Thursday, February 21, 2013 - 11:20am
Last fall's RAIN Summit Europe event really broadened our understanding of the strides and achievements professionals around the world are making in our truly global medium. We're hoping to bring some of our European experience with us to RAIN Summit West with the addition of a new panel: International Trends in Online Audio. [By the way, stay tuned for details on this year's RAIN Summit Europe.]
Joining us on the panel, from Berlin-based AUPEO!, is CEO Holger Weiss (right).
AUPEO! is a personalized Internet radio service, venture capital-backed, and licensed in more than 40 countries around the world. Listeners select stations by theme, genre, or musical mood, as well as "artist stations." The AUPEO! listening experience is powered by a recommendation system that uses a Fraunhofer Institute-developed algorithm that identifies certain musical qualities and automatically assigns genre classification. Free ad-supported streams and ad-free premium subscriptions are available.
Weiss joined AUPEO! in 2010 after working for Nokia. He's a specialist in business development, contract negotiations, strategic alliances, leadership, and sales.
It's clear that Internet radio mobile usage is soaring, but monetizing that listening has remained elusive. It's critical for broadcasters and webcasters to develop new, creative strategies, so we'll hear from three of the brightest in this area for the panel called Profiting from Mobile.
In July, Clear Channel brought Microsoft Advertising executive and 15-year digital media veteran Rick Song aboard as EVP of Digital Sales. At Microsoft, Song (left) led sales initiatives with partner sites like MSN, Xbox, Skype, FoxSports and MSNBC, as well as the company’s digital platforms. He now works with iHeartRadio, in addition to Clear Channel's Strategic Partnerships, National Programming Platforms, and National Advertising Platforms divisions.
Joining Song on the panel is Pandora SVP/Ad Sales Steven Kritzman, himself a former Clear Channel employee (and a RAIN Summit veteran!). Kritzman joined Pandora in 2009 as Director of Sales for the New York and Mid-Atlantic region before his August, 2011 promotion. He sets and executing the U.S. sales strategy for Pandora's digital, network radio, and spot radio businesses, and manages the national sales teams. He recently revealed Pandora's plans to cover the top 25 U.S. markets with local sales forces (see RAIN here).
The Profiting from Mobile panel will be moderated by another RAIN Summit veteran, Michael Theodore of the IAB. Last August the IAB created a new role for Theodore, Vice President, Training and Development, in which he manages and cultivates the IAB Digital Media Sales Certification program (as well as developing and facilitating professional development curricula and training materials). In fall he hosted a series of IAB Digital Audio Agency Days in several markets, to get local digital ad buyers familiar with the capabilities and potential of online radio (see RAIN here).
RAIN Summit West is Sunday, April 7 in Las Vegas. The annual full-day Internet radio conference is a co-located education program of the NAB Show. Now in its 12th year, the Summit focuses on the intersection of radio and the Internet. Keynoting the even will be RAB president and CEO Erica Farber (more in RAIN here) and Rhapsody International president Jon Irwin (more here). Register today, while flights and hotels are still readily available, via the RAIN Summit West page.