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iHeartRadio Sets “Smart Home” Partnership

With Control4 deal, now you can play radio through your home automation system

Just as our industry is getting its mind around smart speakers as the latest audio media revolution, there’s yet another factor ramping up: smart home automation systems. How will radio participate?

Here’s one example iHeartRadio has teamed up with Control4, to provide, among other things, a seamless transition from the iHeart station you were listening to in your car to the speakers in your Control4 smart home automation system.

By using the Control4 app, the user says “play iHeartRadio” or taps the screen, and starts hearing it throughout their house. The app has “intelligence” that tracks the stations you listen to and makes recommendations. For example, the company says, if you live in New York and you’ve been listening to Z100 all day, it might recommend KIIS-FM, so you can hear what’s popular on the West Coast. Users can search for favorite iHeartRadio stations by artist, genre and location. The app also finds live radio stations and adds them to the user’s library. That means if you found a station you like while driving, it’s automatically available for listening in the home.

Control4 makes smart home automation systems that allow users to control lighting, security, energy and entertainment. This is not its first such deal; it also partners with SiriusXM, Spotify, Napster, Pandora and TuneIn.

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