Draft:Custom Channels
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Last edited by Bearcat (talk | contribs) 27 hours ago. (Update) |
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | |
| Founded | 2000 |
| Founders |
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| Headquarters | , U.S. |
Area served |
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Key people | |
| Services |
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| Website | custom-channels |
Custom Channels is a business-to-business commercial music streaming and audio messaging company based in Boulder, Colorado, that provides licensed background music, in-store audio messaging, and digital signage integration services to businesses such as restaurants, retailers, hotels, dental and medical offices, and fitness centers in the United States and Canada.[1][2] The company licenses music through performing rights organizations (PROs), including ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, and GMR, for use in commercial environments,[3][1] and offers hardware and application programming interface (API) integrations for digital signage and audio-visual control platforms.[2]
History
[edit]Custom Channels was founded in 2000 by John Bradley and David Rahn.[2] The company built its business around curated, licensed background music for commercial environments, aiming to distinguish itself from consumer-facing streaming platforms by emphasizing larger playlists with reduced repetition, content screening, and dedicated music curation for individual client brands.[2]
Bradley and Rahn had met at the Boulder adult album alternative radio station KBCO in the 1980s, where they played central roles in developing the station's nationally influential sound. After years spent helping other stations program music through their radio consultancy, SBR Creative Media, the pair began using internet streaming technology to deliver music directly to businesses.[1] The music business grew out of that consultancy and for a time operated under a shared identity, "SBR Custom Channels," pairing curated music programming for businesses with continued song-selection advice to broadcast radio stations.[4] According to the company, it webcast for broadcasters beginning in 2000 and launched its streaming-to-business service in 2008.[5]
The company's first and largest client for many years was Whole Foods Market. Custom Channels began with the chain's Pearl Street store in Boulder and, by 2019, was streaming to roughly 450 Whole Foods locations, programming a sound intended to differentiate the chain from competitors such as King Soopers and Safeway.[1]
In May 2025, Bradley and Rahn sold the company to technology entrepreneur Joe Comer and Kurt Oleson, who had served as the company's vice president of operations. Comer became chief executive officer, and Oleson became chief operating officer.[2]
At the InfoComm trade show in June 2025, the new ownership introduced Custom Channels Pro, a hardware-free, no-code service that allows digital signage and content management system (CMS) providers to add licensed background music to their existing platforms via a streaming URL.[2]
In June 2026, ahead of InfoComm 2026 in Las Vegas, Custom Channels announced an expansion of its operations toward larger enterprise clients, framed by the company as a "partner-first" strategy built around its network of dealer and integrator partners.[6]
Services and technology
[edit]Music licensing and curation
[edit]Custom Channels provides licensed background music for commercial spaces, with playlists assembled by in-house music curators rather than solely through algorithmic recommendation. Rahn has described the company's approach as extending playlists with non-hits to avoid repetition, updating them daily, and matching tempo and content to the retail environment; the company also produces alternate programming for after-hours staff.[1] The company has said its libraries are screened to exclude explicit content and can be tailored to a client's brand identity, demographic, or time of day.[2]
Audio messaging and digital signage
[edit]The company offers audio messaging tools that allow client businesses to insert promotional or informational announcements between music tracks and provides Custom Channels Pro, a service enabling digital signage and CMS providers to embed licensed music into their existing platforms without additional hardware or development work.[2]
In June 2026, the company introduced a Partner Portal, described as a self-service content management interface that allows integrator partners to manage music and messaging deployments and inventory directly. Oleson said the portal was intended to give integrators more direct control over deployment timelines and customer environments.[7]
Also ahead of InfoComm 2026, Custom Channels introduced an In-Store Open Media Platform, an application programming interface intended to give retail media networks and enterprise retailers programmatic access to in-store audio functions including music scheduling, zone control, advertisement insertion, and proof-of-play reporting, designed to integrate with third-party CMS and digital signage systems without requiring proprietary hardware.[8]
Loyalty and engagement partnerships
[edit]In May 2026, Custom Channels announced a partnership with the loyalty platform Thanx that combines in-store audio messaging with restaurant loyalty programs, enabling brands to promote loyalty sign-ups through in-store audio and offer features such as customer song requests and personalized shout-outs tied to loyalty rewards.[9]
Regulatory and licensing compliance
[edit]As a provider of background music to commercial establishments, Custom Channels licenses the music it distributes through United States and Canadian performing rights organizations, including ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, GMR, and SOCAN, on behalf of its client businesses.[3] Rahn has noted that businesses playing music as part of their ambience, from grocery stores to dental offices, are required to pay commercial performance license fees, and that using a personal or consumer account risks a warning or fine from organizations such as BMI and ASCAP.[1] Company executives have framed this licensing model as a response to increased scrutiny of unlicensed music use by businesses, positioning the service as a compliance-oriented alternative to consumer streaming subscriptions, which generally restrict commercial use under their terms of service.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f Lehndorff, John (December 10, 2024). "The sounds of shopping". Boulder Weekly. Retrieved July 10, 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "New owners take helm at Custom Channels streaming service". Installation. May 2025. Retrieved July 10, 2026.
- ^ a b "Licensed music for business streaming". Custom Channels. Retrieved July 10, 2026.
- ^ Bradley, John (February 1, 2012). "Instinctive Points We Consider When Picking Music". Custom Channels. Archived from the original on September 1, 2014. Retrieved July 23, 2026.
- ^ "Industry veteran Brian Marin joins Custom Channels" (Press release). Custom Channels. June 21, 2021. Retrieved July 10, 2026 – via PR Newswire.
- ^ "Custom Channels expands to enterprise scale at InfoComm 2026". Sound & Video Contractor. June 2026. Retrieved July 10, 2026.
- ^ "Custom Channels unveiling partner portal at InfoComm 2026". Digital Signage Today. June 2026. Retrieved July 10, 2026.
- ^ "InfoComm 2026: Custom Channels launches open retail media platform". invidis. June 1, 2026. Retrieved July 10, 2026.
- ^ "Custom Channels and Thanx partner to drive guest frequency and in-store engagement for restaurant brands". AVNation. May 6, 2026. Retrieved July 10, 2026.
External links
[edit]Category:2000 establishments in Colorado Category:American companies established in 2000 Category:Companies based in Boulder, Colorado Category:Music streaming services Category:Privately held companies based in Colorado