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| SoundScape allows audio content providers to centrally manage & distribute music and advertising over IP networks |
Audio over IP pioneer Barix announces that it is now shipping SoundScape, its fully integrated live and scheduled streaming service that allows audio content providers to centrally manage and distribute branded music and advertising over IP networks. The concept, first introduced at ISE, has evolved into a fully formed software-as-a-service (SaaS) that brings together cloud-based content management, end point playout and global monitoring capabilities in a highly programmable, user-friendly package.
SoundScape enables businesses to quickly transition from more complex and expensive systems long used for in-store radio. Service providers can quickly launch a SoundScape service with a subscription and IP audio players at each end location, and immediately start reliably delivering music and advertising to restaurants, stores, hotels and public facilities. The upfront “pay as you go” price model, along with SoundScape’s infinite scalability, also ensures attainable long-term expansion goals are reachable while maintaining overall low total cost of ownership. Advanced features, which include dynamic ad insertion for each location, enable new revenue generating streams and an accelerated return on investment.
Eliminates complex integration
SoundScape eliminates the complex integration of many different components to deliver branded audio to customers. The quick and easy deployment is a win for systems integrators, who can now singularly focus on a centralised integration strategy for in-store radio and other audio over IP delivery platforms. SoundScape brings together integrated audio distribution, remote device management, dynamic contact scheduling, system-wide reporting and monitoring, hierarchical user management and high-quality, multi-format audio playout using Barix’s rock-solid Exstreamer SoundScape IP audio players.
“With nearly two decades of experience designing professional IP audio decoders, we observed the challenges that systems integrators experienced when combining many disparate components from multiple vendors—and how costly these systems were to maintain over the long term,” said Joan Anton Parilla, Product Manager, Barix. “We also saw a potential for new features to ease maintenance efforts and related costs, which are a major problem in the industry. We have worked diligently on these enhancements to ensure a fully developed, integrated solution for integrators and service providers.”
A truly integrated Audio over IP platform
With initial SoundScape deployments now in progress—the first of which will soon be announced—Barix Managing Director Frank Frederiksen is bullish on the benefits that a truly integrated Audio over IP platform can bring to in-store radio, which has long been plagued by complex, computer-based architectures or highly expensive satellite platforms.
“By integrating all the desired functionality in a turnkey service—and holding the intellectual property to all system components—Barix can deliver a system that is functionally superior at very attractive cost,” said Frederiksen. “The feedback from our beta customers has been overwhelmingly positive, and we are excited to go live with our first Barix SoundScape deployments in the United States and Europe. Our goal is to ensure everyone can take advantage of the future in business music and advertising delivery.”
