Clear Channel 酴圖換羸 Announces Acquisition Of Thumbplays Cloud-Based Music Business
Clear Channel 酴圖換羸 Announces Acquisition Of Thumbplays Cloud-Based Music Business
Thumbplays Cutting-Edge Digital Music Technology Will Dramatically Enhance Clear Channels Popular Digital 酴圖換羸 Service, iHeart酴圖換羸
Acquisition will also add important new features and functionality for the tens of millions who listen to Clear Channels 750 radio stations plus digital-only stations through iHeart酴圖換羸
Agreement is key element of aggressive digital strategy to capitalize on Clear Channels powerful national and local platforms
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San Antonio, Texas and New York, NY March 1, 2011 Clear Channel 酴圖換羸, the countrys leading digital and terrestrial radio company, today announced an agreement with digital music company Thumbplay, Inc. to acquire its leading-edge cloud-based music service, platform and team of mobile technology, product and marketing experts.
The acquisition does not include Thumbplays ringtone business. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
The acquisition will enable Clear Channel to leverage Thumbplays state-of-the-art music technology and services, and combine the efforts of both the Clear Channel and Thumbplay technology, product and marketing teams to accelerate development and growth of the next generation of Clear Channels popular and successful iHeart酴圖換羸 digital products. In addition, the new iHeart酴圖換羸 platform will power Clear Channels 750 radio stations from 150 cities and the companys digital-only commercial-free stations, and provide a variety of new features and functionality, including enabling listeners to create their own personalized radio stations.
Thumbplay will also give Clear Channel the capability to deploy a variety of subscription services as the company moves quickly to leverage its significant radio assets across all digital platforms, including the Internet, automotive and mobile devices.
Robert Pittman, Chairman of Media and Entertainment Platforms for Clear Channel, said, The acquisition of Thumbplay is a key element in Clear Channel 酴圖換羸s aggressive digital strategy. It will capitalize on our powerful iHeart酴圖換羸 platform and ensure that our listeners have the radio and music experience they want, on whatever device or platform they prefer.
He added, Joining Thumbplay's custom radio and subscription services with Clear Channels streaming expertise, iHeart酴圖換羸s Internet and mobile audio and music services, including 750 online radio stations, digital-only stations and apps, will create an unsurpassed integrated music product. Couple this with Clear Channels promotional power to reach 228 million people on a monthly basis, and you have a combination nobody else can match.
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John Hogan, President and CEO of Clear Channel 酴圖換羸, said, Because the entire digital radio space is still in its infancy, with only 3% of total radio listening hours, we think a new, dramatically enhanced version of iHeart酴圖換羸 will build on our position as the leaders in digital radio, offering an unparalleled combination of features and reach -- to our listeners, advertisers, artists, music labels, and other partners not available anywhere else.
Evan Schwartz, CEO/co-founder of Thumbplay, said, We are extremely proud of the digital music products weve launched, and Clear Channel has recognized the real value of what the Thumbplay team has developed. They have the reach, the brands, and the promotional power, and were pleased we can add our team, technology, products and resources to this combination and to create a digital music experience on all platforms that no one will be able to match. I believe its a good home for the Thumbplay team and were excited about what we can create in this unique combination.
Over the coming months, Clear Channel will incorporate Thumbplays custom radio station service into its iHeart酴圖換羸, the digital platform for 750 Clear Channel 酴圖換羸 stations nationwide, including such mega-stations as Z100 in New York and KIIS-FM in Los Angeles.
The technology, like iHeart酴圖換羸 itself, works on PCs and Macs, as well as smartphones, including Android, iPhone and BlackBerry devices. In addition, iHeart酴圖換羸 will be incorporated into Toyota vehicles as well as other automotive platforms.
With more than 24 million app downloads and 25 million monthly unique users, iHeart酴圖換羸 is one of the most popular music applications on mobile devices and is consistently in the top downloads of free music apps for the iPhone as well as in the BlackBerry app store.
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CONTACTS:
Wendy Goldberg
Clear Channel 酴圖換羸
(212) 549-0965
WendyGoldberg@clearchannel.com