Online Radio Streaming Hits Critical Mass
Labels: Internet, Market Research, Parks Associates, Radio, RAMP, streaming, TargetSpot, web trend
The old adage says, "Fish where the fish are." Pretty self-explanatory -- if the people you want to reach are somewhere, be where they are and don't wander off in another direction. With that in mind, it's mind-boggling that radio people still aren't acknowledging the draw of Internet radio streaming and not seeing the potential to reach listeners there. In a study that Parks Associates did recently for TargetSpot called Digital Audio Usage Trends: A Highly Engaged Listenership, the research company concluded that digital audio listening has indeed reached critical mass, with 39% of all broadband-equipped American households using Internet radio... though it's important to note that Parks included online simulcasts of terrestrial stations as part of their "Internet radio" figures. Online streaming mirrors broadcast radio usage, with around 80% of respondents consuming 1-7 hours of radio -- both Internet-based and online streams of broadcast stations -- daily on their laptops, desktops and tablets; the only device where online beat transmitter was via smartphones, which topped out at 84%. One bright spot in these figures was that 66% of Internet radio users actually listened to the same amount of -- or more broadcast radio as a result of streaming.
Here's where the money kicks in, so get your salespeople to read this next part: Listeners' ad-response rate was great for Internet radio, with 52% recalling seeing or hearing an ad online, and 40% actually responded to the commercial. Plus, Parks reports that "combining Internet radio with broadcast radio advertising boosts broadcast ad recall and increases response by 3.5 times over broadcast-only rates." Translation: If you're wasting your online stopsets, you're losing valuable revenue that can be used to reinforce your over-the-air spots. It's worth your while to check out the full report and to rally your troops to fish where the fish are -- because smartphones and Internet streaming aren't disappearing.
posted by Unknown @ Thursday, June 16, 2011,
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Broadcasters and Webcasters Challenge New Streaming Copyright Rules
Labels: copyrights, digital rights, DRM, Internet, Media Trend Watching, net radio, Radio, regulations, royalties, streaming
The Associated Press filed a report tonight saying a wide array of broadcasters and online companies announced they were formally challenging this month's new ruling on copyright royalties which, if allowed, would cripple the emerging business of music broadcasts over the Internet.
"Suit up!"
It's a good sign broadcasters -- big and small -- are jointly stepping up with webcasters to defend their positions on streaming and not simply rolling over.
According to AP:Clear Channel Communications Inc., National Public Radio, and groups representing both large and small companies providing music broadcasts online were among those asking the Copyright Royalty Board to reconsider key parts of its March 2 ruling.
That ruling, the challenging parties say, would greatly increase the amount of royalties that online music broadcasters would have to pay to record labels and performers as well as put unreasonable demands on them to track how many songs were listened to by exactly how many individuals online.
The royalties in question only apply to digital transmissions of music, such as through Web sites, and are paid to the performers of songs and record labels. Webcasters also pay additional royalties to the composers and publishers of music, similar to those also paid by over-the-air broadcasters.
Digital performance rights were originally granted to record companies in 1995, in part with the intention of protecting them against the possibility that digital transmissions could erode the sales of CDs.
That agreement (the Digital Millenium Copyright Act) set today's Digital Rights Management guidelines.
The new rules, if implemented, threaten the viability of legally-streamed music radio stations over the web -- both repeaters from traditional broadcasters as well as pure new media netcasters. Click here to see how you can help "save music streaming".
Meanwhile, web streamer Kurt Hanson of AccuRadio weighs in on the issue here.
Let's see what happens...
posted by Unknown @ Monday, March 19, 2007,
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Most Popular Canadian Radio Stations Online
Labels: Airport Info, Alexa, Canada, CMW, Internet, Radio, Radio Stations, streaming, web traffic
Now that the Canadian Music Week Conference is wrapped up and the awards for "Best Stations" handed out, which stations get the most online traffic?
Interestingly, as of today March 12th, the #1 site is not a music format or your typical News/Talk format. It's Airport Talk All The Time on CFYZ 1280 AM and available through www.gtaa.com -- the voice of Canada's busiest international airport, Toronto's Pearson International. They broadcast arrivals, departures, traffic, weather, travel stories and aviation announcements.
In Canada, Alexa says it is ranked 1,138th in total traffic.
3/27 Update: RadioandRecords.com reports that "CFYZ-AM/Toronto -- the Greater Toronto Airports Authority's information station -- is flipping to business talk on April 9 as CFBN. The station will continue running airport traffic reports and travel programming."
#2 CKWX is ranked 3,469th -- with a substantial drop over the past 6 months.
According to Alexa.com's traffic ratings, here are the most visited Canadian radio station sites:1. CFYZ 1280 AM (Pearson International Airport/Toronto)
2. CKWX - News 1130 (Rogers/Vancouver)
3. CKOI FM 96.9 (Corus/Montreal)
4. VOCM Radio (VOCM/Newfoundland)
5. CHUM 104.5 FM (CHUM/Toronto)
6. Radio Énergie (Astral/Montreal)
7. CKNW 980 AM (Corus/Vancouver)
8. 102.1FM The Edge (Corus/Toronto)
9. Mix 96 (Standard/Montreal)
10. CFOX 93.3 - The Fox (Cous/Vancouver)
posted by Unknown @ Monday, March 12, 2007,
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DJ Play This Social Radio Networking Site: Mercora
Labels: Digital, DJs, Jointblog, Media Trend Watching, Mercora, Online, profile, Radio, social networking, streaming
If you're into radio (as a music fan, talk fan or industry insider) and are tied of wading through junk social sites, you should check out a cool growing social networking site aimed at increasing DJ (and wannabe DJ) profiles. Music purists with a jones to get your DJ groove on will love it.
Mercora is a "social radio" network which enables users to become DJs and create their own user-programmed radio channel. A search function allows users to find specific songs, albums, artists, or genres of music.
It's MySpace or Last.fm without the BS junk.
"We're the largest social network you've never heard of," quipped Mercora's CEO Srivats Sampath to ClickZ.com's SearchEngineWatch. Sampath formerly was CEO of antivirus giant McAfee.
Sampath said he chose to get into radio because it was "ripe for rewriting the rules of the game." The site served more than 1.3 million DJs last year, with over 3.5 million tracks in its database. There were over 400 million searches during 300 million visits, which typically lasted 32 minutes.
Mercora offers a Web application for casual listeners, playlist software for DJs, and a mobile product to enable smartphones to become wireless radios.
The main monetization method for Mercora is its "MadWords" program, a tongue-in-cheek reference to Google's search ads. It will serve music-based ads, triggered by a keyword search.
Searches return links to all DJs on the network who are currently webcasting songs by that artist.
Mercora's mission? To catalog and organize the world's music and make it universally searchable and legally listenable. Quite simply, Mercora says "they've built the world's largest and legal music radio network composed almost entirely of music resident on people's computers."
Check it out and see what you think.
posted by Unknown @ Wednesday, February 28, 2007,
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Favorite TV show viewing: Using Internet as TiVo
Labels: ABC, brand building, Information Superhighway, Internet, Jointblog, Media Trend Watching, NBC Rewind, streaming, TiVo, TV, VCR, Video player, Viewing
The Information Superhighway keep winding and twisting. Lately, I wonder if it's becoming the new TiVo.
My TV viewing schedule has been messed up -- again. Like most people, I no longer am held captive by just a few channels. I bounce all over the place: different favorite show on a different channel on different hours. I rarely keep the TV on the same channel for back-to-back shows (same thing for my teenage daughter).
Some things are an absolute must. 24 Monday night at 9pm on Fox -- a must watch. My friends know not to call until after it's done. Heroes is another must watch -- but it's broadcast on-air at the same time as 24 on NBC.
So what do I do?
What about Wednesday nights at 10pm now, when Medium and Lost air at the same time? Or Thursday night's 9pm block, when Grey's Anatomy squares off against NBC comedies? Or when I simply don't have the time to watch at all? I never use my VCR -- gave up using that wasted old tech device a long time ago. I don't watch or care enough about TV to have a TiVo either, even for my high-def big screen.
My solution?
Same as it's been for millions of people. The Network's online streaming sites, especially for ABC as well as NBC's Rewind. The Internet is quickly becoming the new personal video player. And it's helping the TV networks build their brands online.
ABC got off the block first streaming full episodes almost a year ago a little roughly...but it has gotten much better since then. Fewer streaming dropoffs and more shows to watch. And far fewer commercials than what you'd see during a TV broadcast.
CBS launched their Innertube last summer while NBC waited to launch their full episode site in October -- last among the Big Three networks.
In my humble opinion, despite being last in, NBC's Rewind service is far better than either ABC's or CBS's service. Already, NBC's Rewind has delivered 42 million full show viewings.
My personal rankings:
#1 -- NBC
#2 -- ABC
#3 -- CBS
A new Mediaweek article reports that many are using the Network streaming sites just like I'm doing: as their personal TiVo. Just look at these just-released results for NBC:> 78% of users who streamed full-length episodes watched shows from the series they usually watch but missed on broadcast television.
This is a huge result. As a viewer, I say thank you broadband! The Internet is quickly becoming my personal video player. This model makes sense and is one to watch as a media trend.
>81% of those surveyed said they recalled specific pre-roll ads -- using single sponsors for entire shows playing only one commercial per break certainly helps make for powerful recall.
>26% said they viewed shows they had already watched on TV for a second time.
>34% said they used the site to preview shows they had never seen before.
I know I am.
posted by Unknown @ Thursday, February 15, 2007,
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Great Idea: RadioSherpa's On-Air-Now Radio Badge for Websites
Here's a great new idea for radio station websites, fan blogs and MySpace profiles that can drive word-of-mouth marketing recommendations as well as help promote the new HD Radio multi-channel push: Webpage badges that quickly show you what is on the air of your favorite radio station.
This insertable web widget badge makes it easy for stations to promote what they have on the air (and to let fans grab it to paste onto their own personal webpages, expanding a station's advertising network via digital word-of-mouth).
Very smart idea, especially if radio group clusters organize their badges on a single webpage, including the embed code below it for easy listener usage. Below shows what the WBCN/Boston widget badge looks like:
RadioSherpa is starting the idea (beta mode) in the Boston market and plans to roll it out across the country.
They show you what song is currently playing on each radio station... as they say "just like TV Guide does for television." They recreate the market's radio dial on the Internet so that "with one click you can start playing your favorite tunes."
They even customize the embedding code for MySpace or blogs.
What's more, listeners......no longer have to guess which station to listen to or where to even find the Internet stream. Better yet, you don't have to wait for the station stream to load only to find out that the song sucks. By showing you what is on you will never be disappointed.
RadioSherpa's aim is to make radio listening online easier to use and find.
If you sign up for a MySherpa account, we can even TELL YOU when one of your favorites is on the air! This is even better than presets in your car.
Give it a try.
posted by Unknown @ Monday, December 04, 2006,
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