Applied Media Technologies Corporation

Applied Media Technologies Corp.

Type	Private
Founded	1991 Tampa, Florida
Headquarters	Clearwater, FL
Industry	Music, On-Hold Messaging, In-Store Messaging
Products	Sirius Music for Business, TelAdvantage, Eos Music
Revenue	▲$5.4 million USD (2008)
Employees	70
Website	AMTC Corporate Site

Applied Media Technologies Corporation (AMTC) was founded in 1991 in Tampa, Florida as a provider of "on hold" messaging to US and Canadian businesses under the brand name TelAdvantage. In 1993, they released their first proprietary "on hold" message player, the Optical Disk Repeater 1000. Since then, AMTC has released several other players. In 2003, AMTC entered into a partnership with Sirius Satellite Radio to become a provider of Sirius' commercial-free music streams to American businesses nationwide. In response to a price increase by Sirius and demand for niche programming, AMTC introduced its own music service, Eos, in 2009.

AMTC relocated to a new 10,000-square-foot (930 m²) headquarters in Clearwater, Florida in 2000. AMTC has also opened a satellite sales office in New Port Richey, FL. An additional 10,000-square-foot (930 m²) expansion to their Clearwater headquarters is scheduled for completion in 2010.

Eos Music

AMTC launched its new Internet-based music service, Eos Music, in May 2009. Eos' 41 music channels are comprised primarily of independent artists and are directly licensed [1]. The direct licensing allows AMTC to avoid payments to the performing rights organizations (ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC), resulting in a lower price point than the Sirius offering.

AMTC offers two MP3 player devices in conjunction with the Eos service, the Eclipse (a standalone MP3 player requiring the customer to update music and messaging periodically using a SecureDigital card and a personal computer, and the Horizon (a store-and-forward Ethernet-based device). Both devices deliver AMTC's messaging content and music on the same device.

SIRIUS Music for Business

In 2003, AMTC began reselling Sirius Satellite Radio's music channels to business customers, under the brand name SIRIUS Music for Business. Under this arrangement, AMTC pays a monthly fee to performing rights organizations such as ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC, to ensure that customers can legally play the music in a business setting. The channels available via SIRIUS Music for Business are identical to the music channels available to consumer subscribers but are licensed for business audio use. Some of these channels feature occasional interruptions such as sounders and DJ talk.

AMTC claims [2] that the high look angle of Sirius' satellites, coupled with the site diversity provided by multiple satellites and a network of terrestrial repeaters, virtually eliminates rain fade. The highly elliptical orbit of the Sirius satellite constellation can pose difficulties for the reliable delivery of the signal stationary antennas in certain parts of the country. To address this concern, Sirius has vastly increased its network of terrestrial repeaters and activated its first geostationary satellite [3] to augment signal strength for non-mobile customers such as those of SIRIUS Music for Business.

Sirius Music for Business is used in several hotels, retail stores, automotive dealerships and restaurant chains, including Big Boy Restaurants and Huddle House. In 2006, AMTC executed agreements to install Sirius Business in Yum Brands (A&W, Long John Silver's, KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell), FOCUS Brands (Carvel, Cinnabon, Schlotzsky's and Moe's Southwest Grill) and Wendy's stores, among others. AMTC's SIRIUS offering is featured in many of the same automotive dealerships that sell SIRIUS in cars, including Ford Motor Company, Volkswagen of America, Volvo, Chrysler, Land Rover, Jaguar, and Mazda among others.

TelAdvantage

AMTC's on-hold messaging is utilized in a variety of businesses, including restaurants, automotive dealerships, van lines and airlines, hotels and fitness centers. High-profile clients include Allstate Insurance, Morgan Stanley, Spherion and Raymond James Financial. In 2008, the TelAdvantage offering was expanded to include overhead messaging in retail stores and automotive showrooms. AMTC manufactures two digital MP3 player devices for this purpose, the iQueue 3.5 and the RemoteLink IP.

AMTC Timeline

• 1991 - AMTC begins operations in Tampa, FL as an on-hold messaging vendor.
• 1993 - AMTC releases its patented [4] Optical Disk Repeater 1000. The device was the first compact disc-based "on hold" player on the market.
• 1998 - AMTC revamps the ODR-1000 with its TraxMaster, and added the iQueue (a removable memory card player) and the RemoteLink td64, which permitted remote-initiated downloading of messages via a modem.
• 2000 - AMTC moves into its new 10,000-square-foot (930 m²) headquarters in Clearwater, FL
• 2000 - AMTC installs its RemoteLink td64 in every Bally Total Fitness gym.
• 2003 - AMTC signs agreement to be the national provider of Sirius Satellite Radio for businesses. [5]
• 2003 - AMTC introduces a third CD-based "on hold" player, the TraxMaster II, and releases the iQueue II, a CompactFlash-based MP3 player for "on hold" messaging. The iQueue II works in conjunction with HoldDirect.com, the first web-based distribution system for "on hold" messages. [6]
• 2004 - AMTC becomes a preferred on-hold messaging vendor for Nationwide Insurance and rolls out its iQueue II digital messaging player to the offices of Royal Caribbean.
• 2005 - Major endorsements and partnerships include Daimler-Chrysler, Ford Motor Company, Raymond James Financial, and Allstate Insurance.
• 2006 - Major partnership deals signed include Yum! Brands, FOCUS Brands, Huddle House, Big Boy Restaurants, Piggly Wiggly, Cici's Pizza, Sysco Foodservice and Wendy's International.
• 2007 - AMTC announces national rollouts of Sirius Business to Volkswagen of America dealers and McCoy's Building Supply stores.
• 2007 - AMTC announces it has updated all the components in the Sirius Business Equipment Kit and promises more product updates this year.
• 2007 - AMTC opens its satellite sales office in New Port Richey, FL.
• 2007 - AMTC installs SIRIUS service in the new team headquarters of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the speakers and amplifiers driving the Mountain Dew Extreme Zone in Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays.
• 2008 - AMTC becomes the national music and messaging vendor for True Value and its subsidiaries, as well as Anytime Fitness and Snap Fitness, among others.
• 2008 - AMTC more than doubles its sound equipment line, offering several new rack-mountable amplifiers and specialty speakers.
• 2009 - AMTC releases the iQueue 3.5, an updated version of the iQueue III, as well as the RemoteLink IP, an Internet-based store and forward MP3 player device for on-hold and in-store music and messaging.
• 2009 - AMTC announces the launch of Eos Music, a new value-priced, Internet-delivery background music service.

External links

• Applied Media Technologies Corporation's official site
• AMTC's Eos site
• AMTC's SIRIUS Music for Business site
• AMTC's TelAdvantage site
• HoldDirect.com, AMTC's "on hold" message distribution site
• SIRIUS Music for Business
• Sirius Satellite Radio official site

See also

• Sirius Satellite Radio / XM Satellite Radio
• DMX Music
• In-Store Broadcasting Network
• Muzak
• PlayNetwork
• Trusonic

References

• Hotel Interactive - Article covering AMTC's agreement with the Four Seasons Hotel Silicon Valley
• Hotel & Motel Management Magazine - AMTC agrees to install TelAdvantage in Woodfin Suites locations

• National Piggly Wiggly Owner's Association - Piggly Wiggly endorses AMTC/Sirius as their preferred background music provider
• American Express Restaurant Briefing March-April 2006 - AMEX discusses the particulars of Sirius Business, VP Sales/Marketing Clayton Burton quoted
• Satellite Standard Group - Interview with research and development manager Matt Holden

Categories