New Music, all formats

[NinjaBoot]

So who thinks new music is a vicious circle?

Do people go to radio anymore to hear new music?
Or is radio the one to hear about a song last, then play it? (Barring local music.)
Do people get their new music from MTV(1-5) VH1, Music on Demand, etc.
What about the internet? Word of mouth?



Then again, even if a portion of people get their new music from the internet, what about all the others that do not actively search for music by these means, and rely on radio for said new music?

Is the record store relevant anymore in the search for new music, or just an outlet to pick up the CD that you are in search of?

Is it an unsaid thing that market size determines when a song gets airplay? IE: waiting for a song to hit top 20 on a chart to garner airplay? Or is there something more? (tie-ins to the record label, personal tastes of the PD, etc)

What's the average age for someone to stop caring about new music, and begin to listen to their core artists in their library?

Tune in next week as we answers these questions, and more! Same Radio-time, same Radio-channel!

 

[radio_head]

I definitely think radio lags behind many other outlets for new music. Depending on the format, TV and internet are usually the first to break the song, outside of urban music. Seems that if a song is getting hot urban radio airplay, then more than likely the video will proceed. I do enjoy to Tivo VH1's discover and download, I think it's the best thing to happen to music and artist. I've spun a few song from that show alone.

Of course market size and national trend play a major role on whether or not everyone else will hop on the record, that has always been a method that will continue on in the industry because it has been tested and proven to work (radio loves research). I'm a firm believer that a music director still needs to have a gut feeling when it comes to choosing music and it always helps to work underneath a PD that gives you flexibility. The competition playing a hit song first is always a good way to speed up the new music process too.

Never heard of going to the CD store to find new music..Thats a new one to me. If the record label or independent artist doesn't make an attempt to get it to our office and or email, then it will probably just get overlooked.

The core demo that are freaks for new music radio play would probably be the 18-24 demo in my opinion, but I seriously doubt people solely rely on radio for new songs anymore, it's sad to say but true. If they do, then it wouldn't matter to them when radio started to play the song because it's technically new to them..It's a lose/lose situation in today's corporately intense arena.

 

[smashedcd]

Do people go to radio anymore to hear new music?

no i dont. radio is too strict to even play new music. it has to be tested and approved by a consultant before being put on the air.

 

[interested party]

I think that terrestial radio, as the place one goes for music is declining. The general public now knows about voice tracking, corporate ownership of mass stations and the subsequent limited playlists, payola, etc. etc. It's liike the curtain has been pulled exposing the Wizard of Oz. There is no more mystery. And above all.......radio does nor serve the listening public to the degree they should.

Terrestial radio will be good for sports, news talk, maybe even 30 minute game shows.

Now, the above has to do with the younger 12/34 demo. They feel they are better served by the net in general, satellite radio, internet radio.....youtube, MySpace.

The old world is rapidly fading.

And also let me be perfectly clear. I wish all this wasn't so. I liked the old ways.......but you can't stop progress. The major labels fought it.....they should have embraced it.

Of course this is just one interested party's opinion. Share yours.

 

[NinjaBoot]

I'm not old enough to know this personally so I have to ask the more 'seasoned' out there.
Did people in radio worry the same way as this when the tape recorder came out? When the walkman with tape player came out? When the Cd player came out? When the CD Burner came out?
I am just wondering if there was a trend of fear in the industry whenever the public has the ability to access music other than the radio dial.
I think the ipod has made a bit of a difference in music listening, but in the end: As long as people have to drive thier cars, they will listen to the radio. The Ipod doesn't tell you about traffic on your way to work. the Ipod doesn't tell you about current news. The Ipod doesn't tell you about the latest gossip about your favorite artist, etc.
Heck, I purchased an Mp3 player about a month back, and the deciding factor between this one and the other was that this one has and FM Tuner built in.

 

[radiosaur]

I'm not old enough to know this personally so I have to ask the more 'seasoned' out there.
Did people in radio worry the same way as this when the tape recorder came out? When the walkman with tape player came out? When the Cd player came out? When the CD Burner came out?
I am just wondering if there was a trend of fear in the industry whenever the public has the ability to access music other than the radio dial.
I think the ipod has made a bit of a difference in music listening, but in the end: As long as people have to drive thier cars, they will listen to the radio. The Ipod doesn't tell you about traffic on your way to work. the Ipod doesn't tell you about current news. The Ipod doesn't tell you about the latest gossip about your favorite artist, etc.
Heck, I purchased an Mp3 player about a month back, and the deciding factor between this one and the other was that this one has and FM Tuner built in.

Short answer: Yes.

But, I think the big shift came when the technology allowed downloading and previewing new music online.

Radio used to be the only place the public could hear new music without buying it. No longer.

 

[interested party]

I'm not old enough to know this personally so I have to ask the more 'seasoned' out there.
Did people in radio worry the same way as this when the tape recorder came out? When the walkman with tape player came out? When the Cd player came out? When the CD Burner came out?
I am just wondering if there was a trend of fear in the industry whenever the public has the ability to access music other than the radio dial.
I think the ipod has made a bit of a difference in music listening, but in the end: As long as people have to drive thier cars, they will listen to the radio. The Ipod doesn't tell you about traffic on your way to work. the Ipod doesn't tell you about current news. The Ipod doesn't tell you about the latest gossip about your favorite artist, etc.
Heck, I purchased an Mp3 player about a month back, and the deciding factor between this one and the other was that this one has and FM Tuner built in.

Detroit is trying to "maximaize the dashboard" Get as much on there as possible. It won't be long before an mp3 plug in is standard on all cars. I don't know this as fact, but was told that next year's Toyota Scion will have an mp3 player STANDARD and if you want a cd player....it will be optional and you'll have to pay extra.

If you look at history, we went from vinyl, eventually to cassettes, and with the advent of the Walkman, your music became portable. Take it with you wherever you wanted.

Then the cd, not only still portable, but you could schlep around a lot more cds than cassettes

Then the Ipod or any mp3 player

Now you can carry as much music as your player will hold, and it's ALL and ONLY music you like.
You don't have to sit through songs you don't like......even a niched sattelite radio channel will play something that doesn't hold your attention.

And as I stated above, soon, most, if not all, cars will have an mp3 input.

 

[anotherguyTN]

I know from recent car shopping that GM has an auxilary input for MP3 players standard in their current audio systems. (Of course you could probably go retro and use it to plug in a cassette player as well. ;D) I haven't looked at any other dealers yet, but Ford and Chrysler advertise having MP3 capability on their websites, but I'm not sure if this is an auxilary inprt like GM or CD players capable of playing MP3 CDs. I don't doubt that most other brands have some sort of MP3 capability now or will soon, not to mention capability for XM or Sirius.

In looking at after market car stereos I've seen MP3 capability either by CD or auxilary jack in quite a few models as well. However this model I found at Wal Mart is amazing: http://walmart.scosche-cars.com/products2/?sfID1=24&productID=1652&walmartProductID=4744710

I don't know about the quality, but this one has an auxilary jack for MP3 players and also inputs for MP3 or WMA audio from an SD card or USB drive!

 

[radio_lurker]

Dodge is also offering MP3/audio inputs..they have for a couple years. The next thing they'll integrate is HD radio. If they don't, HD radio will be a massive failure. It has failed to catch on, and I know CC has been hawking it like crazy for 2 years.

Heck, even my new TV has SD card slots, USB connections, AND an MP3 audio input. Technically I can watch a slide show from an SD card or hookup my laptop, all while listening to my mp3 player....

oh yeah, and did I mention I can watch TV on it too? ;D

 

[anotherguyTN]

I've also seen SD card slots in some new DVD players.

 

[anotherguyTN]

In looking at Dodge's website they're coming up with even more stuff. Several models include the MyGig Infotainment System that has a 20 GB hard drive for storing music, and the 2008 Caravan will have Sirius Back Seat TV. Here's a link to the Caravan's audio/video options: http://www.dodge.com/en/08caravan/features/infotainment.html

Once again I was going to add to my post, but was unable to get it in before time ran out. Could R/I PLEASE do something to fix this???

 

[tomservo]

Once again I was going to add to my post, but was unable to get it in before time ran out. Could R/I PLEASE do something to fix this???

Heh, tell me about it. I hate that. There's always something to add, some grammar to fix.

I'm not sure that HD radio is going to be the raging saviour for radio that some want it to be. Radio has certainly fallen from the pedestal of "hear it here first". I think it fell back in the late 80's even, with MTV. You know, back when they actually played music videos.

I'd love to here from some of the seasoned vets too on whether tapes and CDs had the radio guys scared. I bet they didn't, because they have always been slow to react to change.

The first nail in the coffin was MTV. The second? Burned CDs, which allowed easy trading amongst friends. The third was consolidation and the fourth was the popularization of the mp3 player, along with downloadable singles. And now there's internet streaming, satellite radio, cellphones and portable video game systems all competing for our attention.

Personally, I lament the downward spiral of the local music shop. I have an mp3 player, a minidisc player (well, several) and of course a Sony Walkman phone. But I have never paid to download a song. I'm not a music pirate, either. I just like to have a physical disc in my hand, something tanglible to hold. Something that's a permanent backup when the computer crashes or I lose a MD.

It stinks that I finally moved within easy driving distance of Memphis and then Tower Records closes all their stores. Thank goodness for Spin Street. And Amazon / CD Universe, who carry the obscure, hard to find stuff. (Which a lot of the music I like is...)

I'm not sure what changes need to be made, but there HAS to be a solution that will get music radio back on the map... The one good thing about mp3 players is it has revitalized the world of the single. When CDs started getting big, the 45 (it's a record with just 2 songs for you young'uns) got phased out... And everyone had to shell out $15 for a CD with just one good song on it... And radio was there playing the hit singles off the CD, for free.

 

[board_manager]

To address anotherguy and Zach's concerns about having a short time for users to edit their own posts: We've explored several different time settings for user edits over the last year. Unfortunately, having too long a window creates opportunity for site vandalism. Too short a time means users have no recourse. We've found our current limit to be a good compromise and one we've had great success with.

I sympathize with the frustration. I think Zach has nailed it right on the head. There's always something else to add to your post or some discrepancy to fix.

It is an incredible balancing act to address your concerns versus minimizing site disruption. Now is a good time to remind everyone that they have the opportunity to preview every single post before it goes up on the board. It's a great last chance to proofread your work BEFORE it's committed to the site. Just hit the preview button.