The discovery of radio in 1882 sparked innovative technological advancements that guided the development of how we communicate with each other and entertain ourselves. Radio is one of the most important technological inventions in history, and has paved the way for advanced communication, exploration, entertainment, and music discovery.
Radio has always been an incredibly popular means to listen to and discover new music, but recently the advances in technology have pushed radio beyond its comfort zone of a small box with an antenna, to much more.
“Technology changes the game, but the calculus is really pretty simple for us. Technology allows us to enhance and expand the capabilities that have been the core of radio’s DNA for over 50 years - music discovery, social connections, access to news and information and more,” President of Digital for Clear Channel Media and Entertainment Brian Lakamp told TechZone360.
With the largest reach of any radio or television outlet in the U.S., Clear Channel Media and Entertainment, has introduced new features for its iHeartRadio digital radio platform, changing how users interact with the fast-growing service. iHeartRadio has added a “Perfect For” feature, which will allow its users to choose from hundreds of curated stations based on a range of moods and activities. Additionally, iHeartRadio introduced the Alarm Clock feature to give users the ability to utilize the service as an alarm clock or to set reminders.
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iHeartRadio offers a platform for listeners to access their favorite radio stations, as well as the ability to create custom stations in an all-in-one digital product. In addition to iHeartRadio’s 1,500 live stations and user-created custom stations based on a catalog of more than 400,000 artists and 15 million songs, listeners can select the new “Perfect For” feature to browse through a menu of moods and activities perfect for a particular day and time. For instance, early morning users may find stations appropriate for morning routines like waking up, running, driving or even getting ready for work.
“The ‘Perfect For’ feature enhances iHeartRadio already incredible listening experience,” said Lakamp. It makes it even easier for listeners to find the perfect soundtrack for every moment in their day while discovering great new music on iHeartRadio.”
iHeartRadio’s stations catalog includes a variety of themes including, “Took My Wife, Took My Dog: Country's Greatest Break-up Music,” “Full House: Gambling with Beats,” “Skinny Jeans: Boys with Guitars,” “Ambien-T: Ambient Music, Prescription Strength” and more.
“‘Perfect For’ stations are curated by Clear Channel’s programmers who have access to a library of over 15 million songs. Because it's a different environment than live radio, our programmers have the opportunity to be more playful and explore new genres,” explained Lakamp. “And, ‘Perfect For’ offers users personalization including the Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down and the Discovery Tuner features.
Initially, iHeartRadio will only offer “Perfect For” stations available for iPhones and PCs, but users can save their stations on these devices and access them via any device where iHeartRadio is available. The feature will be available on other mobile and tablet devices soon.
The new Alarm Clock feature also announced will allow users to wake up to iHeartRadio, and set reminders. For example, a fan of Z100’s “Elvis Duran and the Morning Show” can set the app to turn on as show begins or when they know a particular call-in contest is running. The Alarm Clock feature will launch on iPhones and will be available on other devices soon.
Alarm Clock was the most requested featured by iHeartRadio’s mobile users. With the addition of this new feature to the previously launched Sleep Timer, users can fall asleep and wake up to their favorite radio stations. “We listen to our users, and we're excited to give them what they want,” commented Lakamp.
iHeartRadio is the fastest digital service to reach 20 million users in Internet history - faster than all other digital entertainment and social platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Pandora, Spotify and Instagram. It continues to be the No. 1 digital radio service offering instant access to more than 1,500 of the nation’s most popular live broadcast and digital-only radio stations from more than 150 cities.
“iHeartRadio has grown popular because it's an incredible experience,” said Lakamp. “We believe in the future growth of digital and with iHeartRadio you can expect us to continue to integrate more incredible features and experiences into an already astonishing offering.”
To start finding music that is perfect for your mood, get your iHeartRadio app here.
Edited by
Rachel Ramsey
