San Diego - Slacker, a digital music start-up whose products include a Web radio service and satellite- and Wi-Fi-enabled portable player, has raised $13.5 million in its first round of venture capital, from Sevin Rosen, Austin Ventures and Mission Ventures, VentureBeat reported.

The San Diego-based company, which was founded by former executives from Musicmatch, Rio and iriver, launched its personalized Web radio service in beta on Wednesday.

Slacker has so far licensed 2 million songs for delivery on its radio service, which is free in an ad-supported version but will be available as a more interactive service for $7.50 per month beginning in the second quarter.

The company also plans to introduce a portable player this summer with a 4-inch color screen that will receive and store music via both a satellite delivery service and Wi-Fi connectivity. The flash memory-based devices will range in price from $149 to $299.

Related Links:
http://venturebeat.com/2007/03/13/slacker-the-real-ipod-killer

http://tinyurl.com/352725 (CNET)

http://blog.wired.com/music/2007/03/broadband_instr_1.html

http://www.slacker.com