TuneIn isn’t your typical Silicon Valley startup. To begin with, it’s
not really a startup. A free service that lets users listen to radio
stations from around the world on their mobile devices, TuneIn was actually founded in 2002 as a radio guide to shows and programs called RadioTime.
It’s evolved over the years as its tried to figure out what listeners want when it comes to accessing radio stations over the Internet. An acquisition in 2010 bought it the name TuneIn. Sequoia Capital invested in January 2011.
And now it has something that rivals like Spotify and Pandora would like: users. More than 30 million in more than 230 countries, says CEO John Donham, a longtime entrepreneur and former Walt Disney Co. executive who joined in 2010. He now oversees a staff working out of an old plumbing supply shop in downtown Palo Alto.
When I caught up with them, they were readying a new version of their app for Apple’s iPhone and iPad (there are also versions for Android, Blackberry and Windows Phones — they say they support more than 150 devices, including smart phones, car dashboards and web devices).
Donham says they’ve been working helping users find new music and new radio stations, instead of having their listeners work to seek them out. “What we’re focused on is discovery.”
So with the new app released today, they’ve added features that recommend new stations and music based on what listeners are tuned into (pun intended) and present a list of stations “Now Playing” the kind of music or talk radio you’re interested in. (In addition to letting you search by station or genre, or seeking out what station is playing a song by your favorite artist right now). Apple users also now have a direct link to iTunes, so they can buy any song they’re listening to with a click.
The service also expanded its universe of outlets, tapping into 60,000 local and global radio stations, up from 50,000. Donham says they’re adding about 300 new content sources a day, and the recent addition of TED talks has proven popular, as have the more than 1 million on-demand programs available.
Which led me to ask: What are folks listening to and when? What they found is that the most popular time of day to listen on TuneIn is from 12pm to 1pm Central Daylight Time. Unsurprisingly, Top 40 music is the most popular format. But TuneIn, which offers both free and paid versions of its Pro apps, did notice some differences between Android and Apple users.
Apple users were more likely to listen to public radio and classical music, while Android users were into conservative talk and Spanish-language programming. “One interesting stat is the surge of worldwide Spanish listening over the past 2 years. From Jan. 2011 to March 2012, Spanish-speaking listeners on Android jumped 84%, while it only increased 42% in iOS, they say. This speaks to a growing global Spanish-speaking audience on Android.”
It’s evolved over the years as its tried to figure out what listeners want when it comes to accessing radio stations over the Internet. An acquisition in 2010 bought it the name TuneIn. Sequoia Capital invested in January 2011.
And now it has something that rivals like Spotify and Pandora would like: users. More than 30 million in more than 230 countries, says CEO John Donham, a longtime entrepreneur and former Walt Disney Co. executive who joined in 2010. He now oversees a staff working out of an old plumbing supply shop in downtown Palo Alto.
When I caught up with them, they were readying a new version of their app for Apple’s iPhone and iPad (there are also versions for Android, Blackberry and Windows Phones — they say they support more than 150 devices, including smart phones, car dashboards and web devices).
Donham says they’ve been working helping users find new music and new radio stations, instead of having their listeners work to seek them out. “What we’re focused on is discovery.”
So with the new app released today, they’ve added features that recommend new stations and music based on what listeners are tuned into (pun intended) and present a list of stations “Now Playing” the kind of music or talk radio you’re interested in. (In addition to letting you search by station or genre, or seeking out what station is playing a song by your favorite artist right now). Apple users also now have a direct link to iTunes, so they can buy any song they’re listening to with a click.
The service also expanded its universe of outlets, tapping into 60,000 local and global radio stations, up from 50,000. Donham says they’re adding about 300 new content sources a day, and the recent addition of TED talks has proven popular, as have the more than 1 million on-demand programs available.
Which led me to ask: What are folks listening to and when? What they found is that the most popular time of day to listen on TuneIn is from 12pm to 1pm Central Daylight Time. Unsurprisingly, Top 40 music is the most popular format. But TuneIn, which offers both free and paid versions of its Pro apps, did notice some differences between Android and Apple users.
Apple users were more likely to listen to public radio and classical music, while Android users were into conservative talk and Spanish-language programming. “One interesting stat is the surge of worldwide Spanish listening over the past 2 years. From Jan. 2011 to March 2012, Spanish-speaking listeners on Android jumped 84%, while it only increased 42% in iOS, they say. This speaks to a growing global Spanish-speaking audience on Android.”
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