Okay, so Lucas is gonna kill me for the comparison, but is it just coincidence that only three weeks after Muzak filed for bankrupcy, Lucas Gonze launched his new site, Fresh Hot Radio? I think not. Lucas is one of those true web pioneers who’s always a few steps ahead of the rest of us, so I’m not sure I yet understand all the implications of his new site. It’s subversively simple. Open it in a web browser tab or new window and listen to the music. That’s it. Options? Nope. It’s not a stream — all the files are played using Flash from their original locations — but it plays like one, except you can pause and skip. It’s Lucas’ personally curated music. There’s no social-networking facility. It’s just for you. You can, however, click through to the source of each song to explore further. Think of discovering new up-tempo music and he artists who create it.

I look forward to the day when all elevators are playing Fresh Hot Radio instead of that Muzak stuff.