You may have heard the buzz that Live365 is officially back! Open sign-ups launched last week after giving former broadcasters from the “old” Live365 a chance to restart their stations. Now anyone with an internet connection can create a legal internet radio station in a matter of minutes by joining Live365.
Why was Live365 M.I.A.?
In January 2016, Live365 closed its doors in part due to the loss of the Webcaster Settlement Act of 2009. The Webcaster Settlement Act of 2009 allowed small webcasters to pay lower royalties to music labels than larger webcasters (such as Pandora and iHeartRadio). After the disappointing loss of the act, Live365’s former owners made the tough decision to pull the plug on January 31, 2016 after 17 sweet years.
The “New” Live365
Jon Stephenson, owner of content delivery network EmpireStreaming, acquired Live365’s brand in July 2016. He quietly assembled a new dedicated team of 15 people who are passionate about reviving the brand and giving a voice to small webcasters. Live365’s new model will once again cover licensing fees.
“By restoring the platform, we’re giving small webcasters a home to build diverse, creative content while we handle the complex licensing, monetization, and distribution. Live365 has a renewed passion to give webcasters a voice in internet radio,” said Stephenson.
In addition to open sign-ups for broadcasters, Live365 launched a new, free iOS app for listeners. The app allows listeners to discover new content at no cost, and gives broadcasters an instant audience. Live365 is committed to getting its content in front of as many consumers as possible through Android, Amazon Alexa, SONOS, and more by September 2017.
Miss the “Old” Live365?
Change is hard to accept. We get it! We were fans of the old Live365 and were bummed to see it close, too. But this change in ownership and addition of a brand new Live365 team gives the platform a second chance with a fresh perspective. We’ve been working around the clock to not only revive the brand, but make it better than ever. If there’s something you feel we’re missing, have a suggestion, or just want to say “hey!” please email us at help@live365.com.
Discover thousands of free stations from every genre of music and talk at live365.com/listen. Keep up with the latest news by following us on Facebook (Live365 Official and Live365 Broadcasting) and Twitter (@Live365 and @Broadcaster365)!
Article Image: Gavin Whitner [CC BY 2.0].
