Is the death of conventional radio imminent, and if so, which broadcasters will survive the jump to new platforms? Several bloggers and radio watchers took up these questions last week, prompted by the introduction July 11 of Apple’s newest iPhone. More than a million of the mega-hyped gadgets sold over their debut weekend, and according to the Radio and Internet Newsletter, Internet-radio applications were among the most popular downloads as buyers tricked out their new toys. Options include Last.fm, Pandora, allRadio and AOL Radio, which also features streams of dozens of CBS-owned stations around the country.
Some observers of the media world and the radio trade argue that, for radio, this marks the beginning of the end. Sure, the iPhone is far from universal adoption, and radios are still ubiquitous (even if members of the younger generations rarely turn them on). But as RAIN’s Kurt Hanson noted, “Keep in mind that what an iPhone can do today, most phones will be able to do in the not-too-distant future.” He adds:
Radio broadcasters could be leaders in this space, but except for the AOL/CBS partnership, none currently are. The problem is, radio broadcasters will have to develop new products and services appropriate for consumer needs and tastes in this new environment, and that means more than straight AM/FM simulcasts.
It means offering a broad spectrum of genres of music, offering playlist options that can be, at the consumer’s demand, very tight or very wide, offering other personalization options that are brand-specific, and, to compete effectively with the AOLs and Pandoras of the world, not trying to deliver 12 minutes of commercials per hour.
And media strategist Mark Ramsey wrote:
We need to present content that listeners will seek out not because of signal trouble or because of curiosity and nostalgia half a world away. We need to present content that is unique and magnetic and destination-worthy in a crowded universe of choices.
Read Mark’s full post here.
So where does this leave classical radio? Will stations be ready for a future of increased listening to radio via iPhone, cell phones and other digital devices yet to be dreamed up? Several commenters on Scanning the Dial have praised WNYC’s WNYC2 stream — and remember, this 24/7 stream of classical and new music comes from a station with an identity strongly built around news. No full-time classical station has a de facto franchise on the format online — it’s all up for grabs. And unless I’m overlooking something, there’s no clear leader in the online classical sphere.
Maybe classical stations should look to noncommercial stations specializing in other kinds of music to see what’s working. Here in Washington, D.C., I’ve seen cars with bumper stickers advertising KEXP, an alternative rock station in Seattle. KCRW in Los Angeles has built a following by breaking unknown artists who go on to make it big. WFMU in New Jersey plays the wildest, woolliest, most out-there music, all mixed up, for its far-flung and passionate devotees.
Which classical programmers will inspire such passion — or, at the very least, stand out from all the other classical stations around the country that, in the near future, could be the competition?
Further reading:
- Gravity Medium: iPhone 3G sold out… Bad news music radio! (posted as I was writing this post!)
- Jeff Jarvis: Tear down the broadcast towers
- More from RAIN
A few odds and ends that have nothing to do with the iPhone: Public radio and TV’s From the Top has announced its taping schedule … CBC Radio has added to its annual commissions budget … and KUNR-FM in Reno, Nev., has revised its format. I’m not certain, but judging from the station’s website, I’m guessing that they dumped the dual news/classical format, replacing midday classical with more news. In this PDF, the station explains why it moved classical into evenings.
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The subject announced here was “Classical radio in a post-iPhone world”. I will stick to that. I was one of the folks who praised WNYC and its WNYC2. I am a fanatic member of WNYC, and a member of WPRB, Princeton, NJ, newly public.
The lesson here is that a classical music service, any classical music service, must make itself worth the listening, regardless of how one receives it, FM, internet, or phone.
I am not sure what KCRW is doing; but several months ago, the New York Times said that New York City was their second largest market. So, they know what they are doing. Stations, or services, or whatever else they might be called, if they just play the same old familiar stuff, why, who knows and who cares? Today, this morning, Jim Diamond on WPRB, Princeton, NJ, played George Antheil’s “Ballet Mecanique”. That takes guts. On the same station, Marvin Rosen has a four hour program on Fridays of nothing but the latest avantgarde. That also takes guts.
I am not promoting only the most “out there” music; but rather a philosophy which says “we must be different and separate ourselves from the pack”. On that, at least on PubRadio, will depend listener ears and member dollars. Services like C.P.R.N., now dead, and Classical 24, why, they are not doing anyone any good.
>>RSM
One of the things I didn’t discuss in my own post about the iPhone and streamed music services is my feeling that classical is probably the one music format that’s most resistant to disruptive effects like Pandora or anything else that’s algorithm-based.
Classical is a field of music that is so huge and requires so much knowledge to program well that a good classical service is best served by a human host with deep and wide domain knowledge. There’s so much history and other metadata that can be shared alongside the music — these streamed services just don’t get it done.
An analog would be how classical music is often presented in iTunes or other music jukeboxes. It’s badly done because those systems are largely designed for pop music, in which the data elements are simple and regular. But classical fans want more. Artist, album and track are not enough. I want composer, arranger, performers including soloists and instruments, composition date, sub-genre within the classical field and so on.
I do think stations that treat classical as audio wallpaper are in trouble — that can be replicated easily. But a human host should be able to serve classical far more intelligently and effectively than any of the auto-assembled services for the foreseeable future.
Richard: Thanks for your thoughts. I think your comments are dead-on. Perhaps someday it won’t just be “guts” behind a station’s decision to air Antheil or the latest avant-garde, but the assurance that the station has found its niche audience — via podcasts, streaming or whatever — and will only make itself more valuable to that audience with such programming.
As a music lover, I often feel incredibly thankful for the Internet, and sometimes amazed at how much I take it for granted.
By the way — you say WPRB is “newly public” — do you know what it was before it went public?
John: Great insights, and thanks for visiting the blog. I’ve used Pandora only a bit and have been wondering about its offerings in the classical vein — does it even attempt classical or just avoid it entirely?
Mike-
First, I have to tell you, I found it hard to find my post. My original post I still see on the blog, in the right hand listing. But, several others, I could not find until I discovered this feed. So, now I am relieved.
WPRB, 103.3 FM: WPRB has an online presence, wprb.com. Note the “.com”. WPRB was always calling itself “community supported, which meant support by local advertisers. But, that dried up. Last year, the station announced that it would begin to seek support by donations. I do not believe that there is any university support, beyond providing space and a bit of infrastructure.
WPRB has mostly non-paid on-air people, doing what they love, the super best classical music anywhere from 6:00AM-11:00AM weekdays. The “headliner” is Marvin Rosen, who teaches at the local Westminster Conservatory of Music at Ryder University. Marvin has a web site, http://www.classicaldiscoveries.org.
Other members of the staff might be from the University, some from the music department, some not.
Play lists are updated on an immediate basis, so I can see what is being played and, if I want, go right to Amazon and buy the .mp3 downloads.
Marvin just did five hours celebrating Henry Brant. The playlist showed that a lot of the content was from a nine disk set from Innova,( American Composers’ Forum, St Paul, MN) managed by my good new e-friend, Philip Blackburn. I went right to Amazon and bought the whole kit and caboodle.
Enough from me, give wprb.coma look, and a listen. Also, try out wnyc2.
>>RSM
Other music is incredible Jazz programming, and an assortment of rock music programs, talk and Princeton University sports.
WPRB has several streams, WMP Multibit stereo, RealPlayer multibit wtereo, and, strangely, a 160kbit .mp3 monaural stream.
Every music program is live, and the on air person takes telephone calls (eureeka!)
John-
I think if you try wnyc2, you will like it. A great deal of time and energy are spent by George Preston and Brad Cresswell in making this streamed service excellent, accessible, varied in content.