Making your own interactive radio station is easy thanks to startup Anchor FM, and with massive new funding it’s about to get even better with new futures.

Anchor FM launched in 2015 from “a tiny apartment” with the ability for anyone to create their own “radio station” stream. Use your phone’s microphone to host the station, introduce tracks and chat with listeners and now a whole lot more.

Anchor FM have just closed a round of funding in which they raised $2.8 million from investors including Omidyar Network, the Chernin Group, and audio artist MICK. With the new funding Anchor can enhance and expand their business much further, as Anchor co-founder Michael Mignano said: “We raised this next round to invest in the new platform.”

One of the latest new features revealed by Anchor is Applause, allowing listeners to tap the back of their phone to applaud the stream they’re listening to with virtual claps. The app has also recently integrated Apple Music and Spotify into their app so that you have tens of millions of tracks available to play in your stream.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnxHWxGQjQw

Anchor have also recently added the ability to add in external sound clips and soundbites to liven up your stream, or go full Dingo and the Baby. Anchor FM users are now also able to take call-ins from listeners and create transitions using interludes and sound effects. Anchor are also working with other companies to enhance their features, like language processing engine Watson which is transcribing the text for use in videos across social networks.

Anchor have extended their broadcast limit beyond the original cut off of 2 minutes, as Mignano said they found it just wasn’t long enough. Additionally they’re reducing how long broadcasts stay on their app before being deleted, with the hopes of encouraging users to create more new content.

With their new update Anchor are adding a group of new dedicated stations:

  • This Amazing Earth – Where entomologist and television host Phil Torres broadcasts from the jungle.
  • Medicine, Remixed – A broadcast from young doctors, Sirish Kondabolu and David Benavidez, who discuss doctoring and hip-hop.
  • Super Dating Advice – from Ashley Bezgin, a NYC comedian, gives dating advice on how to avoid winding up with guys like Kondabolu and Benavidez.
  • Bachelor Nation – in which a former Bachelorette contestant Brooks Forester relives her 15 minutes of fame.
  • Space Walk Radio – An actually interesting-sounding show that isn’t all solipsistic about informative thingz from Astrophysicist Lucianne Walkowicz
  • Little Black Playbook – A football station from Chelsea Stark-Jones, the football blogger and associate producer at the NFL Network
  • NSFW – A show from LA comedian James Andre Jefferson Jr.