(FORTUNE Magazine) – Will audiophiles pay $10 a month for a better version of something they now get for nothing? That's the somewhat brazen concept behind a new service that delivers music to home stereo units free of static, commercials, and deejay patter. The music is transmitted digitally through standard cable TV wires. Using a special tuner box, subscribers can dial up to 30 channels, such as big band music, children's tunes, and MTV. The concept has been around for years, but Digital Cable Radio, in Hatboro, Pennsylvania, a Philadelphia suburb, is the first to roll it out in a big way. Digital claims to have 10,000 subscribers in 16 cities, among them San Diego and Boca Raton, Florida. Investors, who have put up $38 million, include General Instrument, Comcast Corp., Continental Cablevision, and Cox Communications. Two other companies are also tuning in. Digital Music Express, a service of International Cablecasting Technologies of Beverly Hills, has linked up with Tele-Communications Inc. and Scientific-Atlanta to provide a similar service. Digital Radio Laboratories Inc., in Carson, California, near Los Angeles, is still seeking partners for its Digital Planet service. - L.K.