![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
Remember when radio stations played great music?
OK, before you accuse me of sounding like your dad, I'll rephrase that. Remember when radio stations played an exciting variety of music and artists and you never knew what they would play and when?
Well my friends if you do remember that, you've probably been around awhile. And if you don't know what I'm talking about, I'll explain.
Years ago, privately owned radio stations and their local disc jockeys would choose the music or content they wanted to play, when they wanted to play it, whatever came to mind. And if someone called the station for a request and it felt right, they'd play that too. What? You mean they don't do it that way now? Well in a word, no. In fact let me add no, no, no, and more no.
These days, the majority of American radio stations are owned by mega corporations like Clear Channel and Infinity Broadcasting. These corporations hire programmers who decide exactly what songs to play and in what order they will be played. Then in many cases they do what is called, "Voice-tracking". Voice tracking is a process where someone records the programming in one city and then distributes it to the many stations owned by the mega corporation throughout the country. So what you hear in San Francisco may be exactly what you hear in New York City or Atlanta. Often they'll throw in content like local weather, traffic and sports to give the illusion that the DJ is local. Fooled ya!
Unlike the FM band, AM radio is made up of mainly news and talk stations and relies on listener involvement as its core strength. AM has been relying more and more on syndicated programming and I have nothing against that for many of the programs are very well done like Clark Howard's informative consumer action show and the Kim Komando Show, another very informative show about computers and the Internet.
But as for FM's move to mass music programming, many listeners have grown tired of the predictable playlists and have turned to ipods, podcasting and satellite radio. Not only does this mega programming squeeze out the possibility of new artists and their music from being heard, but it also makes many stations sound cookie cutter identical. Like a particular Top 40 song? No problem. Just switch to the four or five stations in any given market sharing a similar format and you can be assured it will be played, again and again.
Today's stations still classify themselves in formats like Country, Top 40, and Rock and some are even experimenting with what they call "whatever" playlists trying to mimic the popular ipods and podcasts. But the station's playlists are still preprogrammed into hard drives that spit them out along with the commercials in a precise, predictable, business like order. And although the powers that be tried in vain to slow or even stop the progress of satellite radio, it harkens back to the days when VHS and then later CDs came to be. The bottom line is that if the consumer wants it, it's going to happen.
What will eventually cause conventional radio listenership to decline won't be satellite or mp3 players. It will be the watered down, mass market approach these mega companies are taking. Because they've changed what was once exciting, unpredictable radio into what should now be called the, "FM Bland".
Hal Eisenberg is an award winning copywriter, producer, voice over talent, and owner of The Eisenberg Agency, a full service advertising agency specializing in creative ads that get results. Visit his web site at http://www.eisenbergagency.com; mailto: [email protected].
Here's the method I use every time I want to... Read More
Sometimes the teacher learns more from the student than the... Read More
Music is the art of arranging sounds in periodic time... Read More
Let me guess, you love music and would do anything... Read More
When Clear Channel controls the radio and the monopoly newspaper... Read More
The lyric writing side of songwriting is known to create... Read More
Since chords (the main component of harmony) are one of... Read More
"Turn it down!"How often have you heard that command in... Read More
"In human life, art may arise from almost any activity,... Read More
1. Don't try and make something happen. Trying blocks the... Read More
Ideally each page of your website should serve a specific... Read More
As a vocal coach, I hear it all the time.... Read More
Most people look forward to the summer months because they... Read More
Getting ready for any type of guitar performance can be... Read More
Should you copyright your song? If you're a songwriter, sooner... Read More
Curious about MIDI? Want to find out what tools are... Read More
These practice tips were written for fiddlers. I've used them... Read More
Lately, I haven't been using my guitar pick all that... Read More
Before the internet, unsigned music artists couldnt make a living,... Read More
To avoid any sort of injuries when playing guitar a... Read More
It has become increasingly popular for U.S. military veterans and... Read More
Have you ever been told that you were good at... Read More
If your band is in rehearsals, either preparing for gigging,... Read More
Piano lessons are a great activity for children. They encourage... Read More
I'll never forget the first time I played the piano... Read More
Members of LAMN (founded in 1988) and NARIP (founded in... Read More
Piano playing doesn't have to be boring. There's no law... Read More
When it comes to promoting their new music releases, I... Read More
Ever wonder what would happen if you mixed the progressive... Read More
Feel free to download the entire manual detailing the mastering... Read More
Chord symbols (for example, Fm7, Cmaj7 or G6) are a... Read More
While composers had already begun to write music for the... Read More
Already making plenty of noise in the marketplace is a... Read More
The Kasabian concert at the Kool Haus seemed like a... Read More
Fan support for musicians is a two way street. You... Read More
Once you know what your Unique Selling Proposition is as... Read More
Bringing Bagpipe Tuition to Everyone, Everywhere.I have been teaching music... Read More
Do you ever feel there is an inner voice speaking... Read More
While many people think that the mixing of the separate... Read More
Lately, I haven't been using my guitar pick all that... Read More
So you want to be more creative when playing piano.... Read More
Mp3 music is audio that has been digitally encoded and... Read More
Small independent record labels are facing a different fight today... Read More
What is "Episcopal" music?We often hear people express concern about... Read More
If you're a digital music fan, you probably have problems... Read More
In the last article, the creation of a theme, its... Read More
Songwriters dream of making their living by writing, and sometimes... Read More
In the world of music, many Jazz improvisers and Classical... Read More
So, you think you'd like to learn to play guitar,... Read More
How many times have you turned to music to uplift... Read More
Music & MP3 Music & MP3 |