|
eMediaPartners
Pioneers Subscription Model for Net Radio All advances in technology most always have outpaced useful application by the individual members of society for whom it is most often intended to benefit. This dynamic has been graphically demonstrated most recently in areas, which effect both, the entertainment and business arenas. In a business environment of such constant developments, one company seems to have gained an accurate assessment of current and future technological needs. Tangible benefits to both business and customer, and consumer are synergistically realized.
Company Profile Emediapartners, Inc. (www.emediapartners.com) is a privately held San Diego based ecommerce and webcast solution provider incorporated in California in March 2000. The company's dba, The Graphic Overflow, has provided traditional graphics, printing and publishing services since 1994. Subscriber Online has provided webcast and subscription services since June 2001. Emediapartners, Inc. pioneered live radio on the Internet since 1998 and web server based ecommerce software since 1996. The company is also currently delivering solutions for paid subscription webcasting, video webcasting, wireless Internet, and ecommerce legacy/enterprise dedicated web server/office software, including large-scale estores and affiliate program software. In the entertainment world, we now have the available distribution of streaming media, first by way of mpeg music files using dial-up connections, and now advances allow for CD quality streams of radio programs via webcasts. Possibilities are literally unlimited in this age. In the business world, secure technology to ecommerce solutions manage every aspect from subscriber sign-ups, billing, and customer support, to providing metered media usage via a real time purchase gateway. Strategic Alliances After a successful one-year beta testing period of its new and patent pending webcast subscriber services, Emediapartners, Inc. recently announced new partnering agreements with Limelight Networks (www.LLNW.com) of Phoenix, Arizona. This partnership includes both, streaming and web edge distribution services. Another significant aspect of the partnership is that it brings two innovative leaders together. The Arbitron Radio Rating and Media Research Information tracking service (www.Arbitron.com) lists radio streams by Limelight Networks to be half of the entire top 25 rated webcasters. Among these clients include top producers: Virgin Radio, Music Match, Radioio, and Cinema Now. Revenue and Service Enhancement In an era where Digital Rights Management (DRM) services seem to be coming out of every corner of the woodwork, Emediapartners, Inc. has developed subscriber technology that is maintained on a secure web server and outside of the webcast network it protects. This innovation requires no changes in any of the webcast networks and also supports the most popular streaming media formats such as: Windows Media, Quicktime, MP4 and MP3. By operating independently of the actual webcast network, these services integrate seamlessly with the existing client and partner networks and applications. The entire process is analogous to secure banking gateways that control credit card transactions between client and online merchants through an independent third network. Emediapartners, Inc. has established two new revenue enhancing web server software products that can be licensed for in-house use by radio stations. The first provides webcast URL security that prevents client links from being book marked, copied, emailed or otherwise pirated. Additional benefits include a three-fold increase in banner ad revenue, along with a substantial increase in memberships and donations because direct access to protected pages is negated. A second server product gives clients the means of easily establishing their own affiliate programs. Loyal listeners may sign-up to post affiliate banners on their own remote websites. Client stations are also free to establish individual incentives for traffic and revenue received via these affiliate websites. Interview with the CEO of Emediapartners Your company is a pioneer with regard to Subscriber Online Technology. A recent feature article in streamingmagazine.com demonstrated that radio online is back on the upswing again, so this is a good time for your company to have developed these products. What advantages does Emediapartners offer clients, and thus, end users?
Another innovation of Emediapartners is that you offer clients supplemental products. Will you share some of the tangible benefits provided to your clients toward potentially realizing additional sources of viable revenue? [Lawrence O'Neal Rouse] Clients such as live radio stations can also take advantage of another product we call the Affiliate Banner Management System (Affiliate BMS). Loyal listeners and advertisers can sign themselves up to promote the station through the posting of remote banners on their own websites. The system creates a basis for partnering by tracking hits, clicks, and purchases in real-time and has the option of logging commissions and advertising discounts where appropriate. How easy is it for clients of Emediapartners to implement and integrate your products and services into their individual business operations and applications? [Lawrence O'Neal Rouse] Our clients have the option to license and run their own server installation or use leased services. All of our various product and service options can be customized to individual needs. Features such as webcast URL security (jazz88.org), subscriber management (subscriberonline.com), webcasting and bandwidth services with our technology partner, Limelight Networks (www.llnw.com), and affiliate program management (emediapartners.com) can be combined or purchased separately. Your partnership with Limelight Networks is very significant in the areas of both, marketing and the services you provide. What aspects do you find to be most viable in this relationship? [Lawrence O'Neal Rouse] Limelight Networks provides Tier 1 bandwidth and edge delivery across the Internet for both web and streaming media. They provide such services for many of today's top webcasters such as Virgin Radio, JazzFM, MusicMatch, Radioio, and CinemaNow. Their technical support, uptime, and delivery are of the highest caliber and provided at a cost that makes webcasting potentially very profitable. In addition their traffic reporting is superior and will soon approach real-time. Can you provide a specific example of a company applying the flexibility of your products and services? [Lawrence O'Neal Rouse] Yes, World Music Radio Society's Internet only station (worldmusicwebcast.com) has been offering metered broadband live radio at 96kbps stereo in Windows Media format for over a year now. They have recently added other bandwidths and formats like MP3 and offer their listeners multiple membership levels with flat rate access to these webcasts along with other benefits. They are also using our Affiliate BMS in conjunction with a real-time Pay Pal gateway and reward Affiliates with commissions based upon the purchase of memberships by visitors clicking through from remote station banners on their own websites. In addition to offering such high quality and innovative products and services, why has Emediapartners found the need to offer flexibility to be so vital? [Lawrence O'Neal Rouse] A good example of our flexibility is that many radio stations prefer to run their own applications and rely on the "membership/donation" revenue model. Our software can control the secure delivery of webcasting, using both bandwidth metering and/or the flat rate membership approach. All of this is made possible because our technology allows us to capture the client's webcast link page, which is provided only to those with authorized access, and without opening up those secure links to pirating or book marking. Implementing our approach does not alter the client station's website look and feel, neither does it remove any autonomy or control from the client station in any way. Digital Rights Management (DRM) seems to be commonly used and is rather expensive. How is your technology an alternative to it? [Lawrence O'Neal Rouse] We can accomplish the same purpose with regard to link protection, authentication, subscriber management, billing, etc. Second, since we operate outside of the webcast network, we are simultaneously compatible with DRM encryption. We can add DRM or other forms of encryption for protecting content in transit where necessary. However, for applications such as live radio, video, music for entertainment, etc, encryption would frequently not be necessary. On the other hand for government, intelligence, defense and corporate secure communications it and/or other forms of encryption would, of course, be recommended.
A live example of the webcast URL security can be seen at Jazz88.org (www.Jazz88.org). An example of the turnkey service combining all three elements for subscriber webcasting is also live at SubscriberOnline.com (www.SubscriberOnline.com). Emediapartners, Inc. also specializes in large-scale ecommerce solutions and webcast subscriber services. Hosting and ecommerce application services are also being provided for a new 58,000 commodity "Supermarket to the World" at WorldBestBuy.com (www.WorldBestBuy.com), which is owned and operated by International Brands, Inc. Emediapartners technology and customer service partners include Aestiva (aestiva.com) - web server software and support, Limelight Networks (llnw.com) - web hosting, webcast services, edge delivery, CariNet (cari.net) - web hosting, server security, reseller services, Accesspoint (accesspoint.com) - real-time banking gateways, Linkpoint (linkpoint.com) - real-time banking gateways, and PayPal (paypal.com) - real-time banking gateways.
|
