Steady Brand Joins Custom Channels Under Shared Ownership
2026-10-01 · via Digital Signage Today
Steady Brand, a provider of commercially licensed background music, overhead announcements, on-hold messaging and digital signage, has come under the same ownership group as Custom Channels, according to a press release. The two companies will now operate as sister organizations rather than merge into a single brand.
For integrators and dealers in the business music and signage space, the move signals consolidation among the smaller players that serve retail, hospitality and other commercial accounts with bundled AV services. Steady Brand will continue to sell exclusively through its network of dealers and integrators. Custom Channels will handle direct and national accounts, along with strategic partnerships and technology integrations.
The release describes Custom Channels taking on the role of business music provider for Steady Brand, which ties the two companies together operationally even as they keep separate go-to-market channels. The practical effect, according to the companies, is that Steady Brand's existing dealer base gets access to a broader set of hardware, music licensing and business media services without those dealers having to source them from multiple vendors.
Joe Comer, CEO of Custom Channels, said in the release that Steady Brand has tripled its recurring revenue over the past few years, which he attributed to dealers with strong local relationships. The release frames the deal as a way to build on that dealer-driven growth model rather than replace it.
What the announcement does not say is how large either company's installed base is, what financial terms were involved in the ownership change, or who the shared ownership group is beyond the fact that it now holds both companies. There is also no detail on whether product lines, pricing or contracts for existing customers will change as a result of the restructuring.
For digital signage operators who rely on bundled services like background music and on-hold messaging alongside their screens, the main point of interest is consolidation risk and opportunity. When two vendors with overlapping service categories come under one roof, customers sometimes see faster feature rollouts and simpler billing, but they can also see sales channels shift or legacy products get deprioritized. The release does not address either scenario directly, and buyers already working with either company will want to ask their account reps what, if anything, changes for their contracts and support going forward.
The companies position the arrangement as additive: more recurring revenue opportunities for dealers, a single business music supplier behind both brands, and a wider menu of hardware and AV installation options. Whether that translates into better pricing or service for end customers is not something the announcement quantifies.
The announcement in full
Reproduced from Digital Signage Today for reference. Digital Signage Magazine did not write the text below.
Steady Brand, which provides commercially licensed background music, overhead announcements, on-hold messaging and digital signage, has joined the same ownership group as Custom Channels.
As sister companies, the two organizations expand their range of business music, signage, media and AV installation solutions, according to a press release.
Steady Brand will operate exclusively through dealers and integrators, while Custom Channels will focus primarily on direct and national accounts, strategic partnerships, and technology integrations.
Central to the relationship is Custom Channels' role as Steady Brand's business music provider.
"We're excited to welcome Steady Brand into the family," Joe Comer, CEO of Custom Channels, said in the release. "Steady Brand has tripled their recurring revenue over the last few years on the strength of dealers with deep relationships in the communities they serve."
Through the relationship with Custom Channels, Steady Brand dealers now have more ways to address customer requirements across music, hardware, and business media services while creating additional recurring revenue opportunities.
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