Radio once ruled the car. Now, digital dashboards, smartphone interfaces, and new “infotainment” systems are disrupting the car-listening experience … for broadcasters and car-buyers.
Audi, which recently replaced BMW as the top-selling premium car company, has included HD Radio as standard equipment in the 2015 Audio A3, which is appearing in dealer lots now. At the same time, an announcement comes from Audi that it is adopting CarPlay, Apple’s digital-dashboard operating system. Specific car models are not identified, but at least some 2015 models will have CarPlay. Continue Reading
Pandora VP of Investor Relations Dominic Paschel is a frequent guest speaker at investor conferences. We last eavesdropped on his remarks in December, at a JP Morgan event. Paschel recently held forth at the Sanford C. Bernstein Future of Media Summit. Paschel’s presentation provided an update of several aspects of Pandora’s business:
Steve Goldstein, Executive Vice President of Saga Communications bought a new car — a GM Acadia. when he turns it on, something is missing: Radio. In this guest column, Goldstein walks through the on-screen audio choices of a new digital dashboard, and articulates a crisis for radio. Continue Reading
In a partnership that was announced over a year ago, automaker GM and telecom giant AT&T are starting to roll out product — cars with built-in online connectivity. With announced prices, these cars and data plans help shape consumer understanding of an important question: What is the monthly cost of connecting a car? Continue Reading
SiriusXM announced an expansion of its Pre-Owned Program, via a partnership with Nowcom’s DealerCenter management software. DealerCenter is utilized by 4,500 car dealers in the U.S. This development follows a March announcement which integrated Sirius’ program with AutoManager, another software solutions provider to car dealers. Continue Reading
The most opulent presentation of advertising creative offered by Pandora is a combination of an interstitial commercial (either audio or video, positioned between songs) followed by a visual display. We recently spotted BMW doubling down on that commercial opportunity with two ads for the i3 model within a 30-minute listening period. Continue Reading
Apple’s CarPlay, a digital-dash system based on the iPhone, got more exposure at last week’s New York International Auto Show, where Volvo, Mercedes-Benz, and Hyundai showed off their CarPlay integration concepts. The big question in the audio-content industry is the extent to which AM/FM radio will be displaced by Internet-delivered listening. Continue Reading
Much has been said about the ‘connected dash’ in recent weeks: the concern that radio has plenty to lose from forthcoming internet-connected cars, that’ll offer internet radio, Spotify-like services, and plenty more. Guest columnist James Cridland says that if you’re a radio broadcaster, you should start worrying right now. Continue Reading
The “Dashboard Dynamics” panel wrapped RAIN Summit West 2014 with a robust discussion moderated by Paul Heine, Senior Editor of Inside Radio. Panelists were Ty Roberts (Gracenote), George Lynch (Pandora), Carl Rohling (TuneIn), and Scott Burnell, Ford.) Continue Reading
Just as automakers can introduce concept cars, Microsoft has unveiled a conceptual connected-car platform. First looks make Microsoft in the Car appear to be a direct competitor to Apple’s CarPlay system which is rolling onto the street in a few models this year. Continue Reading
Further leveraging in-car listening as its primary customer acquisition funnel, SiriusXM will begin offering three-month trial subscriptions to used-car buyers. Naturally, the offer applies in cars equipped with a SiriusXM receiver. The initiative is enabled by AutoManager, a dealership solution provider. Continue Reading
In the wake of Audi’s announcement of its Internet-enabled 2015 A3 model car, with high-speed 4G LTE connectivity built in, we asked reader whether they would pay for a data plan for their cars. It was the most lopsided RAIN Poll yet. Continue Reading