Viggle Acquires Choose Digital To Power Digital Media Downloads As Customer Rewards
Yesterday Viggle, an entertainment marketing and rewards platform, announced the acquisition of Choose Digital, a digital content platform for loyalty and membership programs. Though neither company focuses exclusively on music, Choose Digital has been powering the Viggle Store featuring music and that relationship ultimately led to the acquisition. Together they will continue to reward listeners with music downloads in a corner of the music industry one rarely hears much about.
Digital Music and Loyalty/Rewards Programs
Early this year I wrote about Gracenote's Rhythm platform initially wondering why more streaming music services were desired. As it turns out, a lot of their big customers were brands who weren't planning to compete with services like Spotify but wanted to create products and programs to connect more closely with customers.
A bit later I chatted with Choose Digital co-founder Mario Cruz in preparation for a panel at the MIA Music Summit. He helped complete the picture of big brands' use of digital music explaining how Choose Digital's platform supported such efforts as airline loyalty programs by providing digital downloads in exchange for points earned by customers.
Though I haven't written much about such topics, such programs are an area that may be supporting a lot more music in both streaming and download formats than people realize.
Viggle x Choose Digital
Choose Digital's platform can work with any digital content and they've supplied a full range including mp3 tracks, movies, tv shows and ebooks for corporate loyalty and rewards programs.
Viggle is also in the rewards game with some additional properties and tools for connecting with and understanding audiences including the Viggle Store for music with an associated mobile app.
According to the official announcement Choose Digital has been powering the Viggle Store and clearly that's gone well:
"With the acquisition, the Choose Digital platform will power digital media rewards for the Viggle platform, including music, audiobooks, TV and movies, enabling Viggle members to get free entertainment content just for enjoying their favorite TV shows and music."
Greg Consiglio, COO of Viggle Inc., states:
“The Choose Digital team has some of the deepest experience in loyalty programs, promotional marketing, rewards and technology."
“With this acquisition, we can now develop end-to-end entertainment and loyalty rewards programs for our brand, TV network and music industry partners. We can identify the content our members watch or listen to and then issue relevant rewards though the Viggle Store. Our Viggle members benefit by redeeming their points for highly relevant digital content through our patented entertainment rewards platform.”
Sounds like a winning combination.
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Hypebot Senior Contributor Clyde Smith (@fluxresearch) also blogs at DanceLand. Send news about music tech startups and services, DIY music biz and music marketing to: clyde(at)fluxresearch(dot)com.
Viggle made right time acquisition and loyalty program can bring into more customers.