Public Radio Not Dictated by the Public
Mar 2nd, 2006 | By Melissa Robbins | Category: Editorial and Radio|
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Have you noticed lately that no matter what station you tune your radio to, you just keep hearing the same songs over and over again? There is a great and looming danger that America is losing any appreciation for quality music. These days, it seems everything is mass-produced under the direction of a very small number of corporate media moguls. I couldn’t have said it better myself. This one editorial in Chips, the student newspaper of Luther College, sums it up pretty well, in fact…that artistic diversity is basically at a standstill, thanks to a few major companies taking the reins of nearly all the media outlets that exist in the U.S. What kinds of suggestions do you all have for combating this phenomenon and helping independent music make it into mainstream outlets and be more widely recognized?
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March 6th, 2006 at 2:14 am
Thought I’d mention that here in Minnesota, MN Public Radio has a listener supported station called ‘The Current’ which has a playlist devoid of ClearChannel pap.
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/radio/services/the_current/
Educating the public and helping independent music reach the mainstream? Ouch.
Perhaps TV licensing. It seems that there are more shows than ever using great songs, commercials using music from ‘off the beaten (to death) path’. That may mean that even as Clear Channel tightens its grip on radio, there are other opportunities for independent music to be heard.
If you’re starting out? I’d suggest blogging, live shows in front of audiences who care, and eyeball gathering. There is a fine line between the wasted work of a shotgun blast of marketing, and the poor results of setting your sights too small.
Hell, we’re all just trying to figure this out…