Redefining In‑Store Audio as an Open Retail Media Platform
Custom Channels’ In-Store Open Media Platform is an API-driven retail media platform that turns in-store audio systems into a vendor-neutral media channel, allowing retailers and technology partners to plug music, ads, and control features into their existing stacks without migrating to a closed hardware or software ecosystem. Announced for launch at InfoComm 2026, the platform is built to connect to current CMS, DSP, digital signage, and enterprise content tools, so retailers can extend their retail media networks into physical stores without giving up ownership of ad inventory, data, or commercial strategy. Instead of treating in-store audio as a separate, locked-down system, the new approach positions it as another programmable endpoint inside an open media network, aligning store environments with the flexibility and autonomy retailers expect from digital advertising infrastructure.
How the Open In‑Store Media Layer Works
At a technical level, Custom Channels exposes the core functions of in-store audio through APIs that plug into existing retail technology solutions. The In-Store Open Media Platform supports music scheduling, zone control, ad insertion, proof-of-play reporting, and device management across distributed locations. By integrating current CMS, DSP, or digital signage systems, retailers can schedule campaigns once and push coordinated content to screens and speakers alike, using a single data and control plane. The framework also supports integration with control systems and on-site AV environments, which is important where local managers need some autonomy inside a wider network. According to Custom Channels, the platform is designed so that retailers can “build and control in-store media at scale,” while the company handles the licensed content delivery and technical complexity behind the scenes.
Breaking Vendor Lock‑In in Retail Media Networks
The strategic shift lies in how the platform challenges traditional, closed in-store audio systems that often require proprietary players, software, and contracts. Custom Channels instead presents an open media network where retailers keep control of their ad inventory, measurement stack, and revenue models. With the In-Store Open Media Platform, they can choose any DSP, CMS, or analytics partner while still maintaining consistent, compliant audio delivery across the estate. As René Arnold, senior director of partnerships at Custom Channels, puts it, “Retailers don’t want to be locked into a single ecosystem, especially as their media strategies evolve.” This focus on openness aligns in-store audio with the modular approach already common in online retail media, reducing the risk and cost of switching vendors and enabling faster experimentation with new formats and partners.
White‑Label and Partner Opportunities for Retail Technology Providers
Beyond retailers, the launch is aimed squarely at technology partners that want to add licensed audio to their own retail technology solutions. The In-Store Open Media Platform can be embedded or white-labeled inside third-party digital signage platforms, retail media technologies, or enterprise content systems. This allows these vendors to offer in-store audio systems and media features under their own brands without building licensing, delivery, and device control infrastructure from scratch. According to Custom Channels’ CEO Joe Comer, the company’s goal is to bring its promise of “music without limits” into the retail media space by integrating with the systems businesses already rely on, instead of replacing them. As retail media networks grow from online formats into stores, this partner-ready design positions Custom Channels as an underlying audio layer rather than a competing, all-in-one stack.
What InfoComm Signals About the Future of In‑Store Media
Custom Channels will show the In-Store Open Media Platform at InfoComm 2026 in Las Vegas, using live demos to connect cloud-based tools and on-site infrastructure into a single audio control layer. The timing underscores how quickly retail media is moving beyond web and app inventory into physical environments, where existing AV systems and operational constraints can make vendor lock-in especially costly. By treating speakers and players as open endpoints inside a broader retail media platform, the launch points toward a future where in-store audio is managed like any other digital channel: API-first, measurable, and swappable. For retailers and technology providers that have been cautious about committing to single-vendor stacks, the emergence of open, vendor-neutral in-store audio systems marks a turning point in how retail media networks are built and scaled.
