Maybe I’m dating myself here, but… MTV used to show music videos. No. I’m serious. Like all of the time. No reality shows. Just videos. Song after song after song. And it was pretty awesome. So forgive me if I get a little nostalgic with Portland startup Vadio, which is bringing that exact same kind of original MTV-esque magic to radio stations.
Vadio enables radio station Web sites to serve up the video version of the song they’re currently playing—in real-time—increasing retention and engagement. And investors seem to like what they’re doing.
“It’s rare to find a company that is able to address the needs of multiple groups within the music industry– record labels, artists, and streaming music companies – but Vadio has come up with a solution that helps everyone,” says Robin Richards, former CEO of Vivendi Universal Net USA. “The dramatic growth in desire for music video content globally is creating the need and potential for a major shift in the industry. With a solid team of leaders in tech and music, there is an opportunity to build a significant global company and we are excited to be working with Vadio on this vision.”
And they’re doing it in a very Portlandy way. By building a platform that enables others to serve the content they want to serve to their customers.
“Music videos are one of the most popular and engaging forms of content online, but they have yet to be available where consumers prefer to access music – online streaming platforms – creating a big disconnect,” said Vadio CEO Bryce Clemmer. “There is a tremendous opportunity to evolve the way millions of consumers around the world listen to music. We’ve developed a platform that delivers music video content to the sites and services people enjoy most. Our recent funding round and partnership with Vevo will enable us to scale even faster and deliver a cutting edge experience for everyone – ranging from music fans to streaming services to radio stations and record labels.”
Vadio is an alum of the Amplify.LA, Portland Seed Fund, and PIE.
For more information on the funding, read the write-ups by Portland Business Journal and TechCrunch, among others. For more information on the company, visit Vadio.
[Full disclosure: As mentioned above, Vadio is a PIE alum. I am the cofounder and general manager of PIE.]
