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78-506: Audacy , previously known as Radio.com , is a free broadcast and Internet radio platform developed by the namesake company Audacy, Inc. (formerly known as Entercom). The Audacy platform functions as a music recommender system and is the national umbrella brand for the company's radio network aggregating its over 235 local radio stations across the United States. In addition, the service includes thousands of podcasts created for

156-549: A Community trademark may consist") relevantly states that any CTM may consist of "any signs capable of being represented graphically...provided that such signs are capable of distinguishing the goods or services of one undertaking from those of other undertakings". In Shield Mark BV vs Joost Kist (case C-283/01) the EcJ basically repeats the criteria from Sieckmann v German Patent Office (case C-273/00) that graphical representation, preferably means by images, lines or characters, and that

234-450: A $ 50,000 "cap" on those fees with SoundExchange. However, DiMA and SoundExchange continue to negotiate over the per song, per listener fees. SoundExchange has also offered alternative rates and terms to certain eligible small webcasters, that allow them to calculate their royalties as a percentage of their revenue or expenses, instead of at a per performance rate. To be eligible, a webcaster had to have revenues of less than US$ 1.25 million

312-560: A 41 percent share. As of 2014, 47% of all Americans ages 12 and older—an estimated 124 million people—said they have listened to online radio in the last month, while 36% (94 million people) have listened in the last week. These figures are up from 45% and 33%, respectively, in 2013. The average amount of time spent listening increased from 11 hours, 56 minutes per week in 2013 to 13 hours 19 minutes in 2014. As might be expected, usage numbers are much higher for teens and younger adults, with 75% of Americans ages 12–24 listening to online radio in

390-402: A Last.fm employee, they were unable to participate because participation "may compromise ongoing license negotiations." SoundExchange , representing supporters of the increase in royalty rates, pointed out that the rates were flat from 1998 through 2005 (see above), without being increased to reflect cost-of-living increases. They also declared that if Internet radio is to build businesses from

468-472: A sound trademark application for its distinctive V-twin engine sound. It realized that if it could capture its own sound, it could distinguish the brand at every point of customer interaction. Just like a visual logo, the most essential qualities of a sound logo are uniqueness, memorability, and relevancy to the brand promise. Radio and television stations create their own audio identities using melodic themes to strengthen their brand. Notable examples include

546-547: A sound was not considered to be a 'trademark'. This issue was addressed by the World Trade Organization Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights , which broadened the legal definition of trademark to encompass "any sign...capable of distinguishing the goods or services of one undertaking from those of other undertaking" (article 15(1)). Despite the recognition which must be accorded to sound trademarks in most countries,

624-450: A trademark if they are accompanied by an MP3 sound file when filing a trademark electronically. In the United States, the test for whether a sound can serve as a trademark "depends on [the] aural perception of the listener which may be as fleeting as the sound itself unless, of course, the sound is so inherently different or distinctive that it attaches to the subliminal mind of the listener to be awakened when heard and to be associated with

702-555: A wireless communication network connected to a switch packet network (the internet) via a disclosed source. Internet radio involves streaming media , presenting listeners with a continuous stream of audio that typically cannot be paused or replayed, much like traditional broadcast media; in this respect, it is distinct from on-demand file serving. Internet radio is also distinct from podcasting , which involves downloading rather than streaming. Internet radio services offer news, sports, talk, and various genres of music—every format that

780-442: A year and stream less than 5 million "listener hours" a month (or an average of 6830 concurrent listeners). These restrictions would disqualify independent webcasters like AccuRadio , Digitally Imported , Club977 and others from participating in the offer, and therefore many small commercial webcasters continue to negotiate a settlement with SoundExchange. An August 16, 2008 Washington Post article reported that although Pandora

858-404: Is Geo-restricted to the United States. In addition, local advertising from the advertisers of the nearest Audacy cluster of stations to a listener is substituted over a station's advertising , along with traditional national advertising, public service announcements and Audacy features such as music news, trivia, and other minutia. Professional sports play-by-play are also geo-restricted to within

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936-619: Is a short distinctive melody or other sequence of sound, mostly positioned at the beginning or ending of a commercial. It can be seen as the acoustic equivalent of a visual logo. Often a combination of both types of logo is used to enforce the recognition of a brand. An example is the T-Mobile logo and ringtone composed by Lance Massey, the Intel logo composed by Walter Werzowa , or the Michelin logo composed by Sixième Son, who also composed

1014-432: Is adapted to their parking lots, entryways, walkways, even chairs and plant walls and extends into their advertising. Sound design for mobile phones, ATMs, laptop computers, PDAs, and countless other devices can improve the user experience by making tasks easier and more enjoyable. These sounds can also reveal something about the company that created the experience (and, in the case of personalized ringtones, something about

1092-472: Is also within the area of sound branding. The opportunities for creating a sound branding experience that conveys a brand essence and soul is possible. Bentley Motors, for instance, recently looked to create a unique brand experience by replacing all interior mechanical sounds with sound that had been created for their Continental GT car. Roland Garros, home of the French Open created an audio identity that

1170-496: Is and what it stands for); enhance consumers' experience of a product or service; or extend an organization's relationship with its audience. Another form of sound branding involves an organization's public association with or sponsorship of a musical enterprise—a non-profit music organization, for instance, or perhaps a music artist or group of artists. For example, some companies completely unrelated to music offer free music downloads on their websites. Ostensibly intended to demonstrate

1248-439: Is available on traditional broadcast radio stations. Many Internet radio services are associated with a corresponding traditional (terrestrial) radio station or radio network , although low start-up and ongoing costs have allowed a substantial proliferation of independent Internet-only radio stations. The first Internet radio service was launched in 1993. As of 2017, the most popular Internet radio platforms and applications in

1326-488: Is continuously transmitted serially (streamed) over the local network or internet in TCP or UDP packets , then reassembled at the receiver and played a second or two later. The delay is called lag , and is introduced at several stages of digital audio broadcasting. A local tuner simulation program includes all the online radios that can also be heard in the air in the city. In 2003, revenue from online streaming music radio

1404-884: Is planned to be converted into equity in the restructured company, making Soros a significant shareholder. This investment aligns with Soros' recent media interests, including involvement in the acquisitions of Vice Media and a minority stake in Crooked Media . Under its proposed plan, existing shareholders will be wiped out, while high-ranking creditors will receive equity in the reorganized company. The plan requires court approval. On February 7, 2019, Entercom launched stations for CNN , CNN International , HLN , Bloomberg Radio and Bloomberg Television on Radio.com along with podcasts from Turner Podcast Network via deals with Bloomberg L.P. and Turner Broadcasting . Two weeks later, Radio.com reached deals to add Bonneville International and Cox Media Group stations and podcasts to

1482-558: Is used in its facilities and played during award ceremonies as well as opening and closing ceremonies. In a retail environments, sound branding extends to the use of sound in order to enhance the consumer experience and influence behavior . "For instance, an academic study that took place in a Scotland supermarket found that sales of wines displayed side-by-side and priced similarly responded to music. On days when French music played, French wines outsold German wines. German wines, however, outsold French ones on days when typical German music

1560-512: The Internet . Broadcasting on the Internet is usually referred to as webcasting since it is not transmitted broadly through wireless means. It can either be used as a stand-alone device running through the Internet, or as a software running through a single computer. Internet radio is generally used to communicate and easily spread messages through the form of talk. It is distributed through

1638-586: The United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas on January 7, 2024 (case no. 24-90024), along with 47 affiliated companies. The law firm Porter Hedges, LLP is representing the firm. The bankruptcy petition lists assets and liabilities of more than $ 1 billion and the number of creditors between 5,000 and 10,000. The radio.com domain was formerly owned by CNET Networks , which purchased it, and tv.com from

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1716-520: The graphical representation of such marks sometimes constitutes a problem for trademark owners seeking to protect their marks, and different countries have different methods for dealing with this issue. Sound branding (also known as audio branding , music branding , sonic branding , acoustic branding ) is "the strategic use of sound … in positively differentiating a product or service, enhancing recall, creating preference, building trust, and even increasing sales." Audio branding can tell you whether

1794-570: The iTunes Store and Google Play , uniting all of Entercom's web and mobile efforts for their properties solely under the Radio.com app and website. The CBS Radio stations, which were part of "CBS Local" sites with their former sister television stations, also saw their main web presences moved to sub-domains of Radio.com. Some of the former CBS Local domains in markets where CBS only had radio stations remained online until late 2021 despite no longer hosting local radio content, instead carrying content from

1872-444: The "Samsung Tune". The sound logo leads to learning effects on consumer's perception of a certain product. A melody is the most memorable sequence of sound, since, when a melody starts, the human brain automatically expects the ending. However, some brands realize the importance the sound their brand can make and attempt to capitalize on its own uniqueness. A good example is the motorcycle brand Harley-Davidson , which, in 1994, filed

1950-476: The 'old fashioned' mentioning of brands / products directly). An example of this would be Pharrell Williams 's 2005 song 'Can I Have It Like That' (featuring Gwen Stefani), with the chorus which echoed the Burger King advertising slogan "Have It Your Way". Audio marketing, also known as on-hold marketing or on-hold messaging , is increasingly being seen as an important element of audio branding. It involves

2028-525: The Audacy app in a new deal in August 2022. On August 17, 2021, Audacy announced a content distribution partnership with Urban One to add its stations to Audacy. On September 15, 2021, Audacy announced that Cumulus Media -owned radio stations and podcasts would be added. On May 23, 2023, Audacy signed a deal with Allen Media Group 's The Weather Channel to carry the audio of the cable network, along with

2106-526: The Australian trademarks Office, an application for a sound trademark which cannot be graphically represented with musical notation must include the following requirements. Other requirements are set out in the trademarks Office Manual of Practice and Procedure issued by IP Australia. In the European Union , Article 4 of Council Regulation (EC) No. 40-94 of 20 December 1993 ("signs of which

2184-569: The Community trademark tests for registrability and distinctiveness). While tunes are capable of registration, before 2005 noises were not. The sound of a dog barking or the crash of surf cannot be recorded in musical notation and sonograms were not accepted by the OHIM trademark registry. A change in legislation occurred in 2005 so that now the Office accepts sonograms as a graphical representation of

2262-523: The Copyright Royalty Board were required to pay to SoundExchange an annual, nonrefundable minimum fee of $ 500 for each channel and station, the fee for services with greater than 100 stations or channels being $ 50,000 annually. Sound trademark In recent times, sounds have been increasingly used as trademarks in the marketplace . However, it has traditionally been difficult to protect sounds as trademarks through registration, as

2340-490: The UK. For example, Ofcom has very strict rules about presenters endorsing products and product placement; being an Internet radio station they are free of this constraint. One of the large controversies regarding internet radio revolved around a dispute between regulators over the amount of royalties Internet radio stations had to pay out. The Copyright Royalty Board initially wanted internet radio stations to pay out 100% royalties to

2418-668: The US Copyright Royalty Board announced that "it will apply royalties to streaming net services based on revenue." Since then, websites like Pandora Radio , AccuRadio, Mog , 8tracks and recently Google Music have changed the way people discover and listen to music. The Webcaster Settlement Act of 2009 expired in January 2016, ending a 10-year period in which smaller online radio stations, Live365 among them, could pay reduced royalties to labels. On January 31, 2016, webcasters who are governed by rules adopted by

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2496-631: The US, more than one in seven persons aged 25–54 years old listen to online radio each week. In 2008, 13 percent of the American population listened to the radio online, compared to 11 percent in 2007. Internet radio functionality is also built into many dedicated Internet radio devices , which give an FM like receiver user experience. In the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2012, Pandora, TuneIn Radio, iHeart Radio, and other subscription-based and free Internet radio services accounted for nearly one quarter (23 percent) of

2574-524: The United States, and Chrysalis in the United Kingdom, restrict listening to in-country due to music licensing and advertising issues. Internet radio is also suited to listeners with special interests, allowing users to pick from a multitude of different stations and genres less commonly represented on traditional radio. Internet radio is typically listened to on a standard home PC or similar device, through an embedded player program located on

2652-536: The advent of streaming RealAudio over HTTP, streaming became more accessible to a number of radio shows. One such show, TechEdge Radio in 1997, was broadcast in three formats – live on the radio, live from a RealAudio server and streamed from the web over HTTP. In 1998, the longest running internet radio show, The Vinyl Lounge , began netcasting from Sydney, Australia, from Australia's first Internet radio station, NetFM (www.netfm.net). In 1999, Australian telco "Telstra" launched The Basement Internet Radio Station but it

2730-485: The average weekly music listening time among consumers between the ages of 13 and 35, an increase from a share of 17 percent the previous year. As Internet-radio listening rose among the 13-to-35 age group, listening to AM/FM radio, which now accounts for 24 percent of music-listening time, declined 2 percentage points. In the 36-and-older age group, by contrast, Internet radio accounted for just 13 percent of music listening, while AM/FM radio dominated listening methods with

2808-409: The brand is romantic and sensual, family-friendly and everyday, indulgent and luxurious, without ever hearing a word or seeing a picture. And it gives a brand an additional way to break through audiences' shortened attention spans. The sound logo (or audio mnemonic) is one of the tools of sound branding , along with the jingle , brand music, and brand theme. A sound logo (or audio logo or sonic logo)

2886-456: The company and Radio.com as Audacy. The end tag of Audacy's station identifications was then changed to identify them as "an Audacy station", along with a seven-note sounder whose tone varies with a station's format (such as a guitar playing it for a rock station, or a softer sound for a 'Mix'-like station). The end tag for all Audacy's stations was changed once again in July 2022 to "Always live on

2964-468: The company filed its application with the following description: "The mark consists of the exhaust sound of applicant's motorcycles , produced by V-twin , common crankpin motorcycle engines when the goods are in use." Nine of Harley-Davidson's competitors filed oppositions against the application, arguing that cruiser-style motorcycles of various brands use the same crankpin V-twin engine which produces

3042-661: The concert by saying, "I want to say a special welcome to everyone that's, uh, climbed into the Internet tonight and, uh, has got into the M-bone . And I hope it doesn't all collapse." On November 7, 1994, WXYC (89.3 FM Chapel Hill, North Carolina , USA) became the first traditional radio station to announce broadcasting on the Internet. WXYC used an FM radio connected to a system at SunSite, later known as Ibiblio , running Cornell's CU-SeeMe software. WXYC had begun test broadcasts and bandwidth testing as early as August 1994. WREK (91.1 FM, Atlanta , GA USA) started streaming on

3120-536: The creation of brand-congruent voice and music tracks, which are used by companies to communicate marketing messages to customers over the telephone. Typically, these messages are played while a customer is waiting on hold or while they are being transferred. They are also frequently used as part of interactive voice response systems designed to handle large volumes of calls. Different attributes of voice and music, including tempo, tone, pitch and volume, are all taken into account in order to create messaging that reinforce

3198-580: The first European radio station to broadcast its full program live on the Internet. It broadcast its FM signal, live from the source, simultaneously on the Internet 24 hours a day. On May 1, 1997, Radio306.com (now Pure Rock Radio ) launched in Saskatoon, Canada. The internet-only station purerockradio.net celebrated 20 years on air in 2017 as the longest-running Canadian internet station. Internet radio also provided new opportunities to mix music with advocacy messages. In February 1999, Zero24-7 Web Radio

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3276-538: The free Audacy app." Audacy, Inc. put the Radio.com domain up for auction on December 29, 2022, with a minimum required bid of $ 2.5 million ( USD ); by June 1, 2023, the auction had closed without a winner. On July 19, 2022, Audacy announced a redesign of their player on their website and their app to include enhanced features such as "Enhanced Rewind" allowing listeners to rewind spoken-word programming, curated discovery of content, seamless cross-device functionality, and enriched podcast listening. In early January 2024, it

3354-587: The initial public stock offering for Broadcast.com set a record at the time for the largest jump in price in stock offerings in the United States. The offering price was US$ 18 and the company's shares opened at US$ 68 on the first day of trading. The company was losing money at the time and indicated in a prospectus filed with the Securities Exchange Commission that they expected the losses to continue indefinitely. Yahoo! purchased Broadcast.com on July 20, 1999, for US$ 5.7 billion. With

3432-532: The last month, compared to 50% of Americans ages 25–54 and 21% of Americans 55+. The weekly figures for the same age groups were 64%, 37% and 13%, respectively. In 2015, it was recorded that 53% of Americans, or 143 million people, ages 12 and up currently listen to internet radio. Some stations, such as Primordial Radio , use Internet radio as a platform as opposed to other means such as FM or DAB , as it gives greater freedom to broadcast as they see fit, without being subject to regulatory bodies such as Ofcom in

3510-422: The latest advances in digital compression" and delivered "AM radio-quality sound in so-called real time." Eventually, companies such as Nullsoft and Microsoft released streaming audio players as free downloads. As the software audio players became available, "many Web-based radio stations began springing up." In 1995, Scott Bourne founded NetRadio.com as the world's first Internet-only radio network. NetRadio.com

3588-417: The musicians whose songs were played compared to the 15% that satellite radio stations had to pay. This disagreement was temporarily postponed when the webmaster act of 2008 and 2009 was passed. Internet radio was pioneered by Carl Malamud . In 1993, Malamud launched " Internet Talk Radio ", which was the "first computer-radio talk show, each week interviewing a computer expert". The first Internet concert

3666-422: The nearest CBS-owned television station . On June 25, 2018, Entercom announced that Radio.com would become the exclusive streaming provider for all of its stations, ending its relationship with the third-party service TuneIn . Stations previously owned by Entercom pre-merger were removed on July 6, and former CBS Radio stations were removed on August 1. At that time, Entercom's stations would also begin promoting

3744-466: The new rates, many smaller Internet radio stations will have to shut down." The Digital Media Association (DiMA) said that even large companies, like Yahoo! Music, might fail due to the proposed rates. Some observers said that some U.S.-based Internet broadcasts might be moved to foreign jurisdictions where US royalties do not apply. Many of these critics organized SaveNetRadio.org, "a coalition of listeners, artists, labels and webcasters" that opposed

3822-546: The nonprofit Internet Multicasting Service for $ 30,000 in 1996. CNET, and in turn the radio.com domain, was acquired by CBS Corporation (the parent company of CBS Radio at the time) in 2008. Radio.com launched on July 16, 2010, under CBS Radio. It was originally launched as a central website to stream all of CBS's then 130 radio stations, Last.fm and other CBS properties. The original features were currently-playing information, song history, station and genre search, presets, blogs, newsfeeds, and social media tools. Later that year

3900-447: The platform, hosted elsewhere or station programming on demand. It was initially developed by CBS Radio and was acquired by the former Entercom as part of the company's takeover of CBS Radio. The service's main competitors are rival station groups iHeartMedia 's iHeartRadio and TuneIn . Audacy is available online via mobile devices and devices such as Chromecast and Amazon Fire TV . Audacy Corp. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in

3978-496: The platform. On September 25, 2019, Salem Media Group and Alpha Media stations were made available on the service. Beasley Broadcast Group stations joined the service on November 11, 2020. On November 25, 2019, Disney Channels Worldwide agreed to terms to feature Radio Disney and Radio Disney Country's streams on the service; they were removed in January 2021 as Disney wound down their American radio operations, excluding ESPN Radio . Disney-branded music stations returned to

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4056-562: The product of recordings, the performers and owners of those recordings should receive fair compensation. On May 1, 2007, SoundExchange came to an agreement with certain large webcasters regarding the minimum fees that were modified by the determination of the Copyright Royalty Board . While the CRB decision imposed a $ 500 per station or channel minimum fee for all webcasters, certain webcasters represented through DiMA negotiated

4134-644: The proposed royalty rates. To focus attention on the consequences of the impending rate hike, many US Internet broadcasters participated in a "Day of Silence" on June 26, 2007. On that day, they shut off their audio streams or streamed ambient sound, sometimes interspersed with brief public service announcements voiced, written and produced by popular voiceover artist Dave Solomon. Notable participants included Rhapsody , Live365 , MTV , Pandora , Digitally Imported and SHOUTcast . Some broadcasters did not participate, such as Last.fm , which had just been purchased for US$ 280 million by CBS Music Group . According to

4212-410: The representation must be clear, precise, self-contained, easily accessible, intelligible, durable and objective. This definition generally encompasses sound marks, and therefore an applicant for a CTM may use musical notation to graphically represent their trademark. A piece of music —a tune, or a ring tone on a telephone —can be easily registered as a trademark (provided, of course, that it meets

4290-467: The respective station's website or on a smartphone app. In recent years, dedicated devices that resemble and offer the listener a similar experience to a traditional radio receiver have arrived on the market. Streaming technology is used to distribute Internet radio, typically using a lossy audio codec . Streaming audio formats include MP3 , Ogg Vorbis , Ogg Opus , Windows Media Audio , RealAudio , AAC and HE-AAC (or aacPlus ). Audio data

4368-577: The same day using their own custom software called CyberRadio1. However, unlike WXYC, this was WREK's beta launch and the stream was not advertised until a later date. On December 3, 1994, KJHK 90.7 FM, a campus radio station located in Lawrence, Kansas , at the University of Kansas , became one of the first radio stations in the world to broadcast a live and continuous stream over Internet radio. Time magazine said that RealAudio took "advantage of

4446-488: The same reasons. On September 30, 2008, the United States Congress passed "a bill that would put into effect any changes to the royalty rate to which [record labels and web casters] agree while lawmakers are out of session." Although royalty rates are expected to decrease, many webcasters nevertheless predict difficulties generating sufficient revenue to cover their royalty payments. In January 2009,

4524-532: The same sound. After six years of litigation , with no end in sight, in early 2000, Harley-Davidson withdrew their application. Other companies have been more successful in registering their distinctive sounds: MGM and their lion's roar; the NBC chimes ; famous basketball team the Harlem Globetrotters and their theme song " Sweet Georgia Brown "; Intel and the three-second chord sequence used with

4602-630: The service launched its first app for iOS . In addition the service added custom channels and music from AOL Radio and Yahoo Music . In 2015, the service added a music video streaming option. These deals eventually ended quietly, especially after AOL and Yahoo's mergers into Oath . Entercom acquired CBS Radio, including Radio.com, on November 17, 2017. Throughout early and mid-2018, disparate individual mobile apps and sites for Entercom's legacy stations (sometimes developed outside Entercom by local third parties for individual stations and often not being hosted universally by one provider) were withdrawn from

4680-501: The service, in particular, suffixing "a Radio.com station" after their legal station identifications at the top of each hour. Smart speaker integration of the service was launched within the same period. In October 2019, the app debuted a feature called "Rewind", where several of Entercom's spoken word content stations maintain a 24-hour on-demand buffer of programming that can be accessed through rewind, fast-forward, and skip back/forward controls. On March 30, 2021, Entercom rebranded

4758-481: The short variations of the BBC Radio 2 or Classic FM jingles . In recent years, television station idents have also introduced their own audio identities to strengthen their brand recognitions. There are typically four to six steps involved in creating a sound logo: Once completed, the audio elements should be managed just like the rest of a company's brand assets. Creating a brand experience using sound

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4836-595: The sounds at key points in advertising materials via video-based or sound-based ads both online and via traditional channels like TV and radio. Newer technologies for small recordable devices like the Botski, which is a sticker-based recordable device that can be applied to substrates like paper, cardboard or other packaging and or marketing materials to help brands differentiate themselves beyond visual mediums. Sound branding encompasses many other tactics intended to convey organizational or product identity (who an organization

4914-468: The source or event with which it struck". This was the fairly strict test applied by the US Trademark Trial and Appeal Board in the case of General Electric Broadcasting Co., 199 USPQ 560, in relation to the timed toll of a ship 's bell clock. More famously, Harley-Davidson attempted to register as a trademark the distinctive "chug" of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle engine . In 1994,

4992-410: The sponsoring organization's good will from a cultural patronage stand point, practices like these also brand the organization by calling public attention to its beliefs, its values, and its aesthetic sensibilities. It is arguable that sound branding is now using 'subliminal' brand placement in pop song lyrics to echo a corporate slogan, a company's 'Unique Selling Point' or 'brand values' (rather than

5070-427: The station's broadcast area, with either alternate/regular programming or a disclaimer airing instead online outside its market area. ** = Audacy operates pursuant to a local marketing agreement with Martz Communications Group . Internet radio Internet radio , also known as Online radio , web radio , net radio , streaming radio , e-radio and IP radio , is a digital audio service transmitted via

5148-533: The streams of the Pattrn and Weather Channel en Español FAST channels. After a five-year absence, Audacy's stations returned to TuneIn at the end of June 2023 as part of a new content partnership with the latter. In addition to traditional desktop availability, the service is available via iOS / WatchOS and Android mobile and tablet devices, along with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant -compatible smart speakers and other devices. Streaming of Audacy content

5226-981: The user themselves). Sound branding also encompasses the use of targeted audio messages by organizations to communicate with customers over the telephone, known as on-hold marketing or on-hold messaging. These messages are typically deployed on an organizations interactive voice response (IVR) switchboard system or when customers are placed on hold and incorporate short, informative voice messages often accompanied by music. A study commissioned by audio branding specialist PHMG provided insight into consumer perceptions of on-hold marketing. It revealed 70 percent of consumers are put on hold for more than 50 percent of their calls and 68 percent of consumers are put on hold for longer than one minute. When on hold, 73 percent of callers want to hear something other than beeps or silence and 76 percent preferred to hear something other than Muzak . Companies integrate sound branding and audio styles into marketing efforts in several ways — by including

5304-633: The values conveyed through a company's visual branding. Changes in consumer perceptions towards audio marketing have played a large part in its adoption. Negative perceptions were traditionally attached to on-hold marketing but a more recent survey conducted by CNN found that 70% of callers in the United States who are made to hold the line in silence will hang up within 60 seconds, while further research by PHMG found 73 percent of consumers want to hear something more than beeps or silence on hold. In Australia, sound trademarks are generally acceptable if they can be represented by musical notation. According to

5382-681: The world include (but are not limited to) TuneIn Radio , iHeartRadio , and Sirius XM . In the U.S., unlike over-the-air broadcast radio, an FCC license is not required to operate an Internet radio service. Internet radio services are usually accessible from anywhere in the world with a suitable internet connection available; one could, for example, listen to an Australian station from Europe and America. This has made internet radio particularly suited to and popular among expatriate listeners. Nevertheless, some major networks like TuneIn Radio , Audacy , Pandora Radio , iHeartRadio and Citadel Broadcasting (except for news/talk and sports stations) in

5460-431: Was "one of the nation's most popular Web radio services, with about 1 million listeners daily...the burgeoning company may be on the verge of collapse" due to the structuring of performance royalty payment for webcasters. "Traditional radio, by contrast, pays no such fee. Satellite radio pays a fee but at a less onerous rate, at least by some measures." The article indicated that "other Web radio outfits" may be "doomed" for

5538-533: Was US$ 49 million. By 2006, that figure rose to US$ 500 million. A February 21, 2007 "survey of 3,000 Americans released by consultancy Bridge Ratings & Research" found that "[a]s much as 19% of U.S. consumers 12 and older listen to Web-based radio stations." In other words, there were "some 57 million weekly listeners of Internet radio programs. More people listen to online radio than to satellite radio, high-definition radio, podcasts, or cell-phone-based radio combined." An April 2008 Arbitron survey showed that, in

5616-565: Was a pioneer in Internet radio. It was the first Internet-only network to be licensed by ASCAP. NetRadio eventually went on to an IPO in October 1999. Most of the current Internet radio providers followed the path that NetRadio.com carved out in digital media. In mid December 1995, Vancouver-based AM radio station CKNW became the first commercial radio station in Canada to stream 24/7 over the internet. In March 1996, Virgin Radio – London became

5694-535: Was announced that Audacy would be preparing to file for bankruptcy within the upcoming weeks. On January 7, 2024, Audacy filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. As part of the bankruptcy reorganization, Audacy has made a deal with its creditors to transfer control to them while cutting approximately $ 1.6 billion of its debt. Investment firm Soros Fund Management has emerged as the largest creditor in Audacy's prepackaged Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, holding over $ 400 million of its highest-ranking debt. This debt

5772-493: Was broadcast on June 24, 1993, by the band Severe Tire Damage . In March 1994, an unofficial automated rebroadcast of Irish radio news was setup as the RTE To Everywhere Project, allowing Irish people across the world daily access to radio news from home until it was rendered obsolete in 1998. In November 1994, a Rolling Stones concert was the "first major cyberspace multicast concert." Mick Jagger opened

5850-489: Was later shut down in 2003 as it was not a viable business for the company. From 2000 onwards, most Internet radio stations increased their stream quality as bandwidth became more economical. Today , most stations stream between 64 kbit/s and 128 kbit/s providing near CD quality audio. As of 2017 the mobile app Radio Garden , a research project of the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision ,

5928-422: Was launched. It was the first Internet radio station to be crowdsourced and programmed by professional broadcasters and crowdfunded by a unique partnership of people, charities and businesses. Out of Washington DC, the station mixed progressive music and green messages. It was created by BBC and WHFS veteran Mark Daley . Internet radio attracted significant media and investor attention in the late 1990s. In 1998,

6006-612: Was playing. British department store chain Selfridges is one of the notable brands to have enjoyed success with this approach, creating distinct consumer 'zones' within its stores, which change visually and sonically so customers know they have passed into a new department. These zones are often tailored to suit a particular product, customer profile, season or even times of the day and week. The Swedish Mall, Emporia, has also found success using soundscapes to help guide customers. Unibail Rodamco upscale malls have an audio identity that

6084-898: Was streaming approximately 8,000 radio stations to a global audience. In October 1998, the US Congress passed the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), one result of which is that performance royalties are to be paid for satellite radio and Internet radio broadcasts in addition to publishing royalties. In contrast, traditional radio broadcasters pay only publishing royalties and no performance royalties. A rancorous dispute ensued over how performance royalties should be assessed for Internet broadcasters. Some observers said that royalty rates that were being proposed were overly burdensome and intended to disadvantage independent Internet-only stations —that "while Internet giants like AOL may be able to afford

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