It’s a new social media platform for searching real-time broadcast radio worldwide: Hitch Radio offers 20,000 searchable (by format, location, etc.) stations and enables users to discover and share music in real-time through Facebook and Twitter. The mission is to create a “journey” of a listening experience by combining social media and real-time search technologies. Funded through private investors, the service will first be available on the Web, then iOs and Android apps and more to follow.
Hitch Radio appeals is especially geared to 14-29 year old “Millennials,” provides “Hitchers” a unique way to bring an unlimited number of friends on a real-time worldwide journey of free music, sports, news and talk. When consumers share a ride on Facebook or Twitter, their friends can Hitch directly onto their Ride and join them in real-time by clicking on the link they post. Each time the Hitcher finds a new Ride; their friends will be taken with them as they virtually travel the world from stream to stream and city to city. While they are listening they can also chat about the DJ, music, sports, talk or news that they hear.
To use the free service, audio adventurists can sign-up at hitchradio.com via Facebook or create their own account to begin the social experience with global radio.
Hitch Radio’s goal is to bring a worldwide audience to local radio stations—and helps them do this via social media, rather than having consumers take a stab in the dark finding good stations in the US and world-wide.
“Radio is still the greatest music and information discovery channel on the planet,” insists Hitch Radio’s CEO, Founder and former Clear Channel Radio executive, Ayinde Alakoye. “Hitch Radio will allow stations to take control of their digital destiny and interactions by allowing them to monetize their streams like never before, track behavior in real-time and convert listeners into station advocates.”
According to Alakoye, the business is supported by ad revenues, “which unlike a music service, is a model that billions of radio listeners are already familiar with today. We’ll share our revenue with radio station partners who promote their participation with Hitch Radio on the air. Another great part of our service is that we’re not limited to just music. Hitch Radio is news, sports, comedy and talk”.
