To coincide with this year’s NAB conference, we have produced our most comprehensive and uber-stylish demo to date.  IQ Beats - Music Imaging 2008 features 3 discs of nearly our entire catalogue of custom music imaging clocking in just under a staggering three hours.

In addition to a tour-de-force through 35 demos of our custom products, there is an accompanying sixteen page booklet touching on the history of IQ Beats, the sound of IQ Beats, the experience of working with IQ Beats, mini-bios for each of the players at IQ Beats, and a brief description for all 35 custom packages featured throughout the three discs.

Here is a rundown of what you will find inside of IQ Beats - Music Imaging 2008:

Disc 1

1. Heart Network 2 - London/UK
2. RMF FM - Poland
3. LBC 2 - London
4. Fun Radio 2 - Paris
5. Heart Network 1 - London/UK
6. WKTU - New York
7. Heart 106.2 - London
8. KISQ - San Francisco
9. Mix 102.7 - New York
10. Heart Breakfast - London/UK
11. Ben FM 1 - Philadelphia
12. Ben FM 2 - Philadelphia

Disc 2

1. Fox FM - UK
2. RTL - Berlin
3. Fun Radio 1 - Paris
4. 96.6 TFM - UK
5. Chiltern FM - UK
6. Power 92
7. Power 92.5
8. Flow 93.5 - Toronto
9. UTV - UK
10. Century FM - UK
11. The Wireless Group - UK
12. Blink 102.7 - New York

Disc 3

1. LBC 1 - London
2. Newstalk 106 - Ireland
3. LBC AM/FM - London
4. SportsTalk 950 - Philadelphia
5. BBC Radio 1 Chart Show - UK
6. BBC Radio Manchester
7. BBC Radio Leeds
8. The Breeze - Australia
9. The Wolf - Seattle
10. KSON - San Diego
11. Kix 106 - Memphis

Due to an overwhelming interest in the demo, we’ve decided to make it available for sale.  Please see the link in the sidebar, or click the button below for your copy.

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We like to produce an annual team photo with this year being no exception.  Last year we got the Matt Groening treatment a la the Simpsons.  This year we took a trip down memory lane and produced a “what if” hearkening back to yearbook photos from yesteryear.  Which ones do you like?  Which made you laugh?  Which one(s) did YOU look like?

Steven Scalfati - Creative Director, Composer, Producer, Jeans Aficianado

Patrick Napper - Composer, Producer, Flugelhornist

Michael Berlin - Management, Sandwich Fetcher

Kip Beelman - Engineer, Re-sing Mechanic

Mark Hall - UK Project Manager

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Greater Media Philadelphia have recently launched NOW 97.5 FM  and kicked started the station in style with their own instrumental-logo version of our epic RMF FM - Poland package.

The RMF FM package is comprised of 20 “mini-hits” that are all 12 seconds in length or less with most being true transitions bridging different tempos.

The station is focused towards a younger leaning AC format featuring artists ranging from Madonna, Rob Thomas and Kelly Clarkson to Rod Stewart, Elton John and Phil Collins.

We saw a great opportunity for a station that takes a new, younger approach to today’s soft rock in the Philadelphia market.  We are excited to offer our listeners this exciting new choice.

John Fullam - Greater Media Vice President and Market Manager

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The desert has a new upstart spinning Breakbeat and Electronica with all of the yummy Pop in between and imaging themselves with a mini-suite from our rockin’ WKTU package.

Vibe 94-5 was so eager to get the new stuff on air that we were sent an aircheck featuring one of the cuts used within a mere 30 minutes after we’d submitted a mix for approval.  It even had vocal production put in.

Now that’s a turnaround radio friends. At the top of the montage is said aircheck. Ch-ch-check it out.

Vibe 94-5 montage | Download 2.3MB

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Nova FM in Denmark tapped IQ Beats through our fruitful partnership with Music And Images to produce a comprehensive re-sing encompassing both the previous and recently launched Heart Network packages.

Having launched on September 8th, Nova was formerly known as TV2 Denmark and can be heard spinning today’s hottest music alongside Old School Classics with a slogan of “Den Bedste Musik Her Og Nu” (roughly translated to The Best Music Here and Now).

Names like Alphabeat, Szhirley, TV-2, Nordstrøm, Sanne Salomonsen, Sys Bjerre, Saybia, Outlandish, Infernal, Lizzy and Aqua will be fixed elements on the play list of Nova FM. They will, together with other strong Danish and international artists, make Nova FM the preferred radio station among Danes.

-Eric Hansen, Senior VP SBS Radio

IQ’s own Steven Scalfati even boarded a big metal bird for the Trans-Atlantic flight to Copenhagen to produce the vocal sessions locally.  He had a great time while there and even scored some Esprit jeans for his troubles.

Look for an update on the blog in the near future after IQ’s Kip Beelman and Patrick Napper make the trek themselves to Copenhagen in order to produce Nova’s breakfast imaging in addition to a photo expose on Steven and his Esprit jeans collection.

Heart Network 1 stager montage | Download 2.3MB

Heart Network 2 stager montage | Download 2MB

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Tulsa, Oklahoma’s 98.5 KVOO is the “Voice of Oklahoma” (VOO) and is playing Today’s Country Variety.

Program Director Luke Jensen rang us up and ordered a tasty selection of cuts from our JR FM package topped off with the Top of Hour from the Kix 106 package and it sounds great.

We looked all over the world for a fresh, innovative sound that would allow us to stand out in the marketplace.  Once we found the IQ JR FM package, the decision was easy.  The JR FM package has the contemporary feel that we were looking for, it’s different, and will help further differentiate KVOO from our competitors. There is nothing better in this business than getting a great product from a great group of people!   This was the easiest, most stress free process I have ever been through!

-Luke Jensen, Program Director 98.5 KVOO

Download the montage here | 1.1MB

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We noticed Heart’s website had a featurette on the launch of their new imaging. Here is a link to the site’s mini-section containing a photo gallery, fun statistics about the package and even download Heart ringtones!

This little movie clip featuring photos and stats also popped up this week.

Heart Network Imaging Launch from IQ Beats on Vimeo.

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The European customs continue to fly off the shelves with this new bespoke effort for RMF FM in Krakow.  Broadcasting nationally throughout Poland as the most popular station, the brief was to craft 20 custom cuts that are each “mini hit songs” in a mere 12 seconds in length or less… All just as varied as RMF’s dynamic AC playlist.

With short transitions and even shorter mixes complimented by each theme having a logo mix with it’s own instrumental lead instrument, their new package is even more potent than a bottle of Luksusowa!

We love the package we’ve made with IQ Beats! It’s a step ahead of the music we play and really captures the sound we were looking for as a European station between CHR and HOT AC targeting mostly women 25-39.

The communication was great and everything was delivered on time. The creativity and writing of outstanding melodies paired with their attention to detail is unmatched. The vocalists they work with are talented and versatile while lending great variety to the entire package.

We will definitely work with IQ Beats for future projects!

-Adam Czerwinski, RMF FM

Check out the package here, or download the demo | RMF FM 5.1 MB

Click on any picture for a larger view

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We are proud to announce a new custom IQ Beats package for Global Radio’s Heart Network and the flagship Heart 106.2 in London. Going on air at 4pm GMT at the beginning of the Club Classics show, you will have to remain patient to hear all of the 22 different pieces of custom imaging crafted from the ground up throughout the duration of the weekend culminating with the debut of new themes for the Jamie and Harriet breakfast show.

Wow, what can we say? Well, first we’d like to say thanks. Thanks to the entire Global Radio crew. And that means Global executive Richard Park, Programme Director Mark Browning and all of the people responsible for hustling to get this thing on air while the paint is still drying. And let it be known that a certain behind-the-scenes figure is well due some serious props… You know who you are and smooches to you!

What else would we like to say? How about whew! This project has been months in the making and started off back in April with a trip to London in order to take the brief in person and soak up some Heart-ness. During this time composers Steven Scalfati and Patrick Napper wandered the halls of the Global Radio building to find out “what it’s all about” and even sat in on a session of the Jamie and Harriet Breakfast show. The lads left impressed, inspired, and ready to write.

From these talks it became apparent that the station the station wanted to keep its strong rhythmic up-tempo feel, and create a forward thinking musical package which reinforced its warm, contemporary, uplifting brand values. So began the search for the definitive vocal combination that ultimately lead to:

• 3,468 vocal takes of audio
• 42 hours of billed time with vocalists
• 500 hours spent composing and producing the tracks
• 150 hours mixing
• 420 pieces of audio delivered
• 3 singers rejected
• 1 ident singer debut
• 2 international flights
• 3 hotel rooms
• 1 domestic flight
• 5 singers used throughout the package
• 40 Whole Foods sandwiches
• 45 bags of Kettle chips
• 16 cans of Diet Rockstar
• 1 dinner at the Palace Kitchen

The week spent in Seattle by Mark Browning and Mark Hall was action-packed with vocal sessions from 10am to 6pm with short bits of time in between singers for grab-and-grin photos and to slam down a sandwich, some chips and an energy drink. Here is a gallery of images from one very concentrated week of production…

The process of securing a deal, decoding a brief, composing and then refining tracks, scheduling and producing vocal sessions, mixing, mixing and more mixing culminating in the final delivery of a package is a cycle of life that is intense, exhausting and ultimately rewarding.

And after the package is delivered and on air, not much is more rewarding than some evidence that our clients love and appreciate what we do for them. Even though we’re Yanks and on the other side of the pond, we know what Harrod’s is all about and are thoroughly lavishing in some nice cups of tea after what arrived on Wednesday…

Listen to the package cut by cut here or Download a montage of the new cuts | 2.8MB

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IQ Beats composer extraordinaire Patrick Napper just celebrated a benchmark birthday on the landmark day of 8.08.08. Orchestrated by the event planning prowess of Patrick’s wife Rebbecca Luke of Les Egoistes and fully supported by Patrick’s IQ teammates, the party was a MASSIVE hit.

Held at the expansive Voda Studios in west Lake Union, the stage was set for good times, yummy food, pretty girls, an endless stream of cocktails, DJ Woogie spinning good-time grooves and an instrument back-line for live representations of Patrick’s various musical projects over the past 15 or so years.

After back-to-back visits from European clients engaged in massive customs, Patrick and Rebecca (as well as the rest of the IQ team) were definitely ready blow off some steam and there was no better vehicle than ushering in a new decade of age for our man. Happy birthday dude and here’s to rocking life better and better day by day!

Click on any picture to see it larger.

Napperfest ‘08 even had it’s own custom shot glass… Necessary for all of the free-flowing tequila!

Behold… The Nappertini!

And no IQ Beats party is currently found without a healthy dose of Diet-Rockstar Energy Drink. When mixed with vodka, the Diet-Rockstar serves as a catalyst for enthusiastic behavior with a degree of alertness not typically scene after a long night of…

The IQ Crew (Steve Scalfati, Michael Berlin and Kip Beelman) represented with custom made shirts playing off the theme of Patrick’s party. Take a guess at Pnap’s age!

There was no shortage of fun and hot girls tearing up the dance floor!

Patrick’s wife Rebbecca sets up a great evening with a heartfelt toast for the man of the hour.

Somehow the birthday boy managed to blow out all of his candles in one fell swoop.

Was it mentioned that DJ Woogie was spinning the seriously fat and fun tracks?

And of course no landmark birthday would be complete without a burlesque performance by Miss Indigo Blue.

Between the many Patrick bands and cuts being spun by DJ Woogie during the evening, the girls were getting their back-arching groove on!

By this time in the evening, it’s only fair that the birthday boy is getting his groove on.

And the surprise of the evening was a sweet improv performance from IQ’s very own Steve Scalfati. Steve took the the jam to some deeper and darker depths while Patrick jammed along on trumpet. HOT!!

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