Slacker Radio Expands Programing with Sound Bytes
| RADIO ONLINE | Wednesday, March 29, 2017 |
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Slacker Radio has created a listener avenue that combines the on-demand capabilities that make streaming popular with voice-driven, non-music content that helps to make broadcast radio popular. Now Slacker has developed unique programming by adding non-music elements to differentiate further. They're called Sound Bytes, or audio clips, that are injected into the programming intermittently.
Slacker Sound Bytes can be heard across the entire service in the form of Hosts, Music News, Headline News and Sports Headlines including hourly updates from ABC News. The Sound Bytes complement Slacker's music programming and are tailored to the user's listening habits, allowing them to opt in and out of hearing this content based on their preference.
Examples of Sound Bytes a listener may hear include:
Artists introducing their songs and sharing stories related to the songs Brief Q&As with artists and other music experts Updates from ABC News and ESPN Slacker's hosts discussing hot topics and trends regarding the music industry (often genre-specific)
Sound Bytes are tailored to reflect individual users' preferences, so listeners who have "disliked" Luke Bryan songs are less likely to hear Sound Bytes from him, for example. Users can also opt out of Sound Bytes entirely (but 99% of users in Slacker's initial rollout kept them on).
"There's a lot of opportunity for innovation around lean-back listening, and our mission has always been to create the best possible audio experience by combining music with news and storytelling," said Slacker Radio VP/rogramming Kevin Stapleford. "Part of this includes building stations that incorporate non-music content and that's the crux of what we're announcing today with Sound Bytes."
