Monday morning. MMMM .. Monday morning music meeting … traditionally, that’s the day we music directors used to sit down with the program director to discuss what new music we wanted to add to the playlist. That also meant discussing what we wanted to drop from the currents – that just weren’t “working.” There are sure some myths about radio programming floating around the populace, including among many of my musician friends.
We’re in a new era now – pads, tablets, streaming, smartphones, cloud services, and increasingly a fractured listener base. Yet in all of this, traditional broadcast radio listenership remains strong. Want the Facts & Figures?
Radio Facts and Figures
Here are the Facts:
- Radio today reaches more than 90 percent of people in the U.S. on a weekly basis;
- Radio reaches more than 68% of U.S. consumers ages 12 and older on an average day;
- 242 million people listen to the radio each week;
- There are more than 16,000 radio stations across the United States, covering 50 different formats;
- Audio consumers are listening for more than 2 ½ hours every day; and
- More than two-thirds of the weekly radio audience works full-time, tuning in during the working day, away from home.
One of the most interesting debates taking place today is the one concerning non-physical / non-owned music, and how it’s distributed and monetized. Many of my peers over 50 think of anything internet related, other than iTunes, Amazon, or CDBaby direct downloads, as piracy intended to steal whatever direct commission revenue the band/artist/songwriter may be entitled to. So let me set the record straight.
No, streaming is not piracy. No, streaming is NOT a one-to-one sale. Sales of single units (or eps, or albums) are fast becoming something we boomers are holding onto. Streaming via your smartphone is the future. AT&T signed onto Beats. Spotify signed on with Sprint. Rumors abound that Verizon will sign on with iTunes. Rumors also abound that iTunes will be offering 24bit hi-res audio.
NEW MUSIC MONDAY
Bonnie & the Clydes – Music for the People Part I EP
… a marked improvement from the band’s debut, in songwriting, arranging, and vocal performances shared by husband/wife team Bonnie & Taylor Sims, with Taylor displaying an eerie similarity to Gordon Lightfoot’s vocal performance on the wonderful classic The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald on Evening Turns to Ashes. Bonnie sounds perfectly and splendidly classic in her lower-mid range tones on Open Road. Colorado country is different than country music in most parts of the US – with touches of West Texas permeating our own unique flavors and textures, which makes sense considering that Bonnie & Taylor are both from that region, along with other transplants like Andy & Jessica Eppler, aka Prairie Scholars .. or Austin transplants like Matt Skinner or Beth Williams — we sure do share a lot with our sisterly state to the south. Music for the People indeed – this one scores an OTB ADD (out of the box add) – straight to The Colorado Sound Live365 mornings and afternoons (until it breaks TOP 40 statewide).
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SUPPORT FOR THE COLORADO SOUND PROVIDED BY
Colorado Case Company: Colorado made insulated soft cases, gig bags, case covers and rigid cases for most instruments. This premium, professional grade, brand is designed, engineered and tested to provide incredible thermal protection for your valuable musical instrument. We specialize in unusual and hard to fit instruments. Info at www.coloradocase.com
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pokesBUZZ, a Colorado 501C3 with a mission to AMPLIFY THE COLORADO MUSIC SCENE, DEVELOP OUR PROFESSIONAL ARTISTS, PROMOTE COLORADO AS A PROGRESSIVE CULTURAL DESTINATION, and GROW LOCAL ECONOMIES. Please visit the website for information on bands that SpokesBUZZ supports, as well as shows and more. www.spokesbuzz.org.
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Chris K's Colorado Playlist 