Manchester radio startup hits 5.5m listeners in first six weeks

A new online radio firm launched by Manchester entrepreneur James Mulvany has reported reaching over 5m listeners in its first six weeks.

James, who founded tech firm Igniso 10 years ago at the age of 18, has established Radio.co, a startup offering a digital platform that allows people to build their own online radio station and broadcast internationally.

In the six weeks since its soft launch, the company has reported week-on-week growth of 40%, with 300 subscribers broadcasting around 22m hours of radio to more than 5.5m listeners.

James said: “Video never did kill the radio star. And far from killing off radio, the internet has in fact made it stronger than it has ever been.

“Research proves that people are increasingly turning away from on-demand music and content, and back to live – because in our busy lives we tend to trust our favourite DJs and presenters to select or ‘curate’ for us rather than always having to search for ourselves.”

Now, James has secured syndication partnerships with tech companies Apple and Tunein, and plans to have 1,000 stations broadcasting through Radio.co by the end of 2015.

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