Following on the heels of the two prominent heavy metal bands making headlines in the digital music world, an LA-based dotcom music company launches a one-hour, simulcasted radio show in hopes of harnessing the power of the Internet.

Metallica continues its battle with Napster over copyright infringement and Iron Maiden recently announced it would distribute a digitally secured CD to its concert fans.

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Musicblitz is taking a different approach to the Internet. Instead of trying to control the medium, Musicblitz CEO Kevin Nakao hopes capitalize on what the Internet does best: marketing and promotion.

"We are a hybrid of brick-and-mortar retail, college marketing, FM/AM radio stations, and an Internet company," said Kevin Nakao, CEO of Musicblitz. "This medium is a really good place to distribute music to those heavy metal music fans. But this would be impossible to do with artists that nobody has heard of. You need bands that are still out there touring that people have heard of. That is key to getting airplay on radio stations."

Musicblitz has inked deals with over 100 artists to provide exclusive downloads that the company makes available for free download at the Musicblitz website, where listeners can also listen exclusively to the second hour of the show.

The first hour of the show will air Saturday nights at 9 p.m. on 97.1 KLSX-FM in Los Angles and feature songs from artists such as Motorhead, Kittie, Nashville Pussy, and Static-X.

But Nakao promises that people who tune in will get more than just a dose of the Musicblitz stable of artists.

"We are focused on the consumer and the fans for metal and hard rock," Nakao said. "We work with other artists on other labels and independent bands to record new music. And the whole reason we offer these recordings for free online is to give people something unique and special who listen to the radio show."

By simulcasting the show on a terrestrial station as well as the Web, the company can also capitalize on emerging revenue streams created by melding the online and offline world of media.

According to an Arbitron case study, more than 66 percent of advertising agencies expect to increase their webcasting budget this year while more than half of the agencies not advertising on webcasts expect to do so this year.

Add to that the increase in ad revenues for the radio industry, which are up nearly 21 percent in the first quarter of 2000.

"In terms of making money, we are seeing that people tried to get away from corporate, mega-radio," Malcolm Maclachlan, media e-commerce analyst at IDC, said. "Having the online and offline is a great way to promote their site. I think we'll be seeing more of this type of hybrid."

Two other Internet companies –- Farmclub.com and Riffage.com –- have opted to use cable television to broadcast their respective music shows.