Apple Ipad tablet
IN PHOTO: An illustration picture shows application icons on an Apple Ipad tablet held by a woman in Bordeaux, Southwestern France, February 4, 2013. Reuters

Commercial Radio Australia (CRA) created a new app that would allow owners of iPhone and iPad to create their own demo radio advertisements. It only indicates the fast-paced development in the information and computer technology industry that permits broadcasters as well as hobbyist to be part of the radio industry even outside the traditional and mainstream FM and AM bands.

This revolutionary app has been preceded by other technologies that had changed the face of broadcasting such as the Software as a Service platform of from Audioboom Group PLC (LSE: BOOM.L).

CRA teamed up with Eardrum Australia, an international radio and audio specialist agency, and Cobra Radio Brewery in Brussels to create Sirens EarApp.

The app allows Apple tablet and phone users to determine the length of their ad, record the script, place sound effects and musical accompaniments - creating a demo radio ad within minutes

Its creators are Cobra founders Christophe Cossement and Raf Debraekeleer. The app was optimised for iPhone 5.
Joan Warner, CRA chief executive officer, said the app is another industry initiative to encourage the use of radio advertising and simplify the process from idea to inception.

Ralph Vam Dijk, founder and director of Eardrum Australia, added, "Radio ads are in their most fragile state when in script form. Lines are added, gags are missed and great ideas thrown out ... This app lets you make a quick and dirty demo so you can evaluate and present your idea in the form it'll ultimately take. It's also a hell of a lot of fun after a few beers!"

Besides the app, CRA will also be distributing a monthly Sirens e-newsletter titled The EarBlog, which would highlight some of the best audio adverts from different parts of the world. It would be available to agenies, radio stations and advertisers.

The Siren EarApp is free through Apple iTune App store.

Here is a demo of the app.

YouTube/EardrumGlobal

Of course, while ads are the lifeblood of media, content is of equal importance, which is why Audioboom, a publicly listed UK company, has positioned itself as the global leader in spoken audio content, or the audio equivalent of the YouTube, the most popular video sharing site.

It is the provider of social media platform for audio producers to record either live or from the studio, upload and share audio by syndication and social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook.

By tapping these social media sites, audience reach expands dramatically since the popular microblogging site and favourite social media site have millions or even billion of followers in different parts of the world.

At present, Audioboom has about 2,000 content channels from the initial 19 channels during the platform's launch in March 2013, said Rob Proctor, company CEO. Audioboom currently has 2.5 million registered users and 12 to 13 million monthly active users across platforms.