Key Impacts
- Supported record-breaking day of 23% increase in music downloads
- Significantly reduces bandwidth costs
- Extended life of infrastructure for 2-3 years
- Reduces operational requirements
- Able to scale on demand
- Gains confidence in pursuing new business
Founded in 1999, Ecast Inc. operates the largest broadband touchscreen media network in the United States, delivering digital music and interactive advertising to over 10,000 bars, nightclubs, and other social venues across the country. By providing electronic access to thousands of songs and other forms of entertainment through a closed-loop network, Ecast is changing the way people listen to music. At the same time, the company's unique business model allows marketers—such as Heineken, Absolut, and Chrysler Jeep—to engage directly and intimately with young, influential consumers.
With a catalog of almost a quarter of a million songs and varying peak usage times, it is critical that Ecast seamlessly transmit large amounts of data across its entire network concurrently. With Akamai's solutions, Ecast can flawlessly handle traffic spikes. For example, St. Patrick's Day 2007 brought the highest single-day usage and network activity in Ecast's history. Total one-day consumer music downloads— of which Akamai served two-thirds—surpassed the previous one-day record by 23 percent. "If we hadn't been using the Akamai solution, we would have exceeded our bandwidth ceiling and incurred thousands of dollars in overage charges. But with Akamai, we can handle a huge spike without missing a beat—and without breaking our budget," concludes Pontious
"With Akamai, we can handle a huge spike without missing a beat—and without breaking our budget."
—Charles Pontious, VP of Network Engineering, Ecast
