iHeartRadio is a free broadcast and internet radio platform owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. and was founded in April 2008 as the website iheartmusic.com. As of 2017 iHeartRadio functions as a music recommender system and is the national umbrella brand for iHeartMedia's radio network aggregating its over 850 local iHeartMedia radio stations across the United States, as well as hundreds of other stations from various other media (with companies such as Cumulus Media, Cox Radio and Beasley Broadcast Group also utilizing this service). In addition, the service includes thousands of podcasts and now also offers on demand functionality and is the only service that allows listeners to save and replay songs right from live broadcast radio to their digital playlists. The on demand features require a subscription fee. iHeartRadio is available across more than 90 device platforms including online, via mobile devices, and on some video-game consoles.
iHeartRadio launched national-branded marque events starting with the inaugural iHeartRadio Music Festival in 2011. Other major iHeartRadio events include the iHeartRadio Fiesta Latina, iHeartCountry Festival, the nationwide iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour, iHeartSummer'17 Weekend and the iHeartRadio Music Awards, which generated 165 billion social media impressions. iHeartRadio regularly hosts concerts at the iHeartRadio Theaters in Los Angeles and New York.
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History
iHeartRadio is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc., which was rebranded from Clear Channel in 2014. Prior to 2008, Clear Channel Communications' various audio products were decentralized. Individual stations streamed from their own sites (or in many cases, did not due to voluminous syndication and local advertising clearance issues), and the Format Lab website provided feeds of between 40 and 80 networks that were used primarily on Clear Channel's HD Radio subchannels. In April 2008, Clear Channel launched the iHeartMusic website, featuring entertainment news, national news, music content including albums, singles on demand, music videos, and access to over 750 Clear Channel radio stations online.
On October 7, 2008, Clear Channel Radio launched the first version of iHeartRadio to the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch through the App Store. Twelve radio stations in 8 markets were included in this first release. In 2009, iHeartRadio was made available to BlackBerry devices and the Android operating system and then Sonos in 2010. September 2011 marked the official launch of the free, all-in-one iHeartRadio service featuring thousands of live radio stations and custom artist stations. The launch coincided with the inaugural iHeartRadio Music Festival, a two-day event hosted by Ryan Seacrest at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
The app was expanded to the Xbox 360 and webOS. On April 20, 2012, iHeartRadio launched on the iPad. On June 8, 2012, iHeartRadio concluded a deal to power Yahoo! Music's Radio service, previously powered by CBS Radio.
In mid-October 2012, iHeartRadio launched online audio news, weather and traffic streams for Tampa, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, San Diego, New York City, and 15 other metropolitan cities, branded as "24/7 News". On March 1, 2013, iHeartRadio was added to the Roku digital media receiver. As of 2017, the app is available on more than 90 devices and platforms.
On July 2013, iHeartRadio began adding stations from outside the United States like CHUM-FM and CFBT-FM in Canada and Virgin Radio Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. On July 14, 2013, iHeartRadio launched in New Zealand and Australia.
On July 24, 2013, iHeartRadio launched a new talk radio feature: iHeartRadio Talk. It featured original on demand programming from celebrities like Ryan Seacrest and allowed users to upload their own content through Spreaker. In 2014, the iHeartRadio Talk feature was rebranded to "Shows & Personalities" and in 2016 the feature became known simply as "Podcasts."
In September 2014, Clear Channel changed its name to iHeartMedia, to align with the success of the consumer brand iHeartRadio.
On November 10, 2015, iHeartRadio launched a standalone app designed for families with kids ages 4-11 named iHeartRadio Family. Launched in partnership with Build-A-Bear Workshop, iHeartRadio Family offers access to dozens of iHeartRadio Original and Live Radio stations in one app.
During The 2016 iHeartRadio Music Festival, iHeartMedia announced subscription based on demand services "iHeartRadio Plus" and "iHeartRadio all Access powered by Napster". On December 1, 2016, iHeartMedia launched the services in beta on iOS and Android to the American users.
In 2017, iHeartRadio expanded Plus and All Access to other platforms including desktop in January 2017 at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES).
Availability and supported devices
iHeartRadio is available in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. It is available across 90+ device platforms including online, on mobile smartphones and tablets, through gaming consoles, TVs, home audio and in automobiles. The following is a list of all platforms that currently support iHeartRadio:
Mobile
- Apple iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch (iOS 8.0 and above)
- Mac App Store application (requires OS X 10.10 or above) - Mac app not available in Canada at this time
- Google Play (requires Android 4.0 or above)
- Kindle Fire (requires Android 4.0 or above)
- Amazon Fire Phone (requires Android 4.0 or above)
- Microsoft Store app available on Windows 8.1 & Windows 10 devices, Windows Phone 8.1 & Windows 10 Mobile devices, Xbox One, Win Reality devices Surface Hub.
Home
- Web
- Amazon Alexa products
- Amazon Fire TV & TV Stick
- Android TV
- Apple TV
- Autonomic
- Bluesound
- Bose
- Chromecast & Chromecast Audio
- DirecTV
- DTS Play-Fi
- Echo
- Fire TV
- Google Home
- INVOKE
- HEOS by Denon
- Hisense
- LG
- Linkplay
- Mood Media
- Nexus Player
- NuVo
- PlayStation
- Roku
- Samsung Smart Services
- Sonos
- Sony Blu-ray
- TiVo
- U-verse
- Vizio
- Xbox
Automotive
- Apple CarPlay
- Android Auto app
- BMW
- Buick
- Cadillac
- Chevrolet
- Chrysler
- Dodge
- Ford
- GMC
- Honda
- iHeartRadio for Auto app (iOS & Android)
- Jaguar
- Land Rover
- Lexus
- Lincoln
- Mercedes-Benz
- Mini
- Nissan
- RAM
- Subaru
- Toyota
- Alpine
- Clarion
- Drivemode
- JVC
- Kenwood
- Pioneer
- RockScout
Wearables
- Apple Watch
- Android Wear
- Pebble
- Samsung Gear 2 and up.
Functionality and rating system
On customized artist stations, songs are chosen based on a song or artist a user chooses. Users have the option to listen to iHeartRadio's original stations that work exactly like customized ones. Listeners can hear live radio stations.
The iHeartRadio player has a Like/Dislike (Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down) rating tool used on songs playing on live and customized radio stations. "Liking" or "disliking" songs for all live stations provides feedback to the station being played. "Liking" a song on customized stations will have it and songs like it played more often. "Disliking" a song on customized stations means that song will not be played again. This data is used to personalize users' "My Favorites Radio" station. As My Favorites Radio learns a user's music taste over time, it adds various bonus tracks into the mix. Songs can easily be removed from the station.
International
Canada
On January 6, 2016, iHeartMedia announced that the iHeartRadio service would expand into Canada as part of a licensing deal with Bell Media. The company described the Canadian version of the service as being a "franchised" operation; Bell handles Canadian music licensing, marketing, and distribution of the service, and provides content from its properties. Bell also gained rights to organize Canadian versions of the company's branded events, such as the Jingle Ball, and co-branded the annual awards show organized through its cable channel Much as the iHeartRadio Much Music Video Awards..
On December 4, 2017, additional features were added to the service, including podcasts, additional stations, and a deal with Evanov Radio Group to add its stations to the service.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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