Gondola Gossip

LOCAL RADIO?

It's amusing that we're still talking about radio with the internet, TV, smart phones and so many other technologies. It's kind of like talking about the horse and buggy instead of planes, trains or automobiles. But may be there is a chance for radio to re-invent a purpose for themselves beyond the business model based on the exploitation of artists and their work without paying for it.

Radio claimed they were "providing exposure" by playing popular music. Even today radio personalities beg you to tune in as they play "your favorite songs"… not tune in to hear new bands and songwriters you haven't heard. Right? So basically they want you to listen to popular music from bands you already know you like while they charge advertisers to make a profit. So who is getting the exposure they boasted about? Probably just their advertisers… even if it's at the local level.

The Music Modernization Act (MMA) has passed and things could be changing, and maybe that's not all bad. The claims of artists and labels seeking royalties are valid, but in the digital age other ugliness is also exposed. New music is suffering. It seems the industry only is offering music audiences two choices for the most part… The 70 somethings search for more money tour… or the 20 somethings dance routines w/ a laptop. If you're interested in something in between well… sorry… not so much.

The lack of new music is one of the things that has been exposed. Labels make excuses about lost revenue, but the facts are also that they invest in the wrong talent for the wrong reasons. Let's face it publishers turned down Harry Potter 12 times, Bono got several rejection letters, Samuel L Jackson did not get a feature role until he was 46. Entertainment industries are wrong over 50% of the time and late to the party the rest of the time. It's not about being good… it's about being the establishment… a gatekeeper.

Fast forward to today. What is the recipe for success? Getting a song with catchy lyrics and hooky melodies to the audience to decide if they like it or not. Make sense? So the trick isn't being discovered by a label or an A&R person any more… it's getting your song the exposure to audiences. If an artist builds the production team and is funding the recording why shouldn't the artist receive the applicable royalties? Most businesses recover what they invest in the creation and distribution of their products… so why not today's independent artists? It only seems fair.

So what if local radio actually provided exposure for local music and new songwriters? What if local radio took as much time finding and promoting local artists as they do exploiting popular music to sell ads? After all they do reach a local audience. What if they helped fund and promote local music in conjunction with other events? I know… why would they do that? I know… it will probably be like the local bar scene… the same handful of musicians, the genre, and same songs over and over with little effort or diversity. But, actually that may ultimately need to happen if radio wants to find a new role in the era on the MMA. Those who insist on continued exploitation of music via obsolete business models need to be exposed and replaced in order to make way new music and fair business practices.