Have you ever been in your car
and a song came on the radio that you didn’t like, so you changed the channel? When
you changed the channel did a song you like that played on the other channel
come on? You always think, “oh what a coincidence”, or “wow this must be a
popular song, every channel is playing it”. In all actuality the song may be
very popular, but the reason it plays on most stations would be because many
stations are owned by the same company. One company that dominates the radio
world would have to be Clear Channel. They serve around 150 cities through 850 owned
radio stations. Their stations can be heard on almost anything. Some examples
would be; AM/FM stations, HD digital radio channels, Sirius/XM satellite. The company also just created a new internet
radio called iheartradio. Iheartradio allows you to create your own playlist by
whom your favorite artist are, what kind of genera of music you like to listen
to, or just the top hits on the radio at the time. You can stream it while you’re
surfing the web or even on your phone. I personally love this app on my phone.
I like to change up the type of music I’m listening to while I’m in the car. So
I hook up my phone and type in what artist I’m obsessing over and it creates a
playlist for me. So next time when you’re
in the car and your changing channels and hearing the same song on almost every
channel, just think they are all basically the same channel with a different name
and DJ.
If you listen to the same station for a few hours, you will hear a song that you heard earlier. A reason why I choose to listen to my iPod over the radio is because I have a variety of music genres, some of which you might not hear on regular radio. With the invention of internet radio like I heart radio and Pandora, one can choose the type of music they are in the mood for. Instead of scanning through the radio for a song or artist you like, you can search for them on internet radio. I think internet radio is going to have a big impact on am/fm radio stations in the future. Some cars already have a Pandora radio app built into the radio. With Sirius/XM radio, you have many types of channels ranging from 50’s music, disco, pop to sports radio and comedy channels. How much longer will AM/FM stations will last? I think the companies who own many of the radio stations are already looking at ways to get in the satellite and internet radio business.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was younger, I found many new artists on radio that I like today and that’s how they were discovered. Since the radio plays the same songs from popular artists, it’s very hard for an upcoming artist to get air time on the radio. Today many new artists are being discovered on YouTube like Justin Beiber, Mac Miller and Soulja Boy. I love searching YouTube for new music to ad to my music collection instead of listening to the same song on the radio.
You bring up a couple interesting ideas in this blog post. The fact that various radio stations can be owned by a singular entity implies that you receive a very limited range of music. Not only do you receive a limited range of music but regardless of what station you gravitate towards, you will likely not only hear the same songs, but similar advertisements as well. Radio stations play music that a certain group of people will like and if more than one radio station is owned by the same company it becomes more clear that the company has a monopoly on advertising to certain social groups. I have never been much of a radio listener but recently I have been commuting to Anne Arundel I have noticed that I have the same songs stuck in my head, even though I listen to two separate radio stations. Not only does this type of monopolization limit the range of music you listen to, but you also get baffled with basically the same types of advertisements which over time may begin to influence you, and more importantly your opinions and the decisions that you make.
ReplyDeleteRadio station dominate the music world by over playing the same song day and night. Some times it just makes me wanna turn off my radio station and just enjoy the breeze from rolling down my windows. Stations like FM make their living on hit songs that artist produce from week to week. Since the listeners recommend the latest songs in the market, and want to hear it all the time. The radio chooses to play it every couple hours, and if they play old songs that are played out then they wouldn't have as much people tuning in on their stations.
ReplyDeleteI love the "I heart radio" app. Although I often times find that those catchy songs on the radio that you hear often.. get stuck in my head. That's the catch with these radio stations and corporation, especially clear water. No matter how much you dispise a certain song, if you hear it enough it will get stuck inside your head and you will probably buy the CD or song on itunes. It's all a marketing sceme. That's why I like "I heart radio" because you are able to access music for free and you get more variety.
ReplyDelete