iHeartRadio Looks to Win Over Radio Devotees With Official Launch of Streaming Services
Broadcast radio giant iHeartMedia has wrapped a month-long beta phase for its pair of subscription services, iHeartRadio Plus and iHeartRadio All Access.
Broadcast radio giant iHeartMedia has wrapped a month-long beta phase for its pair of subscription services, iHeartRadio Plus and iHeartRadio All Access, announcing today at CES that both are now available on desktop and other devices like Apple TV and TiVo, in addition to previously launched iOS and Android versions.
iHeart envisions the new services as a way to introduce radio devotees to the world of on-demand streaming, and points out that 84 percent of its audience currently do not subscribe to any of the services leading the market. By building two new paid services around live radio, while adding on-demand bells and whistles, the company hopes to win people over.
Aside from pricing, the two tiers have some pretty big differences. Think of iHeartRadio Plus ($4.99/month) as Pandora Plus plus live radio; its functionality includes offline listening, unlimited song skips and replays, customized stations based on a song or artist, and of course it’s all built around the company’s 858 terrestrial stations. Then there’s iHeartRadio All Access ($9.99), which has all those live radio features, but adds on-demand access to a library of millions of songs via a partnership with Napster.
Another standout feature of All Access is that it allows users to add tracks heard on live radio directly to their collections or playlists for posterity, “something no other music collection service can offer,” the company says.
Beginning today (Jan. 5), desktop users can start a 30-day free trial of the Napster-powered iHeartRadio All Access. Aside from desktop and mobile versions, subscribers will be able to stream their playlists on a bevy of devices, including Apple TV, Xbox One, smart TVs by Samsung and LG and select Monster speakers.
According iHeartRadio president Darren Davis, the company just had its best month of listening since iHeart’s official launch in 2011. “iHeartMedia is the only media company that has the assets, platform and reach to drive massive consumer awareness and successfully introduce two new subscription services, built around real radio, so rapidly,” he said. “iHeartRadio has truly differentiated itself by offering features that no other services can.”
Here are some stats from the beta period:
Top 20 songs added to playlists:
1. “Heathens,” Twenty One Pilots
2. “Closer,” The Chainsmokers feat. Halsey
3. “One Dance,” Drake
4. “Side To Side,” Ariana Grande
5. “24K Magic,” Bruno Mars
6. “Dont Let Me Down,” The Chainsmokers feat. Daya
7. “Side To Side,” Ariana Grande
8. “Dont Wanna Know,” Maroon 5
9. “Starboy,” The Weeknd
10. “Dangerous Woman,” Ariana Grande
11. “Black Beatles,” Rae Sremmurd
12. “Starving,” Hailee Steinfeld Grey Zedd
13. “i hate u i love u” (feat. Olivia Obrien), Gnash
14. “Jumpman,” Drake and Future
15. “Sucker For Pain” (with Logic Ty Dolla ign X Ambassadors), Lil Wayne Wiz Khalifa Imagine Dragons
16. “Love On The Brain,” Rihanna
17. “Fake Love,” Drake
18. “May We All,” Florida Georgia Line
19. “Middle of a Memory,” Cole Swindell
20. “Into You,” Ariana Grande
Top 20 replayed songs:
1. “Black Beatles,” Rae Sremmurd
2. “Fake Love,” Drake
3. “Love On The Brain,” Rihanna
4. “Side To Side,” Ariana Grande
5. “The Sound Of Silence,” Disturbed
6. “Heathens,” Twenty One Pilots
7. “Starboy,” The Weeknd
8. “24K Magic,” Bruno Mars
9. “Sucker For Pain” (with Logic Ty Dolla Sign X Ambassadors), Lil Wayne Wiz Khalifa Imagine Dragons
10. “Closer,” The Chainsmokers feat. Halsey
11. “i hate u i love u” (feat. olivia obrien), Gnash
12. “Too Good, Drake
13. “Bad and Boujee” (feat. Lil Uzi Vert), Migos
14. “One Dance,” Drake
15. “Bounce Back,” Big Sean
16. “Starving,” Hailee Steinfeld Grey Zedd
17. “Scars To Your Beautiful,” Alessia Cara
18. “Blue Aint Your Color,” Keith Urban
19. “Dont Wanna Know,” Maroon 5
20. “Bad Things,” MGK
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