It’s not a new thing for radio stations to run publicity stunts, such as playing songs in succession. Last year, Toronto’s Indie 88 repeatedly played Rick Astley’s You’ll Never Give Me Up to test its FM transmissions. Double J is, therefore, being catholic and generous.
It is interesting to see what the launch of an alternative radio station with a high profile tells us about today’s broadcasting landscape.
Broadcast radio used to be the mainstay of the mainstream. It was where we went to hear the latest music releases from the biggest stars in the industry. There are still plenty of radio stations that do this, but the mainstream media is increasingly moving online.
The trend in TV is clear: Netflix has commissioned House of Cards – the biggest TV show of 2013. Yahoo is also moving into commissioning and broadcast TV providers like the BBC, ABC, and American networks have been working furiously to improve their mobile apps.
Music is not any different. Digital music service, Spotify, is quickly catching up with iTunes in various global markets. YouTube and Facebook have also become the main places where mainstream music acts are promoted.
As the mainstream moves online, it no longer obstructs alternative music from traditional broadcasting. It’s great for two main reasons.
It provides an incredible shop window for musicians who were utterly unknown just 10 years before. Apps such as GarageBand enable anyone to create studio-quality music at home for only a few dollars. The challenge that faces the modern music lover is to sort through the vast amount of music to find the best.
The first person to automate the discovery process will be able to make millions. Spotify and iTunes Radio have not been able to meet the challenge. Radio stations have never had more opportunity to filter out alternative music and act as tastemakers than they do today.