National Public Radio may be best known for its fringe music selection (jazz, folk, bluegrass, world, etc.), its liberal, left-wing talk radio shows, and its niche programs that limp along at what could kindly be described as a ponderous pace (the latter hilariously spoofed on Saturday Night Live). But the truth is that they are an independently owned and operated radio broadcast network, the most notable publicly funded entity of their type within the U.S., and they offer a decidedly independent spin on the news of the day, which 26 million listeners find refreshing enough that they’re willing to eschew other offerings on the FM dial. And it seems that NPR has decided to expand their appeal and adopt the de facto future of music by expanding their service to tempt those that prefer to get their media by mobile means.

The NPR Music app just launched for the iPhone, iPod, and iPad in a bid to take NPR’s business into the future. According to executive producer of NPR Music Anya Grundmann, the expansion was predicated by changing trends in music, including the fact that “people in their early 20s don’t usually own radios” – a timely observation that other broadcasters would do well to remember. And of course, NPR is simply trying to remain relevant within the broadcast industry, which necessarily means moving into emerging media outlets. But aside from the music and audio content they’ll offer via this free app, what they’re really trying to give listeners, old and new, is a comprehensive experience that centers around all that NPR has to offer, from streaming news and music to interviews and live concerts (including the Tiny Desk Concerts series in which bands crowd into a tiny office at NPR headquarters to perform within the cramped space – weird, but true).

Although the app will naturally follow the pattern of the radio station, offering mainly music and news, there is a lot of added value to be had from the new mobile medium. You can get live streams from dozens of public radio stations, check out “exclusive first listens” of albums pre-release, search content from a listing of 5,000+ artists, pick from popular programs titles (like All Songs Considered), download custom playlists, buy featured music, and even get personalized recommendations based on your current iTunes library. Plus, in a clear shot across the bow of Spotify, the service will also include a feature that allows for caching playlists for offline listening. And not only is content added daily, but the app promises approximately 300 new music features each month, according to Grundmann. The goal, she says, is to “create listening experiences for people”, and in this regard she sees the service they provide as that of not only a presenter of music, but a curator.

Clearly NPR pulled out the wireframe tool and got to work on this one. Grundmann revealed that this was the first time they made the effort to develop an app completely in-house. And it seems that their careful planning will pay off. The app launched just yesterday and already the reviews are overwhelmingly positive. Mobile technology is the clear future of radio, as more and more wireless companies press for increased bandwidth and whittle away at the airwaves allocated for other media. And NPR, with their high standards and alternative fare, stand to do quite well in the new world order, especially considering they are beholden to only their listeners.

Editor’s Note

Thanks to Evan Fischer for this quest post. He is a freelance writer and part-time student at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, California.