‘theBITE’ Emerging as Music Video Platform

Gail Chiasson, North American Editor

Dallas-based indoorDIRECT, a national in-store television show that delivers short clips of sports, music, entertainment, and lifestyle content, has recently entered into agreements with several record labels and artists to air their music videos on indoorDIRECT’s in-store television show ‘theBITE’.

The music industry is in the midst of change as traditional music mediums are reducing the number of hours dedicated to programming music videos and focusing more heavily on ‘unscripted’ or ‘reality’ programing. indoorDIRECT’s ‘theBITE’ is emerging as a viable option for many artists and music marketing companies to reach the mass audience needed for optimum sales and in a medium on which viewers are used to watching videos: television.

‘theBITE’ is viewed by 13 million viewers each month and aired in over 1,000 quick-service restaurants nationwide. Music has always been a key segment within the company’s programming strategy. In the most recent Nielsen viewership study, more than half of the survey participants stated that they like music videos on ‘theBITE’ the most.

“The desire of consumers to consume media when they want it and where they want it and the music industry’s desire to syndicate their artists’ music and videos across multiple platforms has made ‘theBITE’ the hottest and fastest growing music platform in the nation,”
says Jonna Birgans, vice-president of strategic alliances, indoorDIRECT. “With over 1,000 locations today, and plans for 700 additional locations by the end of the year, we are just getting started, and are in the process of developing a website for our viewers that will provide additional exposure for the music videos and other content seen on our show.”

In addition to providing exposure for artists to millions of music lovers each week, indoorDIRECT is contributing directly to the sale of electronic downloads for these featured artists. Viewers are encouraged to download the tracks to the videos they see on ‘theBITE’ by incorporating a keyword and short code that viewers can send via text messages to an adjacent companion banner that airs simultaneously while the video is playing.

Currently, indoorDIRECT is using both Amazon and iTunes for downloads, but is looking to work with a single partner going forward that will receive brand recognition each time the call to action to download a song or album is shown on ‘theBITE’ – in addition to a revenue share from the transaction.

“Gaining exposure for the artists that we work with is paramount to not just our success, but the artists that we work with,” says Lisa Frank, president of marketing, Bedford Music Marketing. “indoorDIRECT’s ‘theBITE’ provides us with a reasonably priced way to reach millions of music lovers in the key 18 – 49 demographic that frequent quick-service restaurants and that otherwise might have never seen or heard of the artists that we represent.”

Among the more than 1,000 major quick-service restaurants nationwide showing indoorDIRECT are: Taco Bell, Wendy’s, Denny’s, Carl’s Jr., Hardee’s, McDonald’s, KFC and Arby’s. Free Wi-Fi is currently being provided to customers in select locations and plans are underway to expand free Wi-Fi access across the U.S..


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