FAQ

What is ioB?

ioBusinessMusic is a 20-year-old commercial background music service provider. We have offices in Tampa, FL, and Portland, OR. Our products and services are available to business customers in the US and Canada exclusively. They can be purchased online or directly from us. Some of our products and services are available through authorized resellers.

We are a small passionate team of business, music, creative services, and technology professionals. Most of us have been a part of ioB all this time, and this is something that we are very proud of. We love our work, and hope it shows. We love our customers, and hope they know.

The collective “we” is generally regarded as innovators and pioneers of sorts. We were the first US-based company to develop and deploy a business music service using the internet and streaming media to deliver content to customers back in 2005. Prior to that, the principals launched what was one of the first consumer internet radio services in the world - and one that eventually grew into one of the largest. During that time, they also played a significant and active role in the negotiations and settlement of the initial general structure and governance of royalty rates and payments to the owners of copyrighted sound recordings by webcasters and internet radio services.

We continue to innovate and pioneer in very thoughtful, deliberate, and practical ways. In 2023, we reimagined and redeployed our entire content delivery infrastructure, which makes it possible for us to provide all our subscribers a 99.99% uptime guarantee. It also allows us to bring our unique branded custom channel solution “Your Brands Radio” in a way and at a price that works for even very small businesses. Perhaps one like yours?

As a special project for one of our largest customers, and one of the largest fast food companies in the US, in 2022 we developed for and with them a unique method and system that allows ioB to deliver geo-targeted messages to their franchisees using our service, based on ADI state or region. Have locations in AZ that need one message? Ones in New England and Canada that need another? That’s the issue we solved and what it does.

As of 2024, this service is available to all our custom channel clients. Curious? Want to know more?

Why ioB?

We’ve been at this for a really long time. We know business. We know music. We know business music. We know business music licensing. We know technology and what’s possible. Just as important and maybe more so, we know why and when not to use it! Rather when a more “human” high-touch, hands-on solution is the better one. All of this is our business. We bring this experience, expertise, and know-how to you and your business. And with it, the willingness and ability to listen to you and work with you to find (even create!) just the right business music solution for your business.

Who are some of your customers?

Over the years, we have provided music services to thousands of business locations scattered through the US and Canada. Many of them are amazing brave little businesses like Fuzzy’s Tacos, Amplify Hair Salon, Rittenhouse Market. Dozens and dozens of dental practices, doctors, and other smaller healthcare provider offices. Huge healthcare systems like WellSpan and Franciscan. Several airports, dozens of country clubs, and hundreds of regional retailers like Home Zone Furniture, The Dog Stop, and Northman’s. Porsche, Kia, Audi, Subaru dealerships all over. Large and small Burger King, Dunkin', Subway, Wendy’s and McDonald's franchises and franchise groups. Aroma Joe’s, Baker’s, Papa Murphy’s International corporate. Want references or a referral? No problem. Just ask.

What sets it apart from other services?

Many of our customers would probably say that it is our very “human” approach to what we do and how we do it. Whether your business or brand is large or small, one location or one thousand, you’re going to have easy and immediate access to our team - and someone. A person, your person at ioB! We answer the phone. We return emails. We respond to LiveChat. Always the same day. Most days within an hour or even minutes.

Others might say that it's how we just deal with it all that really sets us apart. From doing all that we do on the backend end of things to ensure that you always have the perfect soundtrack for your business to covering your licensing requirements and royalties, providing best-of-class support to you and your staff, monitoring and updating the performance and functionality of the device that is delivering the music content to your business to just answering the phone or an email when you reach out to us - it's definitely all these things too.

No playlists to manage or keep up to date. Or worse, no library of everything to dig through sort and scrub of explicit content - and then make a playlist. Who has time for that? No random calls from staff needing help figuring out why the music is off because they accidentally closed a browser window. No endless call queues or automated replies. We really do have all these details covered - and you.

Why “channels” and not playlists?

Playlists have to be maintained and updated - and before that sorted and filtered and curated into something that is appropriate for business in general or a brand specifically. They are also more often than not made up of a relatively small selection of artists and tracks. That then have to be loaded and updated by you when new ones are made available.

In comparison, our music channels are created and maintained for you. Each and every day one of our professional music curators puts together a unique selection of 500+ tracks for the day - and just that day.

Our product and service is not library access giving you the ability to make a playlist nor one that gives you a handful of small limited playlists for you to pick and choose from and load and remember to put on repeat and to take out and put the next ones in whenever they show up.

Rather it is one in which our music professionals take care of all these details for you and in a way that ensures that every day your business has the perfect soundtrack for your brand and customer experience.

What is Your Brands Radio and a “custom channel”?

There are many businesses that have truly special music needs - and ones for which a true custom channel is the best or even only solution. Over the years, we have developed dozens of music-only custom channels for others. This is our specialty.

We have also developed over 100 Your Brands Radio custom channels for clients as diverse as Subway and Dunkin' to Eagles Beachwear, Aroma Joe’s, and The Dog Stop. These custom channels include in-stream messaging that identifies the channel as “Taco Bell Radio” or “Main Squeeze Juice Co Radio” - or Your Brand. With other promotional (“We’re hiring…” and price and product-related “ads” (“For a limited time….”) in between songs.

We have an in-house creative services team that can develop the copy and messaging with you and for you and your brand. We manage the insertion and placement and scheduling of the messaging for you.

Every detail of Your Brands Radio is fully managed for you and your brand by a dedicated account manager.

And it’s all much easier to do and affordable than you might think. Whether you have 1 location or 1000, we can offer this service to you and your business or brand. Want to know more? Request a free consultation.

How does all this work?

It’s simple:

• Create an account
• Choose the best service and subscription plan for you
• Choose your digital radio device
• Subscribe

You pay for the device when you subscribe.

Your device will arrive preconfigured and with a Quick Start Guide. It is truly plug and play. But if you need help, our Priority Support is available to you at any time.

That’s it!

What equipment do I need?

Our service requires the one-time purchase of a digital radio receiver. This ensures that we can indeed fully monitor and administer the device and service for you and at your business location. Your device arrives preconfigured and with a Quick Start Guide. It is truly plug and play. But if you need help, our Priority Support is available to you at any time.

We offer 2 different Grace Digital Radio devices:

• Mondo Elite = built-in preamp + speaker
• Link = no preamp or built-in speaker

Both easily connect to the internet using either a wired (recommended) or wifi connection.

Both devices connect to an external amp + speaker system.

We do not sell amps or speaker systems. But again, we’ve been doing this a very long time and have several recommendations that we are happy to provide.

Does the digital radio have a warranty?

Both of the Grace Digital Radio receivers carry a 1-year factory warranty. We also offer a 2-year Extended Warranty with the purchase of any new device, at the time of purchase only. For what it's worth (FWIW), we have many of these devices out in the field that are over 15 years old. They are like that Sony Trinitron TV sitting in your parents (or grandparents) basement, that just keeps going and going and going. Although, having said that, technology does and is changing very rapidly. We currently expect newly purchased devices to have an average life of 5 years. While they will probably work much much longer, streaming media technology and codec and both wired and wifi technology all are considerations that must be taken into account, on whole.

Can I install the digital radio myself? Or will I need a technician?

Your device will arrive preconfigured and with a Quick Start Guide. It is truly plug and play. But if you need help, our Priority Support is available to you at any time.

You won't need a technician to set up your device. But, depending on your business's network and sound system and their requirements you may need or just want to consult with a qualified technician for assistance.

Are there any special networking or other internet or ISP-related things that I need to know about?

No, not really. If you are connecting via wifi you will need your wifi password. If you are connecting to your router, you will need to be able to locate the device reasonably close to your router. If your router has a built-in firewall, you may want to connect the device to the DMZ port on your router (and it's generally marked as such). In certain instances, there are other firewall or LAN considerations that may require you to contact the person who installed or administers the router, firewall, or both. But this is extremely rare. Our device and streaming media service rely on Port 80, which is the standard and most generic of all ports on any firewall or router, and the one that allows you to do things like pull up this website and read this page.

As an internet appliance that is connected to my network, is it secure?

Our device or service does not require any non-standard ports or protocols. Rather, both use standard https + port 80 access. If you are on your network and reading this page (or can access and read any page on any website) you’re good.

We provide our products and services to hospitals, banks, airports and several other types of business entities that have very stringent guidelines for review of these sorts of things. We always pass those sniff tests. We can pass yours too. We have special documentation prepared for these situations and can provide it to you or you and your team. Just ask.

How much bandwidth does it use? Will it interfere with my POS, security cams, or other devices that are currently on my network?

Our service is delivered via streaming media and at 128k AAC. That is less bandwidth than was required for you to access many of the pages on our website. The difference between the two is that our music service is pulling 128k all the time - as a continuous stream. But, no. It’s a relatively tiny amount of bandwidth even when continuously accessed for streaming media services. So small that it will never interfere with your POS, cameras or security and other systems that are critical to your business.

Is my music licensing and royalties covered?

As a subscriber to any of our service plans, you pay one fee to play music through our platform and we maintain the necessary licenses so that you are fully covered across PROs and can play music from any of them. We also take care of all administrative filings and reporting to the PROs for you. There's a lot more to it - and you can find all the details in our Business Music Licensing Essentials guide.

What is Priority Support?

ioB's support is and has always been one of a kind and without peer. Just ask any of our 1000's of long-time customers. As we begin our 2nd Decade, we're very excited and proud to announce that we are kicking it up a notch - and including our new Priority Support with all of our Music Subscription Plans, at no additional charge to you.

Priority Support is available 7 days a week + 365 days a year from 6am to 9pm Pacific! It includes and provides you with Phone + Email + Chat support - you choose what works best for you, not us.

And most important of all, Priority Support includes our promise and guarantee that you always get a personal response from an actual human! within 1 hour between 6am to 9pm Pacific - and often within minutes. Outside these hours, a member of our amazing support team will personally contact you to get you the help you need the following day.

How do I contact ioB?

This might be the simplest, least complicated thing of all. Just use the contact form below, and in the footer of every page of this website to send us a message. LiveChat is also available from 6 am to 9 pm PDT daily. Our phone number + email address is provided in this contact form, too. You will ALWAYS get a personal response from a member of our team within 24 hours. The vast majority of the time, within a few hours and often minutes.