Net radio firm speeds up

Net radio firm Spinner.com is taking a definitive step into the broadband world.

Spinner.com today outlined its strategy for tapping into the growing market for high-speed Net access via cable and digital subscriber and lines (DSL).

More and more Web services are unveiling broadband strategies in anticipation of a time when high-speed Internet connections become commonplace. Content companies such as Warner Bros. Online, for example, view broadband access as the key to attracting many more mainstream consumers, since the faster speeds allow far better delivery of rich media.

"Broadband is our Holy Grail," Warner Bros. Online executive vice president Jim Banister told CNET News.com in an earlier interview. "Warner Bros. is a broadband company in a narrowband body."

Spinner said it formed partnerships with cable provider GS Communications, the ISP Channel, and Snap, a joint venture between NBC and CNET: The Computer Network, publisher of News.com. It also is expanding on an earlier partnership with cable Net access provider @Home.

Customers of the partner high-speed services will be able to access Spinner's content via cobranded streaming music players dubbed "FacePlates," which will be customized for the individual partners and available free to users. The music player also allows users to buy CDs through Amazon.com and offers a "Rate This Song" feature as well as song and artist information, Spinner said.

"Partnerships between Spinner.com and broadband providers are natural, mutually beneficial relationships based on the ability of each of us to enhance the other's service," Josh Felser, president of Spinner.com, said in a statement.