The growing popularity of crowdcasting – where listeners collectively become real-time collaborators in on-air programming – was championed at the International Radio Festival in Zurich last week.

The fourth gathering of industry executives and creative talent wrapped up on Sunday with the final day of live broadcasting from top radio DJs around the world.

One brand at the forefront of the crowdcasting technology is Listener Driven Radio (LDR), whose systems allow listeners to steer the music played on a station through realtime voting.

Station playlists can be automatically adjusted based on input from the audience through mobile or internet.

Already in use at more than 260 stations, the firm behind LDR says the technology also allows radio firms to create meaningful revenue opportunities through strategic mobile/online initiatives.

Following his presentation at IRF on Friday, Victor Caballero, VP/Operations, LDR Interactive told Asia Radio Today:  “I was thrilled to have passionate discussions about the power of interactive platforms at this year’s International Radio Festival. The hot topic seems to be “mobile”, and the international community was very impressed with LDR’s Grüvr features.”

Grüvr is a new mobile app that transforms passive broadcast radio listening into a real-time, interactive experience fully integrated with social media, according to the company’s website.