A new music streaming service called urRadio was launched in late March. It comes with most the bells and whistles you’d expect of streaming music services, but for free. urRadio adds to the social component by encouraging users to be DJs and share their sets with other users.

But is urRadio all that it promises? And how does it compare to other streaming services?

Main features

urRadio: urRadio LiveSync technology allows users to listen to each other’s stations, playlists or events together live and in perfect sync. Users can also instant message each other while listening together. There’s also a Live Mic feature that allows users to talk live over their music, just like what a DJ does on the radio, or simply give a shout out to their listeners. Unlike other services compared in this list, urRadio does not charge users to stream to an unlimited number of listeners.

urRadio also features HarmonicHertz technology that converts songs to 432 Hz, which is recognized as the most natural and harmonious frequency for human listening. Its repository offers 30 million licensed songs for Top 100 label artists such as Taylor Swift, Kanye West and Ariana Grande, and provides unlimited song skip and live social playlists.

It also integrates with Facebook and Twitter; offers real-time insight on urRadio community’s most popular stations, songs and albums; uses Smart algorithm technology to provide recommendations, build playlists based on favorite music or listening habits, and search for music; and features Insta Sets for the quick creation of playlists. The patented StreamMerge technology seamlessly merges voice and music data into a single stream and allows users to speak over or between songs. This service is totally free.

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Spotify: Listeners can choose to listen to Spotify for free or by subscribing to a Premium plan that costs $10 a month, or you can try the premium version for free for 30 days. The free version allows listeners to shuffle play any artist or playlist on mobile, but has ads, and you can only skip six times per hour.

The premium version offers a lot more features, such as play on-demand on mobile, offline listening, no ads, unlimited skips, better sound quality and the ability to play Spotify on your home speakers.

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Pandora: Pandora offers podcasts, Facebook integration, limited skipping of songs with the free account, and Radio. It is built on the Music Genome Project, which uses a patented mathematical algorithm that scans over 400 musical attributes (like rhythm, tempo, syncopation, key tonality, vocal harmonies, etc.) to create customized “stations” based on a person’s music preference. There is a free version, but it was laced with ads. Or you can pay the $36 annual fee for ad-free listening.

Platform

urRadio: Web client, iOS and Android.

Spotify: Windows, Mac and Linux, iOS, Android, BlackBerry, Symbian and Windows Phone.

Pandora:  iOS, Windows Phone Android, BlackBerry, HP webOS (used on the Palm Pre, Palm Pixi,Palm Pre 2, and HP Veer), media streaming devices, such as the Roku, Reciva-based radios from companies like Grace Digital, Sanyo, and Sangean, Frontier Silicon-based connected audio systems, Slim Devices, Google TV and Sonos products.

It has a desktop widget for Windows 7 and Vista and can be played in vehicles, including but not limited to the BMW, Buick, Ford, GMC, Honda, Hyundai, Lexus, Lincoln, Mercedes Benz, MINI, Nissan, Scion, and Toyota, with some having voice control features.

Operations

urRadio: Global.

Spotify: Global.

Pandora: United States, Australia and New Zealand.

Image source: http://www.urradio.com/featured