AudioBoom

AudioBoom

AudioBoom

UK audio and podcast platform, created 2013

AudioBoom PLC is an on-demand audio and podcasting distribution platform. AudioBoom offers business-to-business services to the radio, media and podcast industries.

Quick Facts Type of site, Available in ...

AudioBoom's platform has been used to power on-demand audio for businesses including BBC, The Spectator[3] Associated Press, NBC Sports, Yahoo!, Cumulus Media and Westwood One.

The company is based in London with offices in New York. It became AIM-listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2014 as Audioboom Group Limited (AIM: BOOM).

History

The company was founded in 2009 by Mark Rock, a former co-founder of PlayJam,[4] as Audioboo Limited, with funding from 4iP, Channel 4's technology innovation fund. The initial product was a "social sound sharing platform", a free iPhone app and website that allowed users to share audio clips up to five minutes long. Early high-profile users included Stephen Fry, Chris Moyles, the British Library and The Guardian. The latter used it to cover the 2009 G20 London summit protests.[5] The platform was also used to share audio during the Arab Spring.[6]

In October 2012, Rob Proctor replaced Rock as CEO, and Rock left the company on 1 May 2013.[7] Proctor refocused the business on providing content from professional broadcasters, and Audioboo was renamed audioBoom.[8]

The main shareholders were UBC Media Group and Slovar Limited.[9] In 2014 they sold their shares in a reverse takeover to the listed company One Delta plc., changing the name of the latter to Audioboom Group plc (AIM symbol BOOM).[10][11]

The AudioBoom mobile app was discontinued in May 2019.[12]

Features

AudioBoom provides hosting, publishing, distribution and monetization services for on-demand content. Key features include:

  • Unlimited audio hosting on branded content channels through a publisher dashboard
  • Automated distribution through partnerships with Apple Podcasts, CastBox, Deezer, Google Podcasts, iHeart, RadioPublic, Spotify, Stitcher and TuneIn.[13]
  • Embeddable media players
  • Advanced analytics and consumption data
  • Monetization through podcast sponsorships and a built-in ad network

Key users and partners

  • Russell Brand's podcast series, featuring Matt Morgan and resident poet Mr. Gee, launched exclusively on audioBoom in February 2015 and ended in May 2015.[14]
  • Cumulus Media publish on-demand content from over 450 of their radio stations.
  • Westwood One provide ad-sales services and distribute major syndicated radio shows through the platform.
  • Associated Press distribute hourly news updates to their partner websites using AudioBoom.
  • Zee TV post entertainment, news and general interest content across their Zee, DNAIndia and Ditto brands.
  • Kidd Kraddick In The Morning show joined in January 2013 and became the most popular channel on the platform.
  • The Guardian used the apps to liveblog news and gather reactions, including from the Gaza Strip and from the site of the Boston Marathon bombing.
  • Yahoo! Sports Radio host their Podcast Arena shows.
  • BBC Radio, including radios 2, 4 and 6, a number of local radio stations, and several World Service non-English language stations.[15]
  • The Premier League joined in late 2013, hosting its podcast[16] and promoting the use of audioBoom among Premier League clubs.
  • Stephen Fry[17] recorded a welcome message which was sent to all new users.

Alternatives

References

  1. [1]
    "audioBoom Group PLC". Archived from the original on 2014-10-19. Retrieved 2014-10-13.
  2. [2]
    "About audioBoom".
  3. [3]
    "Spectator Radio". audioboom.com. Retrieved 2020-04-17.[permanent dead link]
  4. [4]
    "Mark Rock, founder and CEO, audioboo.fm". The Guardian. 19 October 2011. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  5. [5]
    "MediaGuardian 100 2010 - 14. Mark Rock". The Guardian. 19 July 2010.
  6. [6]
    Halliday, Josh (6 June 2011). "Mark Rock: 'Radio hasn't innovated for 60 years'". The Guardian.
  7. [7]
    Kiss, Jemima (10 April 2013). "Mark Rock to quit Audioboo". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  8. [8]
    Collins, Barry (January 2015). "Profile: audioBoom". PC Pro. Dennis Publishing. p. 20.
  9. [9]
    "UBC Media : Update on progress of investment in Audioboo and proposed acquisition of 7digital". 14 April 2014.
  10. [10]
    "Acquisition, Name Change and Notice of AGM".
  11. [11]
    Sweney, Mark (20 May 2014). "UBC merges with 7digital to create £30m multimedia group". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  12. [12]
    "Audioboom To Discontinue Mobile App for Recording and Podcast Listening". Audioboom. Retrieved 2019-06-19.
  13. [13]
    "Distribution Overview". Audioboom. Retrieved 2020-04-17.
  14. [14]
    "The Final Episode". Audioboom. Retrieved 2019-06-19.
  15. [15]
    "BBC gives the word to AudioBoo". Financial Times.(subscription required)
  16. [16]
    "audioBoom / Premier League". Archived from the original on 2014-01-08. Retrieved 2014-01-08.
  17. [17]
    Stephen Fry's audioBoom page Archived 2010-07-26 at the Wayback Machine.
Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article AudioBoom, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.