Audio-Only Playlists

An audio-only playlist turns a screen's player into an in-store radio: it plays looping background music and weaves in ad spots that each play a set number of times per hour. The music fades out when an ad break starts and picks up right where it left off afterwards. This article shows you how to create one, fill in both lanes, and keep the ad load sensible.

An audio-only playlist accepts only audio files. The reverse isn't true — you can still add audio to a regular playlist; the audio-only type is for when music and ads should run as one continuous stream.

Create an audio-only playlist

1. Go to the Playlists tab and click Add new playlist.
2. Name the playlist and turn on the Audio only switch.
3. Optionally pick its display groups and a folder, then save. You land on the playlist's page, ready to add content.

Instead of the usual item list, an audio-only playlist's page has two lanes: Background music and Ad spots. An Audio only badge marks the playlist here and in the playlists list, so the type is always visible at a glance.

Add background music

1. Click Add music track under the Background music lane.
2. Pick the audio from your media library — like all playlist content, the files have to be uploaded there first. The picker only offers audio files.
3. Arrange the tracks with the arrow buttons on each row.

The music lane plays its tracks in order and loops for as long as the playlist is active. Each track's duration comes from the audio file itself, and the Repeat value lets a track play several times in a row. The lane's total length is shown underneath.

Set up ad spots

Ad spots are organized into groups, and one group is one ad break: when the group's turn comes, all of its spots play back-to-back, in the order you set.

1. Click Add group in the Ad spots lane.
2. Click Add spot on the group's card and pick the ad's audio file.
3. Set the group's Plays per hour — how many times this break should play every hour (6 by default, up to 120). The hint next to the field shows the resulting spacing, for example ≈ every 10 min.

Add more groups for ads that need a different rotation — every group has its own Plays per hour. The arrows on a group's card change the order the breaks rotate in.

A few things to keep in mind:

• Within one break, each spot plays once — add the same spot to the group twice to repeat it, or raise the group's Plays per hour to bring the whole break around more often.
• A group with no spots in it is removed when you save.
• As soon as the playlist has any ad group, it also needs at least one background music track before it can be saved.

How playback works

You don't schedule the ad breaks by hand — the playlist spaces them for you:

• Each group's breaks are spread evenly across the hour: a group set to 6 plays per hour comes around roughly every 10 minutes.
• Several groups don't pile up: their breaks are staggered automatically, and if two breaks would ever overlap, the later one simply waits for the first to finish.
• The music fades out when a break starts and fades back in when it ends, resuming mid-track where it stopped. Ad spots always play at full volume.

Keep an eye on the ad load

The Ad spot overview line above the lanes sums the playlist up: how many groups it has, how many ad breaks play per hour in total, and the ad load — the share of each hour taken up by ads. It warns you when ads would take up half or more of every hour, and the playlist can't be saved at all if ads would reach a full hour.

What the screen shows

While audio plays, the display shows a dark panel with a speaker icon — the same as for any audio content. An audio-only playlist takes part in scheduling like any other playlist, so the same screen can alternate between visual playlists and your audio stream.

Scheduling, priority, and displays

Everything else works exactly like a regular playlist:

• Assign it to display groups with the Groups picker.
• The Calendar and Priority decide when it plays and what wins — see Scheduling and Priority.
• Individual tracks and spots can carry their own calendar conditions, just like items in a regular playlist — handy for a spot that should only play on weekends. A spot whose conditions exclude the current time is skipped inside its break.

FAQ

Can I convert an existing playlist to audio-only, or back?

A: No. The type is chosen when the playlist is created and can't be changed. Create a new playlist with the Audio only switch on and add your content there.

Can I still put audio files into a regular playlist?

A: Yes, that works as before. The audio-only type is only special in what it adds: the two lanes, the ad-break scheduling, and the music resuming around breaks.

How do I make one ad play more often than the others?

A: Give it its own group. Every group has its own Plays per hour, so a spot in a group set to 12 comes around twice as often as one in a group set to 6.

Can I shuffle the background music?

A: No — tracks play in the order they're listed, and the lane loops when it reaches the end. Reorder the tracks whenever you want a change.

Why aren't my ad spots playing?

A: First check the display's playback mode: ad spots only play in Layering (overlay by priority). Then make sure the playlist is enabled, its calendar covers the current time, and the spots' own conditions (if any) don't exclude it.

What audio files can I upload?

A: Upload audio in the media library like any other playable. For bitrate and format recommendations, see Optimal Video and Audio Formats.

Need help?

Setting up your first audio stream and something isn't behaving the way you expect? Contact our support team — we'll be glad to help.