WP Article About Web Streaming Radio

[AC Tones]

One of my listeners forwarded me this story today. While I am sure Pandora and Slacker are nothing new to many on this board, the writer talks about the creativity of Internet radio, streaming to mobile phones, and Internet broadcasters' prolonged fight for royalties payment parity.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/29/AR2009052903711_2.html

Chris

 

[darksoldier]

One of my listeners forwarded me this story today. While I am sure Pandora and Slacker are nothing new to many on this board, the writer talks about the creativity of Internet radio, streaming to mobile phones, and Internet broadcasters' prolonged fight for royalties payment parity.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/29/AR2009052903711_2.html

Chris

FROM THE ARTICLE....
“Commercial FM as we've known it can't match the variety and creativity of Internet radio. Local stations' best hope may be to focus on what Internet radio can't do well, but which they themselves have largely neglected -- catering to the interests and tastes of their neighbors. If FM outlets can do that, they don't have to get left off the dial. If they can't, they won't be missed.”


Oh yes we can......remember that local/regional approach I was talking about? Cooperatively, we can do EXACTLY what local radio SHOULD be doing, but is too lazy and greedy to achieve.

Soldier

 

[AC Tones]

Right on, brother. If we can just get some more consistency with the product across the board, and make it more readily available (AND AFFORDABLE) in vehicles, maybe advertisers and listeners will eventually buy in. But like I said before, radio was meant to be free, and I think it needs to stay that way.

From a regional standpoint, the Baltimore/Washington DC area is starving for contemporary jazz on radio, which combined is one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the country. It is also home to some great venues that regularly bring in top notch contemporary jazz talent, to include Ramshead in Annapolis, The Birchmere in Alexandria, Blues Alley in DC (Georgetown), not to mention the annual Capital Jazz Festival in Columbia, MD (and some of the highest per capita median income households). WEAA 88.9FM in Baltimore is OK, but plays way too many vocals and lacks that upbeat vibe we often talk about. And don't even get me started about Smooth Jazz 105.9 on HD-2 and the Internet. As one poster pointed out recently (it might have been you, Soldier 8)), MOST HD-2 and Internet streams offered by terrestrial radio outlets that used to broadcast the format are arguably as bad as their predecessors.

Chris

 

[Alljazz]

Here's another article regarding the ascendance of internet radio:

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/29/the-ascendance-of-internet-radio/?em

 

[AC Tones]

Here's another article regarding the ascendance of internet radio:

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/29/the-ascendance-of-internet-radio/?em

Very interesting, Alljazz (to include the comments from readers). Thanks for posting! BTW, I have checked out both Pandora and Slacker previously, and for my taste, they are seriously lacking as far as this genre goes. Very little if any OOP material from the NAC era, from what I can gather. Interesting concept, but they need much more music, IMO, especially that which is not typically heard elsewhere on mainstream Smooth Jazz stations.

Chris