Radio is still the #1 way to get your music to the masses, but that market shrinks everyday. Less than half of the radio stations today play music unlike the majority 10 yrs ago when 75% of all radio stations were in music format. I believe the internet listening idea is the future and will take over radio by the end of the decade.brent wrote:Every car manufactured has a radio. Every home receiver has a radio tuner. Most if not all RF broadcasters are producing internet content. No it is not the driving force that it was in the Top40 days, but it is still the best bet. People DO listen to radio. Radio will always exist. It may not be able to work with the current model.
(What sucks about the major Christian radio networks is that the homogenized crap is coming from one place, and the local news, weather and traffic is a joke. There is little local imaging or association with the listeners. So, people might as well be listening to MP3s IMO.)
There are a couple of Christian stations in markets that have continued to grow. So, while it is not the norm, it is happening. The stations are NOT growing in our favorite genres. They are growing by playing more mature, softer music, sometimes with a mix of teaching. It is a fraction of the market for sure, but it is growing. Christian rock radio is dying a quick death.
Being played on radio is not really the goal I suspect. It is having a radio friendly album that would have the widest appeal, sell well, and be a calling card to the church concert market. Radio right now still reaches the majority of the people. Internet radio is not a force to be reckoned with. And, currently, most internet stations will only play artists that will not make them pay mechanicals.
Yes radio will always be there, but on a much smaller scale and most likey will be mainly religious, sports, politics talk radio. If Belo buys these radio stations they will turn them all into talk radio.
Yes every car and home has a radio tuner but the masses are no longer tuning in, and they don't see it slowing down unless you are in talk radio or spanish music format. I haven't used my in home radio tuner in years and my car radio is either on the ticket or I pop in a CD/MP3.
Another point is alot of artists have gotten the message about radio and no longer pushing their material to radio and are pushing it to everyone's IPods/MP3's.
