Music Mall

THE CHALLENGE

Like half the people in the United States, you bought the first Hootie & the Blowfish CD, liked it, and were looking forward to their second CD. After you heard the first released song on the radio, however, you weren't quite ready to buy the CD without listening to some of the other songs. Most record stores don't allow you to sample music, but you heard about Music Mall, an 800 service that allows callers to listen samples of popular music over the telephone, and place orders as well.

THE SOLUTION

Music Mall boasts thousands of artists and titles. A friendly voice asks you to say the name of the artist you'd like to hear. You answer, "Hootie & the Blowfish." The voice confirms your answer and then informs you that two CDs are available, asking which one you'd like to listen to. You say, "Fairweather Johnson," and then listen to a selection from the CD. You can sample additional songs, more artists, or purchase the CD. The system can take your name, address, and credit card number automatically, or transfer you to a live operator.

Without fighting traffic or the crowds at the mall, you're now the proud owner of the new Hootie & the Blowfish CD. You're comfortable with your purchase, because you've already sampled it -- over the telephone, and without having to touch the keypad (if you don't count dialing the number).

Music Mall demonstrates the power of automatic speech recognition (ASR) technology from CT.

Enjoy!