I think the idea is that it could create an experience similar to Turntable in the sense that you can "socialize" with strangers in a safe way. Many of those strangers also may be famous or influential; there may be something valuable in an experience where you can virtually hang out with Mike Arrington.

It's cool having that kind of interaction on Twitter--and it's certainly more "human" on Turntable since you're all engaged in a common activity that occurs in real-time: listening to music. Unfortunately for Shaker (or so I predict) virtually hanging out (apologies for the oversimplification) is hardly the same thing as listening to music with other people. This sounds like a bet on a trend...