Kurt Hanson, right

Leading online radio service AccuRadio to debut revolutionary new user interface driven by human gestures

Press Release · Chicago, IL, USA ·

This coming Monday, AccuRadio will give the world its first opportunity to move beyond swiping on a screen, using a mouse, or using one’s voice to control the music streaming experience. The revolutionary new AccuGesture system will enable listeners to take advantage of all the personalization features on the AccuRadio platform simply through motions, Founder/CEO Kurt Hanson (pictured above with a dog) announced today.

“It’s time to stop being tied to archaic, old-school user interfaces and move into a world where movement provides control,” Hanson noted. “Through the use of webcams and smartphone cameras, we can allow AccuRadio listeners to control their listening with a far more intuitive set of gestures.”

AccuRadio’s VP of Programming, Paul Maloney noted this is a game changer for the industry: “Every streaming provider forces listeners to use a mouse, tap on a screen, or speak. We are excited to free people from those shackles!”

While a full list of available motion controls will be offered on the AccuRadio website, some of the most notable include:

  • Launch a channel by pointing at the desired channel tile and giving a thumbs-up motion to your camera.
  • Turn volume down by sticking one‘s fingers into one‘s ears for 10-15 seconds. When the volume seems right, simply remove your fingers and give a thumb-and-forefinger “Okay!“ signal to the camera.
  • Rate songs simply by pointing at the screen and drawing a star in the air anywhere between one and five times. (Simply pause for approximately five seconds between each star you draw.)
  • Ban a song from your playlist by staring angrily at the screen and dragging your thumb horizontally from right to left across your throat. Drag your thumb from left to right to ban the artist.
  • Blend any two channels together into a unique personalized mix by spinning around in your chair in a 360º motion. (Mnemonic device: If you want to create a “blend,“ pretend you are trapped in a “blender.“)
  • Skip as many songs as you like by skipping around the room (or at least pretending to). Note that how many skips you take determines how many songs you advance past. (Hint: If you are working from home and have children, consider asking them to do the skipping for you. It’s more dignified for you, some exercise for the child, and makes listening to AccuRadio a perfect family bonding experience!

Noted AccuRadio’s EVP of Promotion Todd Manley, “There are also a few ‘secret menu’ motions we will not publicize as heavily. For example, if you gather at least three other people and hold up cigarette lighters, the song you’re listening to will change to a live version.”

CEO Hanson explains that the company spent a full year developing AccuGesture: “The AccuRadio staff deserves so much credit. They worked extra hard trying out different motions over the last several months, even sustaining some minor injuries along the way; in retrospect, we never should have used scissors to represent ‘cutting off’ a song.”

According to AccuRadio’s Senior Advisor and board member John Gehron, listeners can get a “sneak preview” of the new system on Monday, April 1st for 24 hours, after which it will be taken down and fine-tuned (based on user behavior statistics gathered during the sneak preview) before a full rollout later this year.

AccuRadio’s EVP/Strategic Partnerships Jim Pavilack noted that the AccuGesture interface, after a one-year exclusivity period for AccuRadio, will be available to be licensed to other webcasters, broadcasters, and podcasters – such as (for example) Spotify, Pandora, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, Audacy’s anticipated new music streaming service, Radio Paradise, the U.K.’s Global Player, Canada’s Radioplayer Canada and Stingray Music, Australia’s LiSTNR, and Truth Social’s anticipated new “Music for Patriots” streaming service -- once AccuRadio’s exclusivity period expires on 3/31/25.

About AccuRadio:

AccuRadio was launched in the summer of 2000 by radio research expert (and RAIN News publisher) Kurt Hanson and FM rock radio programmer Paul Maloney as an attempt to show broadcasters how to embrace the variety and personalization made possible by Internet delivery of radio. Since then, AccuRadio has grown into an easy-to-use, human-curated (by a team of music lovers, musicians, and genre experts, not algorithms), and personalizable service. Now featuring over 1,400 music channels (which can be blended together into over 47 trillion possible combinations), AccuRadio has attracted online music’s most adult, upscale, and loyal audience. Enjoy it online at www.accuradio.com or via its iOS or Android apps.

This is a press release which we link to from Podnews, our daily newsletter about podcasting and on-demand. We may make small edits for editorial reasons.

Companies mentioned above:
Amazon logoAmazonAmazon Music logoAmazon MusiciHeartRadio logoiHeartRadioLiSTNR logoLiSTNRPandora logoPandoraradio.comSpotify logoSpotify

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