INTERNET RADIO: Are you listening?

Last week, Apple announced iTunesRadio. It will join music services like Pandora, Google All Access and iHeartRadio...and it still is not what you would consider "real" radio.  These are streaming music services where computer algorithms, and advertisers, pick the songs they think sound like what you enjoy listening to.  (Yes, I know iHeartRadio also streams hundreds of Clear Channel and Cumulus radio stations but when they all sound the same, it's like having none at all.)

Since the dawn of AM (followed by FM) radio, Program Directors and Music Directors cultivated and developed "ears", the ability to hear a "hit" for their particular format.  They picked the songs that fit the target audience and built stations to entertain and inform. Disc Jockeys (now known as Air Talent) were added to the mix to help bring the audience further in to that "world" and create a sort of on-air community of like-minded listeners.  And this is how things worked for most of the 20th century.

Somewhere along the way, research became more important than instinct and some programmers these days have forgotten to rely on their best tools: their ears. It's all about how the song tests with an audience and who else is playing it already?  I like there to be a story behind whatever new band I am evaluating but I really just want to hear the music for myself and decide if it fits what my station is doing. It is how I have always programmed, I find out what my audience wants and I give it to them. Sounds simple but it works.

In the mid-90s, Internet Radio became a reality. What started as a way to stream concert broadcasts and traditional radio, became home for hobbyist and garage DJs to experiment with music and talk.  With a little time and money, Internet Radio stations popped up by the thousands, followed by services like Tune In which collected thousands of stations into one directory.  The early stations were fun to listen to but could not hold a candle to the entertainment value of a local AM/FM station with a big signal.  But, as traditional radio jobs shrank, programmers and talent began to experiment with online-only stations.

Now, times are changing. The internet is available almost everywhere and it is finally coming to your car dashboard.  Much like smartphones and new refrigerators, you will have a screen of apps. Your favorite music will now be able to come from anywhere.  Internet Radio just became another button next to AM, FM and Satellite on your dash. The playing field is now level and the most entertaining signals will win. At Rockfile Media, we feel that the time for Internet Radio has come. While millions already listen, the major wave of new fans is coming.

from wikipedia:

-In 2003, revenue from online streaming music radio was US$49 million. By 2006, that figure rose to US$500 million.

-A February 21, 2007 "survey of 3,000 Americans released by consultancy Bridge Ratings & Research" found that "[a]s much as 19% of U.S. consumers 12 and older listen to Web-based radio stations." In other words, there were "some 57 million weekly listeners of Internet radio programs. More people listen to online radio than to satellite radio, high-definition radio, podcasts, or cell-phone-based radio combined."

-An April 2008 Arbitron survey showed that, in the US, more than one in seven persons aged 25–54 years old listen to online radio each week.

-In 2008, 13 percent of the American population listened to the radio online, compared to 11 percent in 2007.

We have plans to do many things at Rockfile Media but we have started with a focus on Internet Radio. Our first two stations are mostly music and focused on variations of rock.

FIRE is what a traditional hard rock station would sound like if such a beast, that mixed new and classic rock, still existed today. (Actually there are a few in the US but their numbers are dwindling.) 

 

ICE is my idea of "mainstreaming" progressive rock music.  It also mixes the brand new with the classic.

Other stations are planned in the near future, visit RockfileRadio.com for more.

Our music streams will stay commercial-free but sponsorships are now available on our website, news site and social media. Please visit RockfileRadio.com/sponsorships.html for more.

Thanks for taking the time to read, I would love to hear your thoughts!

~Scott Hamilton