Release — Cross-service Distribution, Skill Traction, and Voicecamp Accelerator
Earplay Announces Cross-Service Distribution, Reveals Alexa Skill Traction
Betaworks Voicecamp Funds Development of Earplay Technology
New York, NY — June 23, 2017 — Earplay today announced cross-service distribution capability for publication of interactive audio experiences across voice-enabled devices using Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and iOS.
The Earplay skill for Alexa was originally released in August of 2016 and the iOS version followed in November 2016. Earplay released in beta form on Google Assistant in May of 2017, prior to Google I/O. With updates on all three voice services the week of June 15th, Earplay achieved cross-voice service distribution parity with interactive audio content updates expected on a weekly basis.
“We’re excited that Earplay creators can write and produce interactive audio stories for distribution on such a wide variety of voice-enabled devices,” said Earplay CEO Jonathon Myers.
“Earplay is on the forefront of voice-first storytelling, making it easier for developers to create engaging and unique interactive entertainment experiences for Alexa,” said Rob Pulciani, Director, Amazon Alexa. “Our customers love playing games and interacting with stories through Alexa, and we can’t wait to see what developers create next.”
The Boston-based company also released data related to its traction and accomplishments as an Alexa skill, which remains a popular choice of customers in the Games & Entertainment category.
- The Earplay skill is among the most highly rated of over 13,000 published Alexa skills, having earned an aggregate 4.4 star rating
- Out of unique customers who tried Earplay during a promotional campaign as Alexa Skill of the Week, more than 15% registered for an Earplay account
- As a top-performing Games & Entertainment skill, Earplay has earned over $10,000 in revenue in two months through an Alexa program that rewards skill developers
Voicecamp co-investor contributions totaling $200,000 in pre-seed funding have assisted the development of Earplay technology. New York early stage fund Betaworks led the investment in April as part of their thematic accelerator focused on verbal computing.
“Earplay is poised to be the content management system for an entirely new form of richly engaging stories,” said Patrick Montague, VP of Betaworks and Head of Voicecamp. “With stories told and played by human voice, Earplay brings the ages old campfire experience, one so core to human interaction and storytelling, into to the digital era and onto these emerging voice platforms.”
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About Earplay
Based in Boston, MA, Earplay is the premiere creative platform for publishing interactive audio experiences across all voice-enabled devices and services.
About Betaworks
Betaworks is a start-up studio and venture fund based in New York, focusing on the intersection of media and technology. The studio has built products like Giphy, Dots, bitly, and Tweetdeck. Previous investments include Tumblr, Kickstarter, Medium, and Gimlet.
About Voicecamp
Voicecamp is the second installment of betacamp, a thematically driven pre-seed accelerator program for startups in specific areas of frontier technology.
Press Contacts:
Jonathon Myers, Earplay
Patrick Montague, Betaworks
Originally published at Earplay.
