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| Company type | Private |
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| Founded | Southfield, MI, (1988) |
| Headquarters | Miami Beach, FL, US |
Area served | United States, Canada |
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MTI Digital is a provider of in-store music, advertising, digital signage, and on-hold messaging and hold music for retail stores, supermarkets, convenience stores, and restaurants in the United States and Canada.
MTI Digital was founded in 1988 [1] as Music Technologies International by Lorraine Golden, who previously acted as general manager for Detroit radio stations WNIC and WQRS, and owner of WDTX. [2] [3] The company was founded as an alternative to the easy-listening elevator music that was common in retail stores of the 1980s, [4] instead providing an experience similar to that of FM radio with popular music interspersed with commercial advertising. [5]
MTI initially provided background music by satellite to retailers such as Kmart, [6] tailoring the music and advertising to each specific retailer and its vendors. [7] In 2000, the company partnered with fellow background music provider Muzak to focus on in-store advertising sales to retailers such as Toys "R" Us and Rite Aid. This partnership saw MTI's focus shift from background music to point of sale advertising targeted at a retailers’ customers for much of the next decade. [5]
MTI ended its partnership with Muzak and pivoted back to in-store background music by 2009. [8] The company rebranded as MTI Digital in the 2010s and provides music and messaging via digital receivers rather than satellite, [9] as well as digital signage, menu boards, and sound system design. [10]
MTI Digital is a WBENC-certified Woman-owned business. [10]
MTI Digital's music and messages are programmed using a media player located at each location connected by the internet to MTI's servers. [9] Audio advertisements and music playlists are regularly updated on each player, ensuring that the content is up-to-date, and allowing MTI to customize the music and messaging program for each retailer and location. [11]
MTI provides music, audio messages, and digital signage primarily to national and regional convenience and retail stores as well as QSRs in the United States and Canada, including Rite Aid, [8] Jared Jewelers, [12] Wawa, [13] Sonic Drive-in, [12] Kum & Go, [10] Allsups, [14] and EZCorp. [15]