 RAIN 6/1: Tivoli targets different sort of music lover with high-end Internet radios ·Jun 1, 11:11 AM TIVOLI’S LUXURY WI-FI RADIOS TARGET MUSIC-LOVERS WITH LITTLE TIME TO SPAREWhile the common image of the post-digital revolution music lover is a playlist-building consumer who will sort through huge databases for the exact kind of music he or she loves, Tivoli Audio is targeting a different sort of individual — and using Internet radio to do so.
Tivoli Audio’s luxury Wi-Fi tabletop radios — priced at $600 to $1,000 and featuring wood finishes created by Italian furniture designers — are targeted towards the Blackberry-wielding consumers who don’t have time to burn their own CDs or sort through online music stores. They’re the type of music lover who “doesn’t want to make his wine; he wants to open a bottle,” CEO Tom DeVesto explained to The New York Times (here). That’s where Tivoli’s Wi-Fi Internet radios come in. Users have only to pick the station they want and have the good music handed to them. “You don’t want to walk into a room with 10,000 CDs and have to look at them to pick out what you want,” said DeVesto. “You want to turn on the radio, hear the song that comes on and say, ‘This is great.’” Are most consumers like Tivoli’s targeted demographic, or would they prefer searching out music for themselves? Times author Saul Hansell writes that this is the “right debate” to have with the inevitable arrival of universal broadband Internet access. Perhaps, as he writes, “most people are in fact looking for the easiest way to make music they like appear, just like they were switching on a radio.” BIA REPORT: BROADCASTERS WITH “ROBUST” ONLINE PRESENCE CAN BETTER SURVIVE REVENUE DROPSThough most radio broadcasters can expect their revenues to decline, a recent BIA Advisory Services report says those with a “robust” Internet presence can hope to weather the storm. “Technological advances such as online advertising, mobile device advertising and other new-to-radio advertising could be a solution for offsetting declines in traditional radio revenues, especially in larger markets where these options could have a greater affect,” said BIA Advisory Services VP Mark Fratrik.
As an example, Regent Communications’ president/CEO Bill Stakelin (pictured left) aggressively pursued an online presence for Regent brands, an approach that is “paying off” with online revenues “depositing significant revenue into Regent’s coffers.” This revenue helped soften the first quarter blow to Regent: the company’s net broadcast revenue decreased 12.3% in the first quarter, compared to the overall 24% radio revenue drop as reported by RAB. For more, check out R&R’s coverage here. SCION LAUNCHES iPHONE APP, CONTINUES NET RADIO MARKETINGToyota’s Scion brand has launched an iPhone application called Scion Radio 17 BPM Meter, which calculates a song’s BPM after the user taps on the screen to the beat of a track. Using this info, the application can generate playlists that users can share with others. The application is an extension of Scion Radio 17, the car-maker’s multi-channel Internet radio site.
Altogether, “it’s a bold and gutsy marketing platform,” observes Jennifer Lane at her Audio4Cast blog (here). “Toyota has moved beyond the idea of selling its product by creating great looking ads and instead has invested in creating digital audio platforms that engage their audience with their brand directly …The result is an impressive marketing strategy.” PANDORA TO BE AVAILABLE FOR PRE FROM PALM’S APP STORE ON JUNE 6 LAUNCH DAYPalm’s new much-heralded smartphone the Pre lands on June 6, as does Palm’s App Catalog (the company’s online application store, rivaling Apple’s App Store). Pandora’s application for the Pre will be available for download from the App Catalog on the June 6 launch day. Pandora was one of the earliest applications announced for the new phone (RAIN coverage here). Applications from Fandango, AP News and others will also be available. Find more at Information Week here.
WICHITA’S KKRD RE-LAUNCHED BY FAN AS ONLINE-ONLY STATIONMatt Johnston, a fan of Wichita’s KKRD 107.3-FM, has relaunched the station online. He tells Carrie Rengers of The Wichita Eagle (here) that Clear Channel “let [the KKRD license] lapse for five years,” so he bought up the KKRD domains. KKRD’s site includes music news, a request phone line, a contest for RockFest tickets and links to buy recently played tracks on iTunes. The stream uses WinAmp, features jingles, weather and news updates in between ’90s and modern music. Altogether, KKRD Online sounds nearly identical to an on-air station being simulcast online. Check out the site here.share: del.icio.us.  Reddit  Digg  Yahoo  Wink  Windows  Google  Newsvine 
CommentCommenting is closed for this article.  Other stories RAIN has upgraded (and moved)! RAIN 9/13: RAIN Summit Chicago takes place today! RAIN 9/12: First Summit in RAIN's hometown takes place tomorrow RAIN 9/9: Summer holidays, "doldrums" impact July Webcast Metrics, but audience up over last year RAIN 9/8: Clear Channel launches new customizable iHeartRadio beta; RAIN goes hands-on RAIN 9/7: Meet more speakers you'll hear at RAIN Summit Chicago in less than a week RAIN 9/6: Clear Channel taps The Echo Nest to take on Pandora RAIN 9/2: RAIN reviews Spotify's radio-like product Artist Radio RAIN 9/1: UK online radio aggregator Radioplayer campaigns b'dcasters to create "all radio" ratings RAIN 8/31: Execs from Merlin, Triton Digital, jacAPPS and more to appear at RAIN Summit Chicago |
