iHeartMedia Launches First Ever -- and Only – Interactive on Demand Radio Services, ‘iHeartRadio Plus’ &
‘iHeartRadio All Access’
First Fully Differentiated Streaming Music Service Officially Launches in Beta Today for iOS and
Android
iHeartMedia Collaborates with Napster to Power iHeartRadio All Access Features
iHeartMedia, the creator of iHeartRadio – the all-in-one streaming music and live digital radio service – today announced the
beta availability of iHeartRadio Plus and iHeartRadio All Access powered by Napster. This is the first service that uses
on demand functionality to make radio truly interactive, as compared to all current players which simply add on demand
functionality to the music collection experience. Available now in beta on iOS and Android devices, the two new services will
be fully available on mobile and desktop in January 2017.
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With more than 850 radio stations in 150 markets that reach over a quarter of a billion monthly listeners across the U.S.,
iHeartMedia has the largest national reach of any radio or television outlet in America and is the only media company that has the
assets, platform and reach to drive massive consumer awareness and introduce these two new subscription services, built around real
radio, to a large new audience on a national scale. In addition, 84 percent of iHeartRadio users do not currently subscribe to
an on demand service – and now, for the first time, may be interested in subscribing to a service that provides them with the
best of live radio combined with easy-to-use on demand functionality that makes radio programming truly interactive - and
that they can connect directly to their music collection, something no other service or company has the assets to offer.
“10 times more Americans listen to radio every month than use a subscription service – so the debut of iHeartRadio Plus and
iHeartRadio All Access powered by Napster is a unique opportunity to capture these non-music subscribers with an on demand service
built around radio,” said Bob Pittman, Chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia. “Whereas the LP, CD and music downloads are the ancestors
of all current on demand services, the ancestor for our new on demand offerings is broadcast radio. By combining radio’s popularity
and reach with interactive on demand functionality, we have created the first fully differentiated streaming music service for
consumers.”
iHeartRadio Plus, $4.99 a month, completely transforms live radio listening with the addition of:
- Replay: Giving subscribers the ability to instantly replay songs from the radio and
then return to the live radio station in progress;
- Live and custom Artist Radio stations: Now equipped with a save button, allowing
subscribers to instantly save songs from the radio directly to their My Music playlist for playback any time;
- Search: Search and play any song from a library of millions of tracks;
- Unlimited skips: Subscribers listening to custom Artist Radio stations will no
longer have a limit on the number of songs they can skip.
iHeartRadio All Access powered by Napster, at $9.99 a month, combines the interactive radio functionally of iHeartRadio
Plus with a complete music collection and library that is linked seamlessly to the radio listening experience. Given that 70
percent of consumers -- which includes users of on demand music services -- have cited radio as their primary source of music
discovery, there is finally a service that allows them the convenience and accessibility of merely pushing a button to add a song
immediately to their music collection at the same time they hear it on the radio -- something no other music collection service can
offer. This new offering is the best of all worlds, combined in one service with the ability to:
- Build subscribers’ personal music libraries: Completely create, control and curate playlists
from a library of millions of tracks;
- Give subscribers total flexibility to listen to their music the way they want, when they want:
With no playback cap and the ability to reorder, delete and sequence their playlist experience as well as manage unlimited
playlists;
- Access offline listening: Subscribers can now enjoy offline listening and take their
music and playlists with them everywhere they go, even when they don’t have a data connection.
“iHeartRadio Plus and iHeartRadio All Access powered by Napster are revolutionizing how we think of live radio,” said Darren
Davis, President of iHeartRadio. “With features such as personal music libraries and playlists, the ability to search and play
any song instantly, and the option to save and replay songs directly from live and custom radio listening, our new
iHeartRadio on demand offerings are fundamentally changing the way consumers interact with live radio at an unprecedented
level. We are introducing a service like no other to tens of millions of consumers across dozens of devices, and also driving
massive awareness of the new service to more than a quarter of a billion Americans a month through our broadcast stations alone,
which presents a major revenue growth opportunity for our very important strategic partners - artists and the music industry.”
iHeartMedia partnered with Napster to power the music technology back office behind iHeartRadio All Access. Napster brought
their depth of experience in on-demand music delivery, customer billing, data and analytics and rights holders’ payments to
complement the iHeartRadio-based application.
“iHeartMedia has a unique opportunity to shine a spotlight on the tremendous value premium streaming services bring to music
fans, and to the music community at large,” said Mike Davis, Napster CEO. “We're honored that iHeartMedia
selected the Napster platform and brand to power a great music experience for consumers, and we're excited to play a role
in what will be a successful launch."
Aside from the two new subscription on-demand services, iHeartRadio will remain free. iHeartRadio offers users thousands of
Live Radio stations, personalized custom Artist Radio stations created by just one song or seed artist and the top podcasts and
personalities. With over a billion downloads, iHeartRadio has had tremendous momentum — reaching 90 million registered
users faster than any other radio or digital music service — and even faster than Facebook.
About iHeartMedia
With over a quarter of a billion monthly listeners in the U.S. and over 85 million social followers, iHeartMedia has the largest
national reach of any radio or television outlet in America. As the leader in multiplatform connections, it also serves over 150
local markets through 858 owned radio stations, and the company’s radio stations and content can be heard on AM/FM, HD digital
radio, satellite radio, on the Internet at iHeartRadio.com and on the company’s radio station websites, on the iHeartRadio mobile app, in enhanced
auto dashes, on tablets, wearables and smartphones, and on gaming consoles.
iHeartRadio, iHeartMedia’s digital radio platform, is the fastest growing digital audio service in the U.S. and offers users
thousands of live radio stations, personalized custom artist stations created by just one song or seed artist and the top podcasts
and personalities. With over a billion downloads, iHeartRadio reached 90 million registered users faster than any other radio or
digital music service and even faster than Facebook.
iHeartMedia’s platforms include radio broadcasting, online, mobile, digital and social media, podcasts, personalities and
influencers, live concerts and events, syndication, music research services and independent media representation. iHeartMedia is a
division of iHeartMedia, Inc. (OTCBB: IHRT). Visit iHeartMedia.com for more company information.
iHeartMedia
Angel Aristone, 646.343.2410
angelaristone@iheartmedia.com
Jenn Powers, 646.343.2424
jennpowers@iheartmedia.com
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161201005685/en/