KC, the incumbent home phone and broadband ISP for Hull and East Riding (Yorkshire, UK), has launched its first free legal music streaming service ('Karoo Music') alongside We7 through its Karoo portal. Customers will also have the option to buy songs and albums as MP3 downloads to use on iPods and other digital music players.

Karoo Music also gives users a range of personalisation features that let them create their own 'radio stations' and build personal playlists, both of which can be shared with friends. The streamed music is free but will be accompanied by advertising, much like other services (e.g. Spotify).

Customers who don't want to hear advertising messages can upgrade to an ad-free version, which includes exclusive content, for £4.99 per month. Those wanting access to the 6.5 Million songs on the portal from their Smartphone's (e.g. iPhone and Android handsets) have to pay £9.99 per month.


It's good to see this sort of service being launched, yet the lack of original features and pricing over We7's standard offer makes it somewhat unoriginal. Customers require a greater and more original incentive to adopt ISP promoted music solutions over the default offerings, otherwise there's nothing to separate them. How about some FREE song downloads to entice users or more competitive music track download prices for those that subscribe?