? And where can we find information related to the content/music being broadcasted?”

And there it is then, the neatest radio player you’ve ever seen, playing music, showing artist info, related photos, etc. etc.

This is only the first version though, from what I’ve overheard, it will only get fully interactive with the next version, coming next month, be aware!
If you are running an online radio and want to use this player, it will be fully adaptable so you may want to contact the Laid-Back team.