As of today, the streaming music service Slacker is an official channel in the Roku Channel Store. If you have a Roku box and a Slacker account (you can get a basic one for free), all you have to do is add the channel from the Roku channel menu, log in with Slacker, and you’re ready to go. The service works in both the U.S. and Canada.
When the press release crossed my inbox this afternoon, I went straight to my own Roku XR, added the Slacker channel, and signed in with my account. Other than a couple of attempts at trying to remember my password, it was an easy set-up. The interface is basic, but it does the job, and I had immediate access to my custom pre-sets and playlists in addition to Slacker’s genre-based stations.
To some extent, the Roku is a silly platform for Slacker given the lack of visual elements. However, with the number of boxes deployed, Roku does offer a wide distribution channel beyond the mobile phone market. In addition, if your best speaker system is connected to your TV, then having Slacker on the Roku means you can stream music where sound quality is highest.
One odd note about the new Slacker channel: I discovered that while I can access individual songs on-demand if they exist in a playlist, I can’t call up specific songs from my list of favorites. That’s a minor quibble, but worth pointing out. I asked Slacker about the issue, and was told individual songs should still be accessible through the search function. I haven’t tried that out yet, but I will
Meanwhile, if you haven’t tried Slacker before, may I suggest that you do? In addition to the basic service tier, you can also get Slacker Plus with no ads for $3.99/month, or Slacker Premium with on-demand song access for $9.99/month. For my money, Slacker Radio is still the best subscription music service going.