America Online Launches Radio@AOL
AOL's first built-in radio service expands growing range of AOL Music's online music offerings.
New York(16 Oct 2001)
America Online, Inc., the world's leading interactive services company, today announced the launch of Radio@AOL, which transforms the conventional radio experience by weaving together a wide range of top-quality programming from AOL and leading media and entertainment partners with rich online content and retail offerings.
Radio@AOL is reached easily from the radio button built into the toolbar of the new AOL 7.0, as well as from AOL's Music channel (AOL Keyword: Music), and via AOL Keyword: Radio. Its easy-to-use design features play and volume controls; station, current artist and track information; and a convenient buy button that gives consumers the ability to easily purchase music they're listening to. Among the music and information featured on Radio@AOL members can explore:
** More than 75 stations of quality music programming covering a wide range of music genres and eras - including Pop, Rock, Alternative, Country, R&B, Hip Hop, Latin, Electronica, Soundtracks, Jazz, 80's, Classical, and many more.
** News, sports, talk and music programming from CMJ and Sporting News Radio, as well as live streams from local broadcast stations such as KPIG-FM (Freedom, CA), WFMU-FM (Jersey City, NJ), and WOXY-FM (Cincinnati, OH) and KCRW-FM (Los Angeles, CA, also offering both all-news and all-music streams).
** "Celebrity Spins" stations from 28 favorite artists - like Craig David, Diana Krall, Faith Hill, Lenny Kravitz, Madonna, Missy Elliot, P. Diddy, Radiohead, Sugar Ray and premiering this month, AOL's Artist of the Month, Jewel - feature their picks and musical influences.
** AOL exclusives, including unique stations like Just4Kids, Global Beats, Top Classical in addition to seasonal and holiday features.
Kevin Conroy, Senior Vice President and Head of AOL Music, said: "Radio@AOL is AOL's first integrated radio offering and will set the standard for online radio by making it easy for mainstream consumers to enjoy their favorite music. With its prominent position on the AOL 7.0 toolbar, easy-to-use features and best-of-breed programming, AOL members will have the ability to conveniently listen to great music, news and other compelling programming right alongside other popular AOL features such as e-mail, chat and instant messaging."
Consumers are increasingly embracing online music activities. According to Arbitron Webcast Services the number of people who listen to online radio has grown from 6% to 20% in just two years. Forrester Research estimates that 41 percent of U.S. consumers - 118 million Americans - will use Internet radio at least once a week by 2005. And listening to music online and visiting music sites are among consumers top online activities, according to the most recent Jupiter/NPD Consumer Survey.
Mr. Conroy continued: "As a cornerstone of AOL's music offerings, Radio@AOL will help AOL's 31 million members take advantage of a range of integrated online music services. Radio@AOL will make online music an even more integral part of our members' lives and lay a foundation for a multitude of music experiences to come. As a part of the Internet's leading music destination, Radio@AOL will also become central to the unique marketing relationships we're forging with record labels, recording artists and brand marketers."
Drawing on a Range of Online Music Assets
Radio@AOL is among a wide range of enhanced features and services to help consumers discover, experience and buy music that AOL will be rolling out over the coming months, including:
** AOL Media Player, an integrated digital media player for the AOL service that debuts CD playback as a new feature in AOL 7.0, in addition to offering support for a wide range of popular audio formats
** AOL Music Search, a new music search engine, scheduled for release later this fall, will enable members to more conveniently find a range of music offerings, links to AOL content partners and retailers
** MusicNet, the online music subscription service set to launch later this year, will give members the ability to buy and listen to digital music within the convenient AOL environment
Last summer, AOL launched the Artist Discovery Network, a new outlet for music fans featuring content from major and independent record companies. Radio@AOL itself will continue to evolve with the latest in new programming and enhanced features.
About AOL Music
AOL's leading music brands reach the largest audience of online music fans in the world through a rich array of options making it easy to discover, experience, and buy music on the Internet. AOL Music's combined offerings include the AOL Music Channel, the top Internet music destination; Winamp, the most popular audio jukebox; Spinner, the first and largest Internet radio broadcaster, and SHOUTcast, the cutting edge audio homesteading tool. AOL Music also provides music programming and services throughout the AOL service and family of brands including AOL High-Speed Broadband, Netscape, CompuServe, AIM and ICQ.
About America Online, Inc.
America Online, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of AOL Time Warner, Inc. (NYSE: AOL). Based in Dulles, Virginia, America Online is the world's leader in interactive services, Web brands, Internet technologies and e-commerce services.