Grant Blackley, CEO of Southern Cross Austereo began this session by explaining how two years ago, he and his team set out to disrupt and transform the digital audio industry, and that they have done. Today, LiSTNR has 25 dedicated music stations and 600 premium podcasts, all fueled by a highly engaged, passionate, and experienced workforce.
LiSTNR features a vast catalogue of premium content, in tune with what you want, by tailoring what content you like based on personal preference. LiSTNR will deliver your own personal audio experience, with recommendations and your old favourites.
One challenge the company has faced is audio discovery, that breaks listeners’ traditional habits. In an attempt to combat this, Blackley and his team have attempted to provide content recommendations that are as relevant to a word of mouth recommendation you would get from your friend, through strategic AI software.
By partnering with other tech companies, such as numberight, LiSTNR has been able to sustain the freeness of the app by collecting user data that allows numberight to insert dynamic and creative ads for their listeners.
Content is king, and distribution is queen, and LiSTNR is not stopping now in terms of their growth and development, with content output being up by 66%, signalling the bright future ahead for the digital audio landscape.
