IBM Cloud Video to Power Global Online Music Festival

IBM today announced that Roland Corporation has selected IBM Cloud Video’s Ustream platform to live stream the musical instrument company’s historic, 24 hour international music festival and product launch.

Beginning on September 9 at 4:00pm UTC, the showcase event will span major cities like Tokyo, London, Los Angeles, and Paris, and feature live musical performances and more than 30 product launches, leveraging IBM Cloud Video’s Ustream platform.

As a long-time client of IBM, Roland will expand its use of Ustream’s Pro Broadcasting service to broadcast from eight international cities throughout the 24-hour period. Having used Pro Broadcasting to create a regular cadence of live streamed product reviews and artist interviews, “The Future. Redefined.” brings an unprecedented level of scale to the viewing experience by tapping into a multi-CDN infrastructure with Ustream’s SD-CDN (Software Defined CDN) technology that has been used to serve live content globally to more than one million concurrent viewers on a single stream.

Hosted on the cloud, IBM Cloud Video services are able to provide massive scalability with no additional investment in infrastructure or resources. Roland also leverages the Ustream Align streaming video platform for internal communications including sales enablement initiatives and company and personnel news.

“In the last several years, we have seen an explosion in how video is being used across enterprises, both as a means of internal communication, as well as a way to engage with existing and future customers via the cloud,” said Brad Hunstable, CEO of Ustream, an IBM Company. “‘The Future. Redefined.’ is a ground breaking event, and one that solidifies Roland is taking an innovative approach to connecting with consumers by creating a compelling customer experience that will drive the business forward.”

“‘The Future. Redefined.’ elevates our commitment to connecting with our community in a unique and engaging way,” said Christian Delfino, Vice President, Product Management, Roland Corporation U.S. “To make this event a reality, we needed a platform with proven scale and reliability to create an experience that will resonate with the artists we serve. In the course of our work with Ustream, it was clear that IBM was the ideal collaborator in developing this innovative event.”

During “The Future. Redefined.” Roland will unveil new synthesizers, digital pianos, electronic drums, DJ equipment, BOSS guitar related products, and a new genre of musical instrument never offered before by Roland.