Radio News

Have You Tried These? Popular Features Updates

2012-02-17T10:39:00.000-05:00

Free iPhone and Android Apps

Sign up for your free Android and iPhone mobile apps to provide to your listeners. You can really brand your name, create credibility and build loyalty with these listener-interactive apps that stream your station and broadcast in a high-quality AAC+ stream. Our Ad-delivery Network also gives you the option to display ads from major advertisers and share in the revenue!

[Learn more]

Player Advertising and Ad Replacement

Ad-replacement and ad-insertion are excellent ways to create additional revenue and provide a value-added feature to your advertisers. You can run your own ad campaigns anytime you want, and associate different banners, billboards, spots and pre-rolls in any combination. You can also create a 'player takeover' that displays a particular player skin and banners along with a selected pre-roll, or commercial for greater impact.

[Learn more]

Ad Delivery Network

It's easy to participate in the Securenet Ad Delivery Network and let us deliver ads to your listeners across all listener devices and desktops. We deliver everything from hi-quality video pre-roll and audio ads, to rich media banners that will not turn off your listeners and create additional, residual income for you and your station. You receive a check each month for your split.

[Learn more]

Listener Data Collection

Our Listener Data Collection tool allows you to capture user demographics and build a listener list or loyalty list from listeners that opt to join. They need only add their email address, but can also add additional information if they want.

[Learn more]

Embedded Playlist Song Wizard

The Song Wizard is also supported as the playlist widget on our custom iPhone and Android mobile apps, and appears the same way as it does embedded on your website, or popped from your player. This provides good continuity with your listeners across all platforms. All functionality is exactly the same as the web and player-based versions.

[Learn more]

Search Wizard

Add the Search Wizard to any website and let your visitors search for their favorite artists, albums or songs. Search results provide lyrics, ringtones, bios, concert tix, YouTube videos and more. The widget comes in 3 different sizes, available right in your Control Panel under the blue button labeled "Embeddable Widgets".

[Learn more]

February Promotion, Apps, News, & Ad Delivery

2012-02-09T16:12:00.004-05:00

Special Promotion For The Month of February

Do you have a friend, associate or industry partner that needs our streaming services? If you do know of anyone, and you send us a referral, you will RECEIVE A 2-MONTH CREDIT TO YOUR ACCOUNT equal in value to the plan that is signed up for, not exceeding the value of your own plan.

As you know, we always strive hard to take care of your needs and cater to your listeners' latest needs and wants. The greatest compliment we can ever receive from you, our valued client, is a referral. Rest assured that we will take good care of anyone you refer to us, always giving them the very best in customer service, advanced features and reliable high-speed streaming.

The Latest From Microsoft

If you were worrying about the new Windows 8 slated to come out later in the fall, don't. Here are 8 reasons why it will be D.O.A. Read here for more on that. Don't worry though, our developer team is hard at work on our new planetary streaming system that will keep you far ahead of the competition and streaming in high-quality to all listeners, on whatever platform or format is around the next bend, in the ever-changing streamscape of online radio.

Mobile Advertising Continues To Grow

From ZDNet - Agencies reported mobile advertising during the Q4 2011 was up 39 percent. The iPhone remains the top choice as reported by 83 percent of agencies surveyed, though Android continues to close the gap, up 32 percent over Q3 2011 and up 50 percent over the Q4 2010. Although the iPad is still third for mobile advertising, 76 percent say that with Apple and Amazon continuing to focus on building tablet content, there will be an increase in interest for advertising on the newer medium. Read here for more on that.

U.S. smartphone ownership closing in on 100 million, comScore reveals...

Last week, comScore released its data on the U.S. mobile and smartphone market, details of which broadcasters and webcasters might find interesting. The study examined the final three months of 2011. Nearly 48% of U.S. mobile subscribers used apps, almost 24% listened to music on their phones. Google Android remains the top U.S. smartphone platform, with a 47.3% market share. Apple iOS was second with just under 30%; RIM (Blackberry) slipped to 16%; Microsoft was under 5%; and Symbian (Nokia) was 1.4%. Read here for more on that.

Have You Joined Our ADNet?

...and following that last one, our Android and iPhone apps are FREE and run ads. If you aren't already hooked up, please let us know! If you have not yet joined our Ad Delivery Network (ADNet), you need to check it out. You can opt-in and display audio, video, and banner ads from national and international advertisers on your mobile phone apps, as well as your desktop players! You make money every month on your split of all listener session ad impressions and clicks. Everyone else is doing it, and your listeners have come to expect and accept ads on mobile, desktop, devices, cars....hey, that's how you got to where you are after all....advertising!

You can also run your own ad campaigns for your local advertisers and sponsors on the desktop players, and fill the rest of the schedule automatically from our network. This gives you the best of both worlds... you can sell player time to local advertisers, and still not miss out on revenue from our Ad Delivery Network.

For more info on the special above, app information, or ad delivery, please send an email to info@securenetsystems.net!

Are You Using These Social Media Features?

2012-02-03T14:45:00.001-05:00

Are you using social media to extend your reach and cater to today's listener? If you aren't, then you aren't keeping up with your competition either, because many stations today have learned to embrace the new media (not so 'new' anymore), and integrate it into everything they do, on-air and online. You may be using some of the features that we provide that enable you to engage your listeners with social media, besides Facebook and LinkedIn. If not, check these out real quick.

Get on-board the social media train and take advantage of the newest and easiest way to stay in touch with your listeners...by posting your playlist information directly to a Twitter page. Twitter is now one of the most popular sites on the web and is beyond simple and easy to use and access. This one is FREE and too easy. You create the page and our Control Panel tells you exactly what to do, then you put links to it on your site, promote it, or even add a radio button to the top of your player and link directly to it.

Click for example

Embed your current "Last Song Played" playlist on your website, player and mobile apps using our Song Wizard. Our Song Wizard allows you to embed your playlist in your website, complete with album art, artist info, time of play, as well as links to videos, lyrics, concerts, ringtones, biography, and song purchase. The section in your Control Panel entitled, "Site Playlist Embedding" allows you to generate the HTML code to paste into your site/s. You can also select how many past played songs you want to display.

Click for example

The player also has a lot of built-in features that allow your listeners a lot of interaction, such as AddThis, chat, song requests, sharing, embedding, bookmarking....but don't worry, we are working on more widgets and features all the time to help you and your station stay ahead of the wave. Online listener numbers are growing steadily, and slated to continue for the next several years, at least. Also growing steadily, is the underpinnings of monetization; online and mobile advertising. And lastly, if you don't already have our free mobile apps, get in touch with your rep, or click or call us ASAP and let us hook you up!

Tips on How to Use Our Advertising Sequencing and Scheduling Features

2012-01-26T11:25:00.001-05:00

If you are a radio professional these days, you are no doubt not only aware of the growth of online streaming, but also aware of the growth of online advertising, including mobile. Our system not only allows you to take advantage of this growth, but allows you to smartly target specific areas of listeners using our "geo-location" targeting technology. By 2015, 70% of all desktop and mobile ads will geo-targeted. This way, ad impressions are not wasted on listeners outside of a particular market that cannot take advantage of the advertised product or service.

If you are doing any advertising on our latest Version 4 Player, you have clicked on the tab in your Control Panel marked "Advertising". Or, if not, what's behind the door you ask? A lot of features and flexibility tools designed to allow you to maximize your online revenue potential, that's what! Many of our stations use these features very successfully. All you have to do is get in and drive.

For instance, you can use the "Impressions and Targeting" section to schedule any kind of media play, from video pre-rolls to banner ads, and control, schedule, and sequence them in a variety of ways. With our handy calendar tool, you can set up campaigns to run at specific times, or in specific sequences, create daily or even hourly display limits and even create content classifications so that competitor spots do not play back to back or in the same break.

The flexibilities are endless. You can schedule ads to run by DMAs, or run nationally, internationally, or even select specific countries to target and prioritize those over other international campaigns. All media, whether audio spots, video roll, or rich media display ads, are all controlled in the same manner by you. Once a campaign has reached a completion point that you set, you are sent a campaign completion report via email. You can also view the campaign reports anytime right from the convenience of your Control Panel.

Campaigns can be set up to run daily, weekly, monthly or annually, so that once you schedule content, you only have to make changes as needed. You can set up schedule blocks, or sequences for your advertisers, and fill in the ROS on the player from our Ad Delivery Network (ADNet). This way, you don't waste any impressions, and ensure that all your listener sessions are monetized by national and international branded advertisers from our ADNet.

Also, it's very simple to join our ADNet, and with the click of a mouse, turn over all your pre-rolls, in-stream spots and banner slots and let us do the rest. We fill your listener session impressions from our platform of digital ad providers; you do absolutely nothing and automatically get a check each month for your share of the revenue generated from your listener traffic.

How to Promote your Online Streaming

2012-01-20T10:32:00.000-05:00

The great thing about streaming your broadcast online is, anyone, anywhere can listen. With the tremendous number of listener sites, Pandora, competing stations, etc., you can't expect your listeners to always remember they can listen to your broadcast online or on-the-go, so you have to constantly remind them. It's just like anything else; you have to promote it if you want to reach market penetration. So, what are some ways to get the message across about your online streaming? Oh, and are you promoting your iPhone and Android apps? If not, you need to be hard at work promoting mobile, which is set to overtake desktops in the very near future.

On-site banners and buttons - Don't make your online player link hard to find, or it will never be heard. Create engaging banners/buttons that aren't lost down below the fold of your website. Make sure they are close to the top, as part of the header, or obvious navigation and not crowded out by clutter. Every time a visitor lands on your website, you want to make them want to click that listen live button, and have the opportunity to download your mobile apps. It should literally jump out to greet them and be one of the first things they see. I've come across many station websites that display their 'listen live' button way at the bottom of their site, or embedded in a row of navigation links too small for the naked eye to see...and as the saying goes, "out of sight, out of mind."

On-air mentions - Have the DJs consistently mention your online streaming and your mobile apps as part of station ID and promo. Run :15 second promos and special news updates ROS. Run contests and promotions, like having weekly drawings to win concert tickets displayed only on your player, or chat live with the DJs on air, and even promote song requests via your players. Consistently doing this will create habit for your listeners, and may listen online more frequently once they experience the interactivity. Promote not only your online stream, but your ability to stream to all devices, like Androids, iPhones, etc. (assuming you have them, and if you don't, you should). And hey, driving traffic to your website doesn't hurt either! You want all your air listeners to know that they can listen online simply by going to the station's main website and clicking on your 'play now' or 'listen live' button that's prominently displayed.

Promote your streams on social network sites - You shouldn't hide the fact that you have an online stream, so post it everywhere you can. Social network sites are a great, fun way to share stuff with listeners. Use your station's Facebook page to promote your online stream, put the link in your bio, and occasionally include the link in status updates to remind 'likers' that they can listen to their favorite morning show anywhere from any desktop or mobile device. Tweet about upcoming guests on the show and share the link in case listeners won't be near a radio. Social networking is a great way to extend your listener base, as I've stated in previous articles. You can gain listeners from across the country . . . or across the world! It's great catering to your local listeners, but it's even better when you can extend your reach around the world. Friends will see friends sharing your live player, and those friends will see those friends . . . well, you get the picture.

Giving listeners the flexibility to listen when they want at any point in time is what gives you an advantage, but you must promote, promote, promote. Otherwise, how will they know? You need to consistently remind them and offer interactive ways to listen. I look at stats every day from stations that have a streaming application, players, mobile apps and all, yet aren't promoting them and have a scant handful of listeners. In this case, if you build it, they will come . . . but only if you tell them about it. And like everything else that we know to be true about radio, repetition in the market equals credibility!

Whether you are AM, FM, or internet, having your own customized streaming apps are powerful tools in promoting your station, show, or content. Not only are you catering to your listeners, but you are also positioned to generate revenue from yet another source that's in demand and is here to stay....online and mobile advertising. Make sure you get your own iPhone and Android apps if you haven't already.

2012: Great Listener-interactive Features With Many More on the Way

2012-01-13T14:27:00.001-05:00

As we tear into 2012, we have a lot of great things on the drawing board of our clients' future. We have a diverse team of developers and programmers hard at work to continue to make improvements, enhancements, and innovations in our online streaming services for our clients around the globe. There are so many items on the drawing board and in various stages of development, that we can't enumerate them all here today, nor do we want to let the cat out of the bag on our next quantum leap in the online radio arena.

Check out our features pages completely, if you haven't already. From time to time there are clients that will call and ask about a particular feature, only to find out that it's already available in their Control Panel. We certainly have a lot of features, so it can be easy to miss some of them. To check out all of the features, you can log into your Control Panel, or view them all on the site at http://rss.securenetsystems.net/index.cfm?page=features. Make sure you take a suitcase, cause you are gonna be there awhile!

Check out some of the features we have that are designed to manage your streams, earn revenue and provide your listeners with the best possible online listening experience:

If you are not already streaming in AAC+, then you may want to take a look at upgrading to the newest and highest-compression streaming format available today. Although we stream in Windows Media and MP3, AAC+ is twice the quality of an MP3 stream at the same bitrate, and far superior to Windows Media. It is also the format used in today's expanding streaming frontier to reach any and all device types out there.

Have you talked to your rep about getting Android and iPhone apps for your station? They are free of charge, customized to your specs, and integrated with social media and listener-interactive features like our playlist widget, Song Wizard, contact information, station information, and more. The mobile apps can also be monetized by our Ad Delivery Network, generating additional revenue from every listener session. Make sure to get in touch with your rep as soon as possible to take advantage of the rapid growth of mobile streaming.

Our players can be embedded anywhere by using a simple copy/paste to grab the stream URL from your player. Then using a simple HTML i-frame implementation, add your player to as many sites on the web as you want, embedded right into the page as shown here.

You can also opt-in to our Ad Delivery Network and display audio, video, and banner ads from national and international advertisers and make money every month on your split of all ad impressions and clicks across all desktop and mobile apps. You can also run your own ad campaigns for your local advertisers and sponsors, and fill the rest of the schedule automatically from our network. This gives you the best of both worlds...you can sell player time to local advertisers, and still not miss out on revenue from our Ad Delivery Network.

Hey, and here's one where you don't have to do a thing....30 second stream eliminations from your royalties! That's right. SoundExchange's royalty rules state that if a copyrighted song plays for less than 30 seconds, then it does not count towards your royalty calculations. We save you money every day on music streams by making sure that you do not pay one cent more in royalties than you are required to.

Here is a great feature for talk or music; the ability to "black out" or block certain time slots from streaming online. You can replace single events, or schedule an entire season in advance with our calendar-based, articulate, control panel software. This is especially useful for syndicated shows, races, games and other content that you do not have the rights to re-broadcast and need to restrict. All you simply do is go into your Control Panel, grab the handy little calendar scheduler and block out those time blocks....it's one of our more widely used features.

We can go on and on, but you probably have to get back to work running your stations. Let us take care of the rough stuff when it comes to your streaming! 2012 promises to be another great year of growth in the radio streaming sector, followed up neck-in-neck by the online advertising that goes with.

To find out more about all of the features we have available, go through your Control Panel, check out the site, or talk to your rep. We want to not only be able to provide you with the best possible service, but also want you to have the full understanding of the plethora of features that we are always working on in order to make your life easier and help cater to your clients in this modern-day marketplace.

Are You Prepared for What's in Store in 2012?

2012-01-06T09:59:00.002-05:00

A major growth area in 2011 was the increase in mobile streaming and the expansion of the radio beyond the traditional dial and desktops, to cars, devices and the increasing demand of streaming smartphone apps loaded with listener-interactive features. The demand for mobile streaming correlated with the increase in smartphone usage, and there will be an even bigger growth in mobile and online streaming in 2012, as our research clearly shows.

A November 2011 survey through MarketWise, non-traditional listening has grown to 36 percent in discrete demos. This does not mean that traditional radio listening will suffer, but most studies find that people are simply adding more media usage into their daily lives; work, home, car, gym...etc. Your listeners are still out there listening at the same measurable rate, just via different means and devices and at different times of the day....Convenience rules nowadays!

Mary Meeker, an Internet analyst at Morgan Stanley, projects that by mid-2013 mobile internet usage will start to surpass desktop internet usage, resulting in an even larger growth in the mobile streaming area. For the years to come there will be a steep incline in mobile internet usage, with almost 2 billion users by 2015.

(click here to view full-size)

What does 2012 mean for you? It means you MUST take advantage of this growth and make sure you are utilizing mobile streaming to your advantage. By having your own customized streaming apps for iPhone and Android, it means your listeners can reach you when they are not by their computer or radio....and they will be! You must take advantage of all of our great features and be in the game NOW, instead of playing catch up down the road.

Whether you are AM, FM, or internet, having your own customized apps are a powerful tool in branding your station, show or content. We encourage you to step into 2012 with open arms and embrace the technology. Not only are you catering to your listeners, but you are also positioned to generate revenue from yet another source that's in demand and is here to stay. Make sure you get your own iPhone and Android apps today if you haven't already. Send us an email to info@securenetsystems.net.

Our Growth in Online Radio Streaming and Ad Delivery

2011-12-16T10:08:00.003-05:00

According to Alexa Traffic Rankings, Securenet Systems has been the fastest-growing radio streaming provider in the world for the last 2 years. Our growth has continually mirrored the growth of online streaming in general, making us the #1 favorite of terrestrial and internet radio stations around the world! Thanks to all of our clients far and wide, we have been able to maintain not only our growth, but the constant roll-out of new features and improvements.

See some interesting growth charts here.

More and more national advertisers are looking to capitalize on the ability to target customers locally, using geo-targeted ad platforms, like Securenet's Ad Delivery Network (ADNet). Local advertising is, as defined in the latest issue of eMarketer as, "any form of advertising that targets a specific, localized audience or location." This includes search and display ad spend from all advertisers, including small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and national brands spending locally.

Our ADNet has continually grown at a mirrored pace, providing our stations with the ability to earn extra income from listener sessions without doing a thing. The ADNet allows you to deliver video pre-rolls, in-stream ads and display banners across all your players 24/7. You also have the flexibility of scheduling, sequencing and running your own spots on a schedule, while filling the ROS with ads from our ADNet....so you have the best of both worlds!

Our ADNet not only targets listeners by geo-location using the Nielsen DMA tables, but our advertiser platforms that we are interfaced with provide the highest quality in display media and interactive advertising. We also have a large breadth of volume, commanding overall higher fill rates and CPMs. This works to your favor in 2 ways;

You enjoy the additional revenue paid out to you at a higher rate because of our market traction.
You command a much higher level of credibility with your listeners by aligning your name with top brand advertisers from the Fortune 5000 world.

Find out more about our ADNet by sending an email to info@securenetsystems.net or speak to your company representative.

Online Advertising, Geo-targeting and Ad Revenue

2011-12-09T10:34:00.001-05:00

The latest report from BIA/Kelsey 'Revises Radio Industry Revenue' shows their estimates for 2012, expecting increases of 3.5% for Over-the-Air and 15.1% for Online in 2012. According to S&P Equity Research, overall online ad revenue will increase by about 10% this year, that should push ad revenue to just over $28 billion in 2011. So between the two disparate estimates, we have good reason to be very optimistic about the growth of radio revenue in general.

The industry has also begun to realize that any loss of base listenership has simply transitioned to other dayparts and means of listening. Radio is growing, both terrestrially and internet-wise.

And the growth of online ad revenue proves that more listeners are spending more time online, using a variety of means; desktop, home devices, car radio heads, and of course, the fastest-growing area....mobile devices. Of course, it also means that they are clicking through and responding to online ads. If you are not taking the online advertising aspect of streaming serious, it's time to take a harder look.

Recent studies and reports also show that by 2015, 70% of all mobile ads will be geo-targeted, giving radio stations even more of an edge when it comes to advertising. The use of geo-targeting is the latest way to serve ads only in designated areas. By geo-targeting within our Ad Delivery Network, we deliver ads to only those relative listeners, so advertisers' dollars are not wasted on impression ads, which is the old-school way of doing things. Online and mobile geo-targeting produces better dollar-traction, and also gives a station more credibility.

Our Ad Delivery Network, or ADNet, is a great example of using geo-targeting advertising to deliver ads within a specific area or region. Regardless of where the station is, any listener listening to that station within the targeting area, will be served a specific ad for that area only. Our system allows you to limit areas using Designated Market Areas (DMAs). There are 210 DMAs, covering the entire continental United States, Hawaii, and parts of Alaska. Each county is assigned to only one DMA within the US.

Our ADNet also allows us to run ads and specify if we want to run in the US only, International only, or both. This gives us great flexibility in delivering proper content to the right listeners. We have developed relationships with many digital ad platforms and advertisers representing the top brands from around the world. Not only can your desktop player be generating revenue for you, but along with our mobile app ads, you are bringing in new revenue each month without even lifting a finger....well, you might have to click your mouse a couple of times, then sit back, let us do the rest, and you get a check every month for your share of the ad revenue generated from all of your combined listener sessions.

For more information on our ADNet or any of our other services or features, send an email to info@securenetsystems.net.

Embeddable Widgets Create Listener Loyalty

2011-12-02T09:10:00.001-05:00

Check out our latest listener-interactive feature, the "Search Wizard". There is a newly labeled button in your Control Panel labeled "Embeddable Widgets" as shown below (formerly Site Playlist Embedding). When you click on the button, you will get a secondary page with links to the Song Wizard playlist widget and the new Search Wizard widget.

Add the new Search Wizard to any website and let your visitors search for their favorite artists, albums or songs. Search results provide lyrics, ringtones, bios, concert tix, YouTube videos and more, in similar fashion as the Song Wizard results.

You can check out the new widget on our site under; "Features" | "Social Media and Listener Interaction" | "Search Wizard" (second selection after Song Wizard).

And if you aren't already using our Song Wizard, you should take a minute and check it out. We have added examples of both widgets to our homepage. The Song Wizard allows you to embed your current "Last Song Played" playlist on any website, and is also the playlist widget on your desktop player and mobile apps.

These are 2 especially useful features that you can use to provide more information to your listeners, create a higher dwell-time, and instill greater listener loyalty.

We are constantly working to come up with more and more innovative ways to enhance your listener's online experience. For more information on the Song Wizard and the Search Wizard, you can log into your Control Panel, or talk to one of our knowledgeable reps. For additional information, send an email to info@securenetsystems.net.

A Couple of Developments Affecting Your Market

2011-11-17T09:15:00.001-05:00

Growth of Smartphone Usage

It is projected that smartphone users will exceed 53% of the market by the end of this year. If you have seen the latest statistics, iPhone and Android account for 76% of all smartphones in the market today. If you haven't already taken advantage of streaming mobile apps for iPhone and Android, you better get started now. You need to be out and about with your listeners on their daily travels, and customized streaming mobile apps are just what you need. If you haven't already gotten our new highly-interactive mobile apps for your station, please let us know so we can get you set up. It's simple, easy and we'll have you 'goin mobile' in no time flat!

Growth of Geotargeted Display Advertising

By 2013, geotargeted display ad revenue is forecast to reach $1.9 billion, up from $879 million spent on banners in 2008-a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16%-according to BIA/Kelsey in a recent report. Localized ads, comprised primarily from numbers from the SMB market, will see the highest growth with a CAGR of 66%.

Securenet's Advertising Control Panel allows you to geo-target and serve ads by DMAs, national, and international markets, giving you incredible flexibility, but at the same time, making sure that you only serve ads in the right market. This way, you do not waste your advertiser's dollars on unqualified listeners.

Our Ad Delivery Network also provides you with highly targeted ads, providing you with higher relevancy to your listeners, a higher click-through rate, and thus a higher revenue share. For more information on our ADNet and generating monthly, recurring revenue without doing a thing, please send an email to info@securenetsystems.net.

Say Hello to Our New Partner!

2011-11-09T11:52:00.000-05:00

We would like to introduce our latest strategic technology partner, Orban. Securenet Systems is a fully authorized reseller of Orban Optimod and Opticode PC stream encoding products. Orban is a name synonymous with high-quality AM/FM and studio encoding gear, and Securenet Systems is proud to be associated with such a stellar product line.

The Optimod line of products stream your broadcasts in MPEG-4 HE-AAC v2 (also known by its trade name of AAC+ or AACv2), delivering higher audio quality at lower bandwidths than any other audio codec technology currently available. Accordingly, AAC+ delivers streaming and download 5.1 surround at 128Kbps, CD-quality stereo at 48 kbps and excellent standard quality stereo at 32 kbps. This level of efficiency fundamentally enables new applications in the markets of mobile, internet, and digital broadcast.

If you want the best in encoding quality for your AAC+ stream, then Orban is the name. Orban's Optimod series audio processors pull in larger audience shares with a louder, cleaner and more attractive signal. Whether your signal is AM, FM or Webcasting, Optimod processing will shape your sound for maximum reach, appeal and long-term listenability.

A little more on AAC+

Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) is the latest standardized, encoding scheme for digital audio. Designed to be the successor of the MP3 format, AAC achieves much better sound quality than MP3 at similar bit rates. AAC is also the default or standard audio format for iPhone, iPod, Android, and mobile phones made by Sony Ericsson, Nokia and others, plus webOS-based mobile phones. AAC has also seen adoption on in-dash car audio, especially on high-end audio-head units.

Our latest Version 4 Player System encodes in AAC+ at a base encoding rate of 32 kbps, which is twice the quality of an MP3 or Windows Media stream. If you are not streaming with our latest version player, it's a cinch to upgrade....just holler at us and let us know and we'll get you upgraded ASAP!

If you need additional information on streaming with us using AAC+, or would like information and pricing on the Orban Optimod and Opticode systems, please send an email to info@securenetsystem.net.

The Playlist Wizard Works Across All Platforms

2011-11-03T14:15:00.000-04:00

If you want to fully cater to your listeners, then you need to utilize the embedded playlist song wizard. It's simple to use and easy to integrate, and best of all, it's available to ALL streaming accounts. One of your listeners hears a song 5 minutes ago and they're dying to know the name; are you able to provide this information readily? A major component to listener loyalty is being able to cater to your listeners' needs.

Our playlist song wizard is more than just a list of songs recently played. It's integrated with album art, links to buy the song, ringtones, music videos, lyrics, artist bios, and even concert tickets in your local area. You can also display as many past-played songs as you want to, showing the exact time the song was played.

The playlist wizard works across all platforms, tying all your media together - player, website, and mobile app.

Player: Your desktop player has a link that pops open a small window within the frame of your player to display the song list.

Website: You can grab the embed code from your Control Panel and embed the song wizard right onto your website for easy access to show every song that's currently playing.

Mobile Apps: The song wizard is displayed within your streaming app so your listeners can still see the song info even while they are on-the-go.

If you haven't added this onto your website, you should! It's nice eye-candy and a great interactive tool that gives your listeners a longer dwell time.

For more information on the playlist song wizard or any of our features and services, send an email to info@securenetsystems.net. We also welcome any of your questions, comments and suggestions!

Are You Using Our Latest Technology?

2011-10-27T16:15:00.001-04:00

If you are not using our latest version player system, you are missing out on a lot of new features like these that are designed to maximize your exposure and monetize your traffic.

Free Mobile Apps For All Your Stations

Earn Instant Revenue With Our Ad Delivery Network

Use Our Playlist Widget Across All Players and Apps

Double Your Sound Quality With AAC+

NEW - Ad Sequencing and Scheduling

There are even more features available than ever with the new Version 4 Player System. Send an email to info@securenetsystems.net for more information on how to get started on Version 4.

Have You Upgraded To Our Latest Version 4 Player System?

2011-10-19T15:20:00.001-04:00

If you aren't streaming with Securenet with the latest version player, you are missing out on a lot of benefits. The new system incorporates a lot of new and improved listener-interactive and social media features.

Many of the new features are advertising-centric, created by our knowledgeable development team to aid and assist you in monetizing your listener traffic.

With valuable feedback from customers, we are always striving to stay on the edge with constantly evolving features and enhancements....features such as;

The ability to stream in AAC+ at twice the quality of Windows Media or MP3 at the same bit-rate
The ability to reach all desktops, mobile devices, car and home internet radios, etc
Using our free customized iPhone and Android apps, for greater credibility, reach and branding
The ability to run geo-targeted advertising campaigns for all mediums; pre-roll videos, banners, etc
The ability to join our Ad Delivery Network and earn instant revenue from your player traffic
Or having the ability to sequence and schedule particular ads to run at certain times or slots within breaks
Or the ability to create multiple campaigns across one or more stations, all using and sharing the same media
The ability to utilize our Song Wizard to display uniform playlists across your website, players and mobile apps

....and the list goes on. If you would like more information on our Version 4 player system, contact your rep or send an email to info@securenetsystems.net. There are so many new abilities and features with the new platform, and you can also have multiple publishing points in AAC+ or in MP3 if you'd like.

The Version 3 player system uses Windows Media, which is limited in market penetration. However, we will continue to support all formats.

For more information on any of our features and services, send an email to info@securenetsystems.net. We also welcome any of your questions, comments and suggestions!

Did you know that you can do all these things with our system?

2011-10-13T09:40:00.000-04:00

Did you know that Securenet Systems provides so many radio streaming features to make your life easier?

Our Song Wizard is one of the more useful and utilized features. Our Song Wizard allows you to embed your playlist in your website, complete with album art, artist info, time of play, as well as links to videos, lyrics, concerts, ringtones, biography, and song purchase. The section in your Control Panel entitled, "Site Playlist Embedding" allows you to generate the HTML code to paste onto your site.

Found under 'Advertising' in your Control Panel, our Ad Sequencer allows you to schedule spots to run in any sequence on any breaks. Prioritize your spots for higher value to sponsors and advertisers. You can also fill everything outside of your own schedule with content from our Ad Delivery Network.

With our Campaign Scheduler also found in the same section, you can set up any type of campaigns you want, from pre-rolls to ad insertion to display banners, and associate certain banners, spots and skins, creating a complete player takeover for greater impact. You can set up as many campaigns as you want, and use already existing content across multiple campaigns, saving you valuable time and work. You can also set up daily limits on any campaign, which is useful for managing campaigns that require a particular daily limit, or ceiling to the number of ads run for a particular client.

Our advertising tracking and reporting system allows you to set campaigns with specific limits, either impression-based or time-based, and be instantly notified when a campaign is complete. You can also have the client notified. You can download an excel spreadsheet of the performance to provide in affidavit format automatically to any client. You can also view campaign performance in real-time, with bar charts to give you easy at-a-glance visuals.

Our Billboard Fill feature is a very useful feature that allows you to associate a 400x200 billboard with any time slot using a simple calendar scheduler. Use the Campaign Scheduler to schedule billboards to display in sync with show schedules, DJs, or whatever you want to feature on a schedule, like special events and remotes.

There are 'Radio Buttons' that you can place at the top of your streaming player, allowing you to target other sites, pages, players, etc. You can have anywhere from 1 to 5 buttons, and they can be custom colorized to match the player and/or your site. If you add up to 5 station player links to the buttons, all 5 players will refresh and play, all within the same player. Especially useful for small groups, clusters or to add HD side channels.

If you are looking for ease and a no-hassle approach to earning revenue from your listener traffic, then you can join our Ad Delivery Network and let us deliver high-quality ads from major brands to your listener traffic, and we'll send you a check every month for your share of the revenue. It's that simple!

For more information on any of our features and services, send an email to info@securenetsystems.net.

What Are the Latest Online Listener Habits?

2011-10-06T14:37:00.000-04:00

New research shows that the online listening market is still growing at measurable rates. According to our latest numbers, more and more traditional AM/FM listeners are shifting their listening habits to take advantage of the ability to listen online at work and on the go, via the huge proliferation of smartphones and mobile player apps. In addition to the shift in listening times, listeners have also shown a high interest in social media tie-ins, leaning on the immense popularity of sites like Facebook and Twitter, which more and more radio broadcasters are embracing.

Average listener time is also higher than traditional 'in car' listening times, since today's listener spends more time at their desk, or with their phone, than they spend in their car. Our listeners tend to like streams that are easy to find, easy to use, and can be either embedded or bookmarked. The highest dwell-time listener vehicle is the desktop player, with talk format listener times running longer than music.

Another trend we are seeing is the expectance and the acceptance of advertising by the average listener. Any successful web property today is monetized by advertising. Whether it is a video pre-roll, like you see on most news pages and sites like Hulu and YouTube, or rich-media banner ads, advertising is an integral part of online success. Listeners have come to expect ads and for the most part, are not turned off, or turned away by them.

Some latest traditional online user facts;

• 78% of adults are now using the internet on a daily basis

• 92% use multiple means to get their daily news

• 55% of users state that it is now easier to get news than it was 5 years ago

• 65% of internet users have paid for online content

• 62% of online teens get their news online

• 48% of internet users over the age of 35 use a social media site

• 25% of smartphone owners use their phone as opposed to going online

• 72% go online just looking for something to do, watch, or listen to

But hey, like you really needed more proof that streaming your broadcast is a necessity today? Of course not, and the latest facts from the online world show that more and more people of all age groups are using the internet in a variety of new ways. By having a strong online and mobile streaming presence, you are placing yourself in the mainstream of the shifting technology.

As always, we are committed to staying on the bleeding edge of the digital revolution, bringing you more ways to innovate, adapt and excel in today's highly competitive listening arena.

Kerry Brewer is Sr. Managing Director at Securenet Systems, a leading provider of online streaming services to the worldwide radio industry. He can be reached at kbrewer@securenetsystems.net or on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/kerrybrewer.

Why Use an Ad Network Like Securenet's?

2011-09-29T16:17:00.000-04:00

Securenet Systems' Ad Delivery Network automatically delivers advertising to your players and mobile apps from a vast network of national and international advertisers and mobile content providers. We take over your player ad display ability, add you to our inventory, and video, audio and rich-media banner ads are automatically delivered to your listeners.

Our Ad Network is growing like crazy because we do all the work, so you don't need to do a single thing!

•     No selling
•     No tracking
•     No affidavits
•     No billing
•     No collections
•     Automatic monthly payouts

All top brand national and international advertisers provide:

•     Video ads
•     Audio ads
•     Display media
•     Pre-roll
•     In-stream replacement ads
•     Desktop player ads
•     Mobile player ads

Flexibility and additional features:

•     Schedule your own ads and fill ROS from our ADN
•     Sequence your own ads and fill ROS from our ADN
•     High fill rates, CPMs and payouts
•     Family-friendly advertisers
•     Christian Ad Net
•     Hispanic Ad Net

We then take care of the rest, and you get a rev-share check every month from the aggregate split on all ads run across all your players and apps. This industry is exploding and you are part of it. The majority of today's online listeners expect ads, and our top brand-name advertisers will add credibility to your station, and revenue to your bottom line.

For more information on joining Securenet's Ad Delivery Network, contact your company representative, or send an email to info@securnetsystems.net.

New Features and Desktop Housekeeping

2011-09-22T11:58:00.000-04:00

Royalty-Paid Music for Your Site

Hey, did you know that you can now add royalty-paid music streams to your site as additional streams and automatically monetize them with our Ad Delivery Network?

The Soundify.Us system can be utilized by terrestrial and internet broadcasters to add one or more of our royalty-paid channels to your site or online player. Just like HD radio does today with FM, it allows you to provide listeners with additional premium content. All features, including royalties, are included in the price of all plans. The plans are pretty inexpensive and cover a wide variety of music split into several different genres. Securenet has registered with SESAC, ASCAP, BMI and SoundExchange to pay the royalties, so that you don't have to. All music is encoded in AAC+ 64kb.

You can also use the Soundify.Us streams as back-up, in case your studio online encoder should go down. Please contact your representative for more information on features and pricing, or request a quote.

Our Support Ticket System

In order to streamline support requests and better serve you, we now utilize a fully automated support ticket system. Every support request is assigned a unique ticket number which you can use to track the progress and responses online. A valid email address is required, and you can check on the status of a ticket, update the notes, or close the ticket if the problem has been resolved on your end. For your reference, we also provide archives and history of all your support requests complete with responses and notations.

The quickest and easiest way to get a tech issue resolved is to open a Support Ticket at http://support.securenetsystems.net/.

Junk Folder is Your Other Inbox

Do you blindly empty your junk folder? DON'T DO IT! Whether you like it or not, spam is part of the internet, and if you are using a mail client like Outlook, then you have a 'junk' folder that gets filled with spam. The only problem is that good emails often get filtered into your junk folder along with the spam. You can turn off your junk folder option, but you will have all the spam now in your inbox, right?

The best solution, that all our staff are trained to follow, is to check your junk folder every time you check your inbox for new mail. In fact, treat your junk folder just like an inbox, except that most of the email will be spam, and as you scroll through and delete them one by one, keep a keen eye on the subject and body for validity. In today's world of online radio and media, we are constantly sending images, audio files, contracts, documents and more. Any attachment can get your email sent to junk, so constantly check your junk folder for any important stuff!

Don't forget, we value your ideas, input and feedback. If you have any suggestions or comments on any of our services or features, please send an email to info@securenetsystems.net.

Some Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your Streaming Account

2011-09-14T15:37:00.001-04:00

Are you using a customized skin? Why not? It's simple and easy to do. Just go to your Control Panel, click on "Skins" and follow the simple instructions and you can easily customize your player background. When uploading a skin, keep in mind that the skin will resize itself, depending on whether or not you have banners displayed at the bottom, or are using the radio buttons across the top. Skins can also be associated with ad-replacement spots and companion banners for a complete take-over effect. This creates greater impact for advertisers.

Have you used the "Billboard Fill" feature yet? Billboard fill is a feature that you can use to associate a billboard (the 400x200 slot just to the right of the player controls) with a particular time schedule. This is especially useful to stations for branding shows, syncing DJ profiles with their slots, and other associations, like display ads that are timed to correspond to certain events. This feature can be found in your Control Panel under "Advertising," and uses a simple calendar scheduler to set up the fill times and upload the billboard banners.

Another great feature that is also located under "Advertising" in your Control Panel, is our "Sequencing Scheduler" that gives you the ability to sequence spots and ads to run in any combination or priority that you wish. This feature gives you complete control over placement of spots during breaks, and what else is allowed to be played in a break, as well as control over companion banners. The Sequencer can also be used with Securenet's Ad Delivery Network to fill in the rest of your schedule with video and banner ads from our network of advertisers.

More and more stations are joining our Ad Delivery Network every week and taking advantage of Securenet's high fill rate and CPM rates. We work with the biggest advertising names and brands to bring you quality advertisements that won't turn off your listeners. Plus, it will make you money. Our Ad Delivery Network allows you to make money 24/7 without doing a thing. All you have to do is flip a little tab in your Control Panel, again, under the tab marked "Advertising," and we do the rest. We feed your listeners high-quality ads, and you get a check every month. Listeners have not only come to expect ads, but are used to seeing them on everything from radio players to YouTube and Facebook.

If you would like more information on any of our features, send an email to info@securenetsystems.net.

10 Things to Enhance and Monetize Your Stream

2011-09-08T09:49:00.000-04:00

1 - Make sure that you are streaming in the latest formats that are acceptable to virtually all desktops and mobile devices. The latest compression format is AAC+ (Ver 2), and is twice the quality of MP3, at the same encoding bit rate.

2 - Have your streaming link in prominent view at the top of your site, either in the header or in the top-level navigation. The same 2-click rule for success with any website also applies to your player. If they don't see it readily, they may miss it and move on.

3 - Have customized mobile apps for today's smartphones, like iPhone and Android. There are also native apps out there for some of the other brands, but today's majority of mobile device listening is on smartphones. Having your own apps allows your listeners to download them for free from the respective platforms, and always have them available at any time. This also allows your listeners to easily find you, and also creates credibility.

4 - Make sure that you are using social media and listener-interactive features that are available to you. Tie in Facebook pages, post your playlists to Twitter or to your site, allow listeners to request songs, or chat with the DJs....or each other. Embedding and social bookmarking are two great features that create loyalty and keep listeners coming back to your stream.

5 - You need to have a streaming player that you have the ability to customize. The player should also be able to interactively engage listeners, which creates a higher dwell time and gives them reasons to remember and bookmark your player. If you have a player that has the availability, but haven't taken advantage of customizing your player skin, you should do so for better branding. Nothing looks worse than an empty player playing only music with no branding or other personality to it.

6 - Are you advertising? If you are not running advertising on your desktop and mobile app players, then you are missing one of the largest growth markets in recent history. The latest stats show that not only are listeners and visitors used to seeing ads on most sites, but they have come to expect them. This is a sure-fire way to generate extra revenue, whether selling and running your own video pre-rolls, in-stream replacement spots and banners, or belonging to an Ad Delivery Network like Securenet Systems offers.

7 - Promote your streaming on-air. You have the megaphone to do it with, and you can tie the internet and streaming into on-air promotions, contests, listener-interactive copy or run promos throughout your day-clock promoting the player, the apps, etc. It's just like anything else; you have to promote it. It's expected of you, so adding it to your on-air scheduling will provide your advertisers and sponsors with additional value.

8 - Make sure that you are fully aware of all the other ways that you can promote your station's website and online streaming presence. Having a properly functioning website is important, as is the speed of the site itself. Keywords and meta-tags are very important keys in getting found on the major search engines like Google, Yahoo and others. Did you know that Google will penalize you for having a slow site? Make sure that your site is being hosted on a fast network, not some in-house DSL or cable modem. A fast site is also an important feature to your listeners as well.

9 - Sell the online streaming of your stations to everyone; staff, salespeople, field reps, vendors, customers, advertisers and sponsors alike. Make sure everyone knows that you have the latest state-of-the-art online streams and are promoting it. Build it into all your promotional material and make sure that your staff and everyone else involved also understands the importance of having a strong and feature-rich online streaming presence.

10 - And lastly, go through all the additional features that are available to you. You can run ad-replacement spots, sync billboards with ads, run player take-overs, add listener data collection to create mailing lists, synchronize banners with ads, create premium pay-per-play on-demand accounts, add royalty-paid streams with additional genres....and there are yet more things you can do, but like anything else in life, you get out of it what you put in.

There's now enough IP numbers for the entire galaxy!

2011-08-31T13:29:00.000-04:00

The proliferation of radio streaming to cars, devices, desktops and mobile phones has certainly added to the overwhelming global demand for IP numbers. That and the huge growth of mobile streaming apps, ad delivery networks, hosting platforms and social media sites and blogs, have helped to use up all the IPv4 numbers at a far greater speed planned for initially. Every new app or device coming out seems to be enslaving one more IP number, leading to the huge shortage of original numbers designated for the internet when it was first developed.

In 2010, Securenet acquired large blocks of IP numbers on the new Internet IP IPv6 Numbering System, or Internet Protocol version 6, which uses a combination of alpha-numerics allowing for a quantum leap in the number of available web addresses. The top-level authority that governs IP addresses has already distributed the last batches IP version 4 (IPv4) numbers earlier this year. All new networks are now required to purchase blocks of IPv6 numbers from ARIN (American Registry for Internet Numbers).

The new IP numbers will allow the internet to continue to expand and grow, with the newest version IPv6 taking us far beyond the limits of the old system, giving us 2¹²⁸ (3.4×10³⁸) global IP addresses. Yeah, that’s right, 340 trillion, 282 billion, 366 million, 920 thousand, 938 - followed by 24 zeroes to be exact! When the internet was started, it was thought that the current IPv4 with 4,294,967,296 addresses would suffice. Hey, who counts this stuff, you wonder?

Check out the American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN) https://www.arin.net/knowledge/ipv6_info_center.html for more information.

The Latest on Automotive-Based Internet Radio

2011-08-24T15:16:00.000-04:00

As the world of online radio streaming continues to grow, more and more broadcasters are keeping a keen eye on the shift to other means and methods of listening to their traditional AM/FM programming. I have recently written about the fact that most traditional terrestrial listeners are still listening, just at different times of day, and via different means, such as desktop, mobile and cars.

Wait a minute; aren't we already in cars, you might ask? Well of course, but we're not talking about the old car radio head revolution....we're talking about the internet-enabled car radio head revolution. More and more cars are coming to market with internet access and built-in internet tuners that allow one to pick up 100,000+ stations from around the world in some cases. Chances are, if you are streaming, even for a short time, your station is most likely available on these new tuners via applications like Reciva and TuneIn.

The latest research report from IHS iSuppli Automotive Research shows that the number of automobiles with internet radios integrated into the car will explode to over 24 million units by 2018, a huge increase from 168,000 in 2010. The US market will lead in internet radio sales for automobiles, with over 10 million units, or almost 42% of the world market.

The latest shift in technology of internet-enabled radio heads is towards computer-based programs like SYNC, where functionality is performed by individual applications....think smartphones. The trend is also towards bundled entertainment apps like Pandora, Slacker Radio, Reciva, TuneIn and others that allow listeners to select virtually any station they want from anywhere in the world.

Car maker, Scion, has just launched 17 internet stations. The channels are non-customizable Live365 streams and contain exclusive programming. The real news here is that the new Scion xB includes dashboard smartphone support; Bluetooth streaming, iTunes tagging, USB and more, all controlled via a 5.8 inch touchscreen.

Ford and Toyota just partnered on web-connected car standards for telematics. They are looking for ways to make the in-car technology safer, more secure, and easier to use. Of course, they will be supporting internet radio, like all the car manufacturers are beginning to do, and will also be embracing smartphone dashboard integration as well.

All in all, there are over 50 car models in the US that already have internet radio apps built into their radio heads, or will be by the 2012 model. Europe is running far behind on this, with only BMW and Mini offering internet radio so far. Even China already has 4 car models coming to market that can tune in your favorite station.

What does this mean for today's terrestrial and internet broadcasters?

You need to be online and streaming in either AAC+ or MP3, the 2 formats adopted by the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) and the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) to be able to ubiquitously stream to all devices, desktops, and mobile phones.

This huge growth market is being supported by geo-targeted advertising, a medium that should reach $18 billion by 2016. Another reason to be taking advantage of the latest streaming formats and technologies that are out there!

For more information on streaming your broadcast in high-quality AAC+ or MP3, check out Radio Streaming Services, or send an email to info@securenetsystems.net.

Our Ad Network Means Higher Payouts

2011-08-18T13:04:00.000-04:00

You can make money right now from our Ad Delivery Network by simply opting-in when you sign up with our radio streaming plans. You can run your own ads if you'd like, and fill in the rest of your ROS with our ads. Our leverage in the impression-based media market allows you to get more impressions and receive a higher revenue share.

Our Ad Delivery Network is growing every day, running in the tens of millions impressions on a weekly basis. Because of our collective, increasing traffic volume, we are able to attract higher paying advertisers. Our network now delivers rich media display ads and video pre-rolls from some of the biggest Fortune 5000 advertisers. Companies like Breitling, Ford, Burger King, Century 21, Yamaha, Zillow, Fisher-Price and many, many more comprise our expanding network of quality advertisers.

You can also advertise to all your mobile listeners via our Android and iPhone apps that we custom-build for your station or group. We also deliver rich media impression ads from some of the biggest names in national and international advertising.

By the way, if you haven't already done so, you can sign up as a Securenet Affiliate. You will need to sign up to get paid out on commissions received from the Ad Delivery Network....and by the way, you can also refer business to us anytime and also receive a referral commission every month for the life of each account.

Not only are your listeners used to seeing ads, but check out the growth in online desktop and mobile advertising! Borrell Associates, which specializes in researching local and online advertising, are forecasting that local online advertising will reach $18 billion annually by 2016! Local couponing will reach $3 billion a year, and over 70% of all mobile advertising will be locally geo-targeted ads.

Don't forget, with our Ad Delivery Network, we are able to geo-target ads by local, regional, national and international reach, using IP number-based tracking, and DMAs (designated market areas). So whether you are running your own ads, and/or using our ad network, your listeners are being fed ads that are targeting them, thus increasing your credibility and commanding higher payouts.

Give us a call or click today to find out more about our Ad Delivery Network and earning money from your listener traffic.

The Latest Streaming Radio Technology for Your Car

2011-08-11T09:00:00.000-04:00

With the latest and greatest gadgets, you can easily transform your car radio into an internet radio. So many cars are latching onto the idea of streaming radio devices. Ford, BMW, and other major car manufacturers are making cars that have internet streaming already integrated to the radio consoles. And for older cars, or cars made by manufacturers not offering this yet, there are plenty of external devices that can be added to your vehicle’s dash to make internet radio streaming readily available on the go.

One cool device is the Livio Bluetooth Internet Radio Car Kit. This little device is so small it can fit in the palm of your hand. There are some bulky devices out there, but this one is small, compact, and does the job. Think of this device as the middleman from your internet-ready smartphone to your car’s radio. You can easily transform your car radio into an internet radio to add over 45,000 AM, FM, and internet-only stations in your car without any monthly fees.

This device takes about 5 minutes to set up, plugs right into your car’s cigarette lighter adapter, syncs with your iPhone or Android phone, and you can be streaming internet radio in just a couple pushes of a button. Built-in RDS capabilities (Radio Data System) will even display the artist name and track title from the internet radio station to your car radio, provided both support the service. For the size of this little kit, it’s pretty handy…you can even use it to answer phone calls for hands-free talking. As soon as your call is over, your internet radio streaming picks right back up. This is a great investment for only $119 bucks.

Sony is also releasing their version. They will bring control of Pandora's internet radio app and SiriusXM's universal satellite radio tuner to a wide range of aftermarket head units. Starting at $150, you can control Pandora via a simple USB cable.

The DSX-S310BTX ($280) will be the first aftermarket head unit to use Bluetooth's AVRC profile to control all functions of the Pandora app on smartphones. There’s also the traditional CD slot and auxiliary port to connect other MP3 players. These head units must be custom installed into your car, but still a great investment if you want to listen to internet radio stations on the go.

Companies keep coming out with more internet radio devices, and some cars have lots of these basic features already. If you aren’t streaming your station online yet, you better get on the ball. In time, most cars will come standard with streaming-ready consoles. Imagine grabbing listeners across the country. Onlinestreaming makes this possible.