An article at PC World discusses the pros and cons of cloud based streaming. There is a growing collection of suppliers in the consumer and business market for music streaming services however in my experience streaming services haste weaker and thus secondary to satellite and downloaded music simply because the Internet isn’t the perfect technology for delivering a consistent stream of audio. For starters the quality of the audio will be lower than other methods to deal with the challenges of an inconsistent technology but even with this, Internet streaming services are challenged with variable demands on central servers and metropolitan and local networks that can at busy times of the day become congested. Te Internet is build on a type of network that encapsulates the data and sends it to its destination much like a postal service. The way it does this harks back to the original design of the internet which was based on having to deal with war situations. Because of this the network cuts up any data to be sent and packets the chunks up to send across to the destination in any way it can get there, which could be various.

So ultimately, streaming audio and video are the lost challenging types of data to provide a business class service with.

This is why satellite services still provide a quality that Internet radio or streaming can not albeit at a higher price. However downloaded music overcomes the cost of satellite services and the quality that streaming pushes down.

So when considering a service for music for your business see if you can get trials first and make a decision in real business day use.

YouTube is a great way to get hold of music quickly and simply for playing background music in your business. Connect up a TV and you have multimedia available for occupying your clients. Even though the feed is free, you still need to pay business prices.

So how can you cut the cost of music in your business yet obtain a business class service?

(courtesty RadioGaia.com)

Using commercially available music such as CDs, and mp3s from download sites you may have on iTunes or an ipod still requires you to pay performing rights licenses. But there is a way to get professional music, designed for background use, and not have to pay costly performing rights societies.

Melody Pods music is licensed internationally with no additional performing rights licenses to pay. We can do this simply because our music is either not registered with a performing rights society or is waivered from background music use.

Its likely you wont be told this when you call a performing rights society to talk to them about not paying a license. If you have used music from CDs and iTunes for example in the past, you will still need to pay for that use. But moving forward, instead of paying a new license you can simply stop now, join Melody Pods and use our music royalty free.

Our service comes with a license and a waiver document for each month you use our music. Download them as a pdf and keep them for anyone who enquires (in my experience it can take a few times before they stop enquiring and get it).

So how easy is it to get a royalty free music service up and running?

If  you just want to stream to your PC and connected speakers to keep your hardware costs down then online radio streaming might also be attractive.

But are any of these solutions taking your business in mind?

With Melody Pods we have a simple streaming service where you choose online the music that works for you, press play and your selection streams to your speakers through a simple browser window (latest versions of Firefox or Chrome recommended).

Better still, grab your Android tablet and download our app to have your choice of music available locally so you aren’t risking music silences when busy broadband networks stop the music flowing.

 

 

This provides you with more flexibility than any other background music service provider today, and at a fraction of the cost.

Choose your own music, change it when ever you wish or ask us to. Create your own playlists and set music to play across your business where ever you are in the world.

With Melody Mods we have all the options covered.

Please chat to us today about your requirements.

Hello! how can we help?

• Please note: our service is offered via our free Android app via the Google Play store. This can be used on Android Tablets and Smartphones. Other options available for corporate clients and resellers.
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Purchasing specific hardware as part of delivering a service reduces your choices as things change in the future

Hardware vendors who package in music services that only work with their proprietary hardware know the cost of switching services is a big barrier to you. Not only have you sunk capital into their proprietary hardware that is the only way you get access to their music service but they also think the cost of replacing their hardware is hard to justify. So they offer the music service with no minimum term because they know the hardware dies enough to lock you in.

Likewise satellite service providers are keen for you to invest hundreds of dollars in hardware as part of connecting to their services.

It’s pretty frustrating for any businesses to be held back from making better choices about services as new and better options become available such as Melody Pods. In other industries the cost of switching services is controlled by regulation to ensure customers have a choice and aren’t restricted to make positive changes.

So what can you do to avoid this as you look for replacing older equipment or are building out new business locations?

When you look at the hardware check if key components are bundled together to lock you in further.

For example, does the hardware combine both the music receiving system, the player and the amplifyer?

Does the hardware insist on a proprietary connection to speakers locking you in further?

A solution that you would say yes to all the above is likely to be compelling when you looked at the original figures, that’s the time when the hardware vendor wants to make their solution very attractive. Once they have you they can increase the service price for example and see a minimum resistance because you are then locked in.

Vendors such as Nel-Tech Labs’ ilink system for example breaks down the hardware into components so you can choose the right amplifyer from your own choice of vendors whilst still using I-link flash drives to download music to play locally.

Melody Pods goes one step further and opens up a multitude of hardware vendors for consideration depending on your exact needs. Indeed with Android as a base OS for our device downloader and music player you can, given enough locations and zones to populate, contract a supplier to produce a tablet for your specific needs, setting up a hardware spec along with a specification of what software is included on the internal drive to optimise the device even further.

Using Ethernet, Bluetooth, and open standards for wifi you have a range of options that not only avoids any lock in from hardware vendors but it enables you or your franchise partners to use technology of their own preference or even what they have already invested in, ensuring the cost of background music is reduced further.

With low cost tablets you have opportunities to use smaller ‘phablet’ sized screens to reduce the capital investment in addition to reducing the energy costs of running a player for long opening ours.

Lastly, with Melodypods you can try out our service by just connecting via an android smartphone if you have one to make a trial of our service at zero cost, even before getting a tablet to try the full features of multi zone and multi client playlists on real customers.

Hello! how can we help? Please note: our service is offered via our free Android app via the Google Play store. This can be used on Android Tablets and Smartphones. Other options available for corporate clients and resellers. 0 Please tell us how we can help.*If you have a lot of questions then please ask for a Skype call. 1 Please tell us about your business, what you sell, and describe your customer's profile:* 2 Please enter your website address here.*Your website will likely answer many of our questions. 3 Please enter your company email address:* 4 Alternatively, would you like to chat over Skype?*Please tell us your Skype name, when you will be available (and your local time zone) so we can hook up and wait for you to be available. 5 Submit 6

 

Cutting costs and keeping budgets tight are things that all businesses know are key for survival. ‘Cash flow is king’ it is often said and so when you are confronted with the up-front cost of sound systems, speakers, wiring and annual performing royalty charges you might be inspired to wonder if there is a better way, and why hasn’t anyone thought of them yet?

Well of course by being here at Melody Pods you are aware already that we offer the license for our music that you can legally play in your business with no extra performing & compositional rights licenses or fees. Plus you will hopefully be aware that we offer our services with a simple monthly charge only, so not only are we more affordable than more traditional license payment routes, we are more flexible as well.

Sound systems also dont have to be too expensive for small businesses. With technologies such as Bluetooth®, WiFi Direct™ and AirPlay® the small business can enjoy much more freedom, flexibility and affordability to play the right music in their business today.