PANDORA IS NOT RADIO! WHAT IS GOING ON?

[radiogeek07]

Why wouldn't "Radio" want to be part of this club?

I think the radio industry WOULD. It's a lot of radio traditionalists, and those who have their own self-interest to worry about. Because Pandora is radio on the cheap. No air talent, no localism, no personality, and no regulations. But if that attracts 70 million people (compared to 19 million for similar service on satellite), maybe they have something worth looking into.

As I keep saying, if the public is willing to seek out radio that DOESN'T have air talent and DJs and all the other traditional stuff, maybe traditional radio could learn something from the upstarts.

Bingo! You notice that radio and baseball both have a lot of purists? The NFL and Pandora don't. NFL and Pandora are on the rise. Baseball and radio?... well, you get the idea.

 

[mmnassour]

No, Pandora isn't radio. It's on-demand programming. And it may indeed be the future. Now, that future doesn't have to be the IPod-ness of Pandora. Local people still want local programming. But radio hasn't figured that out yet.

I don't guess anyone saw this line from Jerry Del Colliano's blog today?

...according to BIA, the radio industry will be just a $14.6 billion industry by 2013 – three short years from now.

And only an $8 billion business by 2016.

These are not my figures. They are BIA/Kelsey's 2009 estimate which is considered the gold standard for the radio industry. That means an industry that was hovering around $18 billion in 2003 (way before the recession), would lose more than half its value if BIA’s projections turn out to be correct.

Other things get lost when we think of how foolish it looks when the bean counter mentality takes over.

For example, the fact that radio showed no growth as an industry the year before the recession – presumably when things were good. And that in 2009 barely one billion in online revenue contributed to the total production of radio revenue.

That's not going to work in the mobile Internet world that is developing thus the battle of radio vs. online when it really should be radio driving the online revolution.

To put things in perspective, one private company, Apple, is larger in total assets than the entire radio industry combined.

If this is accurate, then radio as we know it is a dying industry.

 

[TheBigA]

The key words being "as we know it."

 

[Prais]

Sorry, but What does BIA stand for??

Bitter internet Authority?

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

Sorry, but What does BIA stand for??

Bitter internet Authority?

I am not familiar with their history, but look at www.bia.com

They publish reports and research that appears to be appropriate for investment decisions about media industries. People who want to know how much advertising revenue flows in any given market apparently subscribe to B.I.A.

It ain't cheap! :

 

[Prais]

Goat, THANKS!

 

[joshzz]

I should have mentioned that there will be a THOUSAND PANDORA CLONES up and running over the next couple of years until the fad wears off.

Anyone can build a playlist based on people's interests. A simple computer program will suffice.

As I stated originally, "Pandora is not radio" and in the end it will be nothing more than a memory while real interactive radio will continue on and on.

josh 8)

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

Anyone can build a playlist based on people's interests. A simple computer program will suffice.

That may a bit like saying "There will be a thousand different Googles up in four years. anyone can build a search engine. A simple computer program will suffice."

As I stated originally, "Pandora is not radio" and in the end it will be nothing more than a memory while real interactive radio will continue on and on.

But Josh, with very few exceptions we don't have real interactive radio today. What's to continue? We are a world of dreamers. "When I get MY station then the world will have real interactive radio once again."

We are having a bit of a freak snowstorm today in the mountains of North Georgia. Back in the day I would have run to the "record library" and pulled a Bing Crosby or Frank Sinatra version of "Let it snow, Let it snow" and thrown it on the air with a challenge to the listeners to call in and suggest what song they would have searched out for the occasion. We would have take a few phone calls. Had some conversation about the latest snow of the year they can remember for our community. Someone would have shared when they went to a live concert by the artist. And who knows what kind of personalized local content would have "trickled out of the spring" over 10 or 15 minutes.

That's old fashioned radio. Our task, our dream is to create the 21st Century version of that. Today we have an automation machine that could care less whether it is raining, snowing, blowing, blazing sun, major fire in town or busted gas main down the block from the elementary school. Play 3 to 5 tunes, stop-set, play 3 to 5 tunes, stop-set..... Is that the real interactive radio that will continue on and on.... play 3 to 5 tunes, stop-set play 3 to 5 tunes, stop-set.

I don't use Pandora but I guess this morning I could inform Pandora I am in a Garth Brooks/Shania Twain mood and let Pandora surprise me. Tomorrow I could inform Pandora I am in a Beatles/Grateful Dead mood and let it surprise me. And maybe the next day I could suggest some Boston Pops and Elton John and see what else tumbles out of Pandora's musical pantry.

Now that I think about it.... Pandora is beginning to sound boring. l Thank goodness we will always have the thrill of 3 to 5 tunes, stop-set; 3 to 5 tunes, stop-set.

 

[bamatide]

I personally think Pandora, Slacker, Last.FM, Accuradio, and all other ON DEMAND Stations SUCK. I love internet only stations that were created by hobbyists who have their own unique sound, programming, voice overs, website, etc. The amount of work that goes into building a web radio station is tremendous and there is no money to be made in it. These are the guys with true passion and can out program and school any big shot Clear Channel, XM, Sirius PD any day of the week.

As for the Pandora's - What else can you say? They have $50 MILLION in backing. I would hope that they would be able to get the word out with that kind of funding.

I am getting sick and tired of how everything is becoming more visual instead of quality. What I mean by this: I could careless about the fancy players and phone apps from these on demand companies. Just give me great music with the name of the song and I will be happy.

If people want this industry to not get taken over by the big corporations I suggest people need to support the little guys as much as possible. Help spread the word about their stations. Stop being so in love with shit music services like Pandora. THEY SUCK.

 

[Prais]

Bam said,
"Just give me great music with the name of the song and I will be happy."

That is a great argument FOR Pandora! I LOVE Panddora. I ALSO LOVE WGN Radio, Chicago; great news, great program hosts - just a touch of music. I don't really need some kid picking music for me - I ALREADY know what I want to hear and radio has abandoned me (I'm almost 61).

Bam said,
"I suggest people need to support the little guys as much as possible."

Litte guys who want to eventually be BIG guys?

 

[TheBigA]

The amount of work that goes into building a web radio station is tremendous and there is no money to be made in it. These are the guys with true passion and can out program and school any big shot Clear Channel, XM, Sirius PD any day of the week.

Unfortunately, the music royalty system works against those kinds of operations. It kills me that the music industry talks all the time about their dislike for corporate radio, and yet they came up with an internet royalty system that benefits corporate radio. They're the only ones who have the infrastructure that can handle all the paperwork required.

 

[CaptBob92]

Here's the difference between Pandora, or any one's personal portable I pod or personaly programed media and radio.

You go to the trouble of finding the kind of music you like, you set Pandora or you download to your personal device and you start listening and what have you got? Just another kind of radio station only it's programed BY YOU with a Play list like every music station, a gendra like every station and guess what? A music list that burns out FOR YOU like any radio station. If your a big time listener you can't get enough cuts recroded to prevent it! What's worse, you still have to hunt for NEW material in your gandra! How? well you can keep searching "New Music" every day and auditioning it ORRRR....you can listen to the radio and guess what? when the industry get's it's head out of it's A_ _ you will hear the best of the new music and on air personalities who actually entertain you!! Bottom line, and the Goat is pretty close on this, Pandora and Ipods etc have no personality they are just good old fashioned record ( CD?) players. So NO, Pandora and all that stuff are not radio,,,just usurpers of the name. Radio, done right, is mutisource entertainment.

 

[TheBigA]

What's a "gendra?" Or a "gandra?"

 

[deltas69]

he means genre'..ie: your particular taste in tunage..

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

and I had a grunch but the eggplant over there.