8tracks Radio Releases iPhone App 2.0

SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwire - Oct 26, 2012) - 8tracks, an internet radio service curated by people, today announced a brand-new version of its mobile app for iOS. The free app allows listeners to stream radio-style playlists for any mood or occasion and from every genre and country, delivering the best music discovery experience on the internet.

8tracks hosts more than 600,000 online mixtapes handcrafted by people who know and love music. Each month, 5 million active users stream 10 million hours on the 8tracks network; over the last year, web visits have doubled while listening hours have tripled.

New features in version 2.0 include:

• a completely new UI
• iPhone 5 and iOS 6 optimization
• mix discovery by mood and genre combinations
• no ads for a limited time
• faster, better playback
• fullscreen artwork
• swipe-browse through stations and mixes
• ability to find and invite friends

8tracks raised a seed round in 2011, led by Index Ventures and including participation from Andreessen Horowitz, SoftTech, SPA, English DJ Pete Tong, and 7digital founder Ben Drury. The service is supported by advertising and represented by Fuse. 8tracks also works with VICE and Pitchfork to offer playlists and other integrated marketing for brands. 8tracks turned a modest profit in the last quarter.

"After a while, algorithmic-based internet radio often starts repeating the same music, which gets boring and reduces the opportunity for music discovery. 8tracks is the soulful, handcrafted David to the algorithmic Goliath of Pandora," said David Porter, CEO of 8tracks. "Our DJs are passionate about creating mixes of music they love. Our listeners benefit from better selection, frequently organized by moods or other themes that transcend genre, plus a greater ability to find new music that they too will love."

8tracks differs from other popular online music services. Unlike Pandora's algorithmic approach or Songza's editorial approach, 8tracks' radio-style playlists are curated by a subset of its users -- people who make mixes for the love of music and the respect of devoted listeners. At its core, 8tracks is a unidirectional social network (like Twitter or Tumblr), with a smaller number of curators and a larger number of consumers.

In contrast to 8tracks or other internet radio services, Spotify is principally designed for on-demand access to specific songs or artists a listener already knows. While people can create a playlist on Spotify, those who do so on 8tracks do so with the intent of curation, for an audience rather than personal listening, and this is reflected in the quality of the programming.

8tracks is free and available on iOS, Android, and Windows phones and on the web at www.8tracks.com.

About 8tracks:

8tracks is internet radio created by people, not algorithms.

Those who know and love music can curate an online mixtape with eight or more tracks, including title, art and tags. Listeners can stream playlists for any mood or occasion and from every genre and country, providing an unparalleled source for music discovery.

Located in the Mission Dolores neighborhood of San Francisco, 8tracks was founded in 2006, launched on August 8^th, 2008, hired its first employees in August 2011, raised its first institutional round in October 2011, and reached profitability in July 2012.

For more information, please visit www.8tracks.com.