Why I Still Listen To Radio
I was going through my email yesterday morning in the kitchen listening to WEHM over the Internet (via our Sonos system) and came across an email from Tony Alva with a link to Bob Lefsetz’ Radio Last post.
Sanyo Transistor Clock Radio, 1960’s - Originally uploaded by Roadsidepictures
The Lefsetz post really isn’t about radio, it’s about how to market music in the world we live in today. And Bob argues that breaking a band on radio is the worst thing you can do if you want a long career. I totally agree with Bob. Radio isn’t where discovery happens in today’s world. It happens largely on the Net. But I also agree with Bob that radio is still the place to go if you want to hear popular music. As Bob says:
In other words, radio comes last. It’s the icing on the cake. It’s the victory lap. It’s the seal on stardom. IT’S NO LONGER THE BEGINNING!
I turned on WEHM yesterday morning when I could have played any one of thousands of records we have in our digital music system, or when I could have played any of one the millions of songs available on Rhapsody, or when I could have played neighbor radio from last.fm or popular tracks from the hypemachine. I did it because I felt like listening to WEHM.
WEHM has a vibe. It’s laid back, it’s mostly well worn music you love. It’s got a beachy thing because its east hampton long island. And there are artists that get played on WEHM that don’t get much play elsewhere. In a nutshell, when you tune into WEHM, you know what you are going to get. And it delivered for me yesterday morning.
Later on in our car headed uptown, we could have listened to our iPod. In fact, Josh and I were doing that earlier in the morning going to and from basketball practice (Tapes N Tapes - The Loon - great record). But heading uptown, The Gotham Gal and I had on WFUV and heard a great run of songs we know and love.
I agree with Bob. Radio isn’t breaking any new ground these days. I’ll go to the hypemachine and last.fm to discover new music. But when you want to sit back and listen to music you know and love, you still can’t beat radio.
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Unfortunately, this must be a NYC thing because I've not found a whole lot of stations outside of the big three "classic rock" play lists that are worth tuning into. On the West Coast I've tuned into a couple of stations that I would lock into my station list, but that's about it.
While Bob talks about breaking new acts in his post, he's also talking about the medium in general and how far it's fallen. You’re a big fan of finding and discovering new music, but for guys like me and many others (it think Bob is a member of this group too), we like to get invested in a band and are far more selective. I really don't think much new music is all that good, and would much rather listen to deep cuts off the millions of existing records that have stood the test of time than listen to whatever the Arctic Monkey's have to offer, or chase down whomever next 15 minute pop star will be. That’s just my preference, but there are a LOT of us out there that would make up quite a dedicated listening audience for a radio station who had the guts to program such music. As for the new stuff, if it really is any good I’ll hear it in time perhaps sandwiched in between the deeper cuts from a Neil Young record. Radio used to have a home for us dedicated fans, now it doesn’t.
No, radio isn’t a place t break bands anymore, and it’s because the big three see it as a risk to “steady†advertising revenue these tired and worn out play lists bring in, but it could be again with an infusion of FCC directed competition. A redistribution of the wealth by auctioning licenses vs. giving them away to the big three. It’ll be through the success of satellite radio who seem to know much better how to make radio listenable again like it once was. I take my family to local pizza place where they have Sirius piped through the house speakers and we sit there well after we’re done eating just listening to all the great “old†music that we haven’t heard in a long time. THAT’s what I’m talking about. There are millions of people who want this and we’re not a buch of nostalgists either.
We both agree that music “pushed†to us is often fun to listen to, it’s WHAT’s being pushed to us that will make the difference as to whether radio will ever regain it’s relevancy in my opinion.
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