Music 1 Inc., developer of the Music 1 music scheduling system, and U.K.-based broadcast software company Aiir will end their commercial relationship at the end of 2026. The change will conclude their remaining cross-billing and subscription arrangements, with each company managing subscriptions for its own products. Music 1 Pro will, however, continue to integrate with Aiir’s PlayoutOne radio automation system.
The relationship began in December 2013, when Aiir founder Dave Brierley-Jones, then operating RadioStationSolutions, approached Music 1 creator Steve Warren about integrating Music 1 with the company’s DARP/NG automation system. The technical collaboration expanded, and in 2018 the companies began marketing Music 1 and the renamed PlayoutOne system together. They also explored a broader partnership that could ultimately have combined the two businesses.
Warren recalled introducing Brierley-Jones and his business partner, Phil Johnson, to the industry at the 2018 NAB Radio Show. “One of the best times I’ve had in my career was walking the floor at the 2018 NAB Radio Show introducing Dave and his partner Phil Johnson to everybody,” he said. “I was telling people how impressed I was with their technology, their automation system, their professionalism and customer service.”
The companies wound down active co-marketing in 2024 as they began pursuing different business directions, although their subscription and product relationship continued. That year, Warren and his development partners formed MusicOne Global Ltd. and began reengineering his music scheduling architecture, algorithms and concepts for a new generation of software. MusicOne Global launched MusicOne Cloud in April 2026, while Aiir has since introduced its own cloud-based music scheduler.
The companies say customers will experience no service disruption when the commercial arrangement ends. Music 1 Pro will continue to exchange data and playlists with PlayoutOne, allowing stations to continue using the two products together. Each company will manage its own scheduling platform, subscriptions and customer relationships directly.
“What is changing is the business arrangement behind our products — not the compatibility our customers depend upon,” Warren said. “Dave and I have enjoyed a long, productive and pleasurable relationship. Now Aiir has developed its own scheduler, and we’ve taken Music 1 into a new generation with MusicOne Cloud. It’s a natural time for both companies to move forward independently.”
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