Comments on: Lamenting radio's irrelevance

The new album by TV on the Radio could capture listeners who've grown jaded with rock and roll, if only radio would play it.

[moon_brain]

Radio programmed itself out of relevance before mp3 players even had a chance to do it for them. An excellent book on the subject is "FM" by Richard Neer, a former jock in the NYC market. Music Directors, outside consultants and a trickle-down effect from MTV (when they mattered musically) all took control away from the DJ's and the fans. AM had always been singles-driven pop-drivel, but commercial FM had a chance , and for a while was a real mover of music. They killed it by consultants. They killed it by choking on their increasingly narrow playlists.

[rocketjam--2008]

The only radio I really listen to these days is an "oldies" station, but usually I listen to my iPod in the car. Radio has really become irrevelant over the past dozen years or so. I'm at the mid-century mark, and I used to really worry about becoming "old" when it came to music. You know, the sort of middle-aged person who only listens to "classic rock" radio and thinks any music released since the 80s is worthless.

But then internet radio came to the rescue. Now I find new music from internet radio, web sites like Pandora and magazines that include a CD like Paste.

[jawkneekat]

The previous posts have good info. for the curious listener. My two cents: BBC6 Music, OtherMusic.com, and THE WIRE (out of UK) are all fantastic sources for music listeners who demand more.

[stevesancarlos]

Where have you been, my friend? How do folks find out about new music? Ummmmm....Internet radio stations ranging from Radio Paradise to SOMA FM's Indie Pop Rocks for one. Pandora for two. And Rhapsody for three. These sites collectively serve millions of listeners. Add in college radio, much of which is streamed at 96K or better, and you have more than enough channels out there to serve up plenty of good new music for those folks adventurous enough to go get it. Commercial radio is painfully dead. Yes, I listen to Live 105 in San Francisco and KROQ in LA for overplayed mainstream alt-rock served up CBS style, and I listen to a bit of NPR, but otherwise it's a wasteland of pain and crappy ads.

[dplivingstone]

The pop music (some call it rock) industry had enjoyed a monopoly that allowed it to manipulate a culture of music that best served its interests. By maintaining a degree of scarcity, they could create demand, that was, essentially contrived. It created a generation that sees their music collection as the "soundtrack" to their lives. It's merely a symptom of American consumerism. It's the tried and true method of creating emotional attachment to a product to generate sales. The internet has ended that scarcity, and therefore, the desperation with which music fans have sought out music. And the contrast has shone too hard a light on the banality of the music industry. Essentially, it's opened up a whole world of music, so no wonder the American "music" biz is feeling the hit.

[nowimcool]

Matt, seems that you have great taste in music ... and that you are absolutely correct, (terrestrial) radio is irrelevant ... i wish sat radio could make more inroads - although, i can foresee it's slow death.

Being a true music lover takes time and patience because the best bands are not the ones being played on the dial any more, it's sad.

[Jeff_In_Az]

As stated above, Most Terrestrial radio has nothing to play. There are some bright spots out there though if you live in the right area or can listen to internet radio. The Spectrum on Sirius, and other AAA Formated radio stations do play some really good new music. Yeah I'm one of them old guys that do listen to Classic Rock stations, but only when I get tired of my local AAA, which isn't often.

[ragingplatypi]

I agree that AAA radio has good music, and usually the nonprofit stations I hear are the best. It is a shame about the majority of radio though. I live in Washington DC which is abysmal, but just outside DC Annapolis and Baltimore have two wonderful AAA stations. However, the posting hits a completely separate matter at the end, which is about what makes a hit song. As a musician, I can say that hit songs are not just good songs that get shoved down our throat by repetition. They are a combination of good songwriting, good performance, and good recording. Obviously there is a lot of subjectivity in all of that, and much of it is about having the record button on to capture a particular perfect moment in time. A good way to think about it is to listen to the Beatles Anthology CDs. There are alternate takes and completely different versions of songs that we all know as hits. Those songs would not have been hits if that band did not patiently retool their work and re-perform the songs until they found that moment. At concerts, bands often have songs that are live hits because the songs lend themselves to the band and the audience finding that special moment with regularity. Just examine the repertoire of jam bands that have audience hits, but have never had a radio hit.