Social Media has taken the world by storm. Businesses and individuals alike are feeling the need to tweet, meet up on Facebook, or blog about the latest trends. Traditional media has also jumped on the bandwagon with newspapers blogging and television shows inviting audience members to text in their votes. As new music companies are rapidly filling up the Internet airwaves and building their own music community, how can individual radio stations grab a piece of the social media pie?
In order to better understand how radio is poised to take on the social media scene, it’s important to understand exactly what social media is. According to Mashable, “Social Media is a term that encompasses the platforms of New Media, but also implies the inclusion of systems like FriendFeed, Facebook, and other things typically thought of as social networking. The idea is that they are media platforms with social components and public communication channels.” Radio, as a media platform built around music with public communication channels such as shout-outs, song requests and dedications is only missing one component: an intimate social network.
As a mass media radio will have a difficult time scaling down to the social level craved by Internet users.
“The social web has allowed everyone to share, rate, recommend, discover and exchange music. The social web is a few to few environment; friends are influenced by friends more than anything else.” [Source: HeavyBagMedia] How can radio be utilized in a format that allows sharing between only a few people? One idea that radio could harness would be providing a limited way of sharing music. After hearing a song on the radio an individual could forward the song to a friend along with an audio or text message that promotes the radio station, “I just heard this song on Y92 FM, check it out!” Each individual audio share could be accompanied by an advertisement that sponsors the song, musician, or a specific listener demographic. In that way listeners would be able to share their radio experiences with others, radio would benefit from viral advertising, and specific song based demographics could be calculated.
In order to participate in these opportunities radio must find ways to incorporate Internet technology into its broadcasts. Embracing new technology will allow radio to move its brand of quality music programming into arenas that are currently full of entrepreneurs who are focused only on making money. While new technology has provided the means and opportunity, many companies are failing to harness listeners and impress them the way traditional radio has. “Part of the reason is that mobile and music providers have focused on their business models first and the user experience second.” [Source: FMQB] Because Radio already has the market on quality audio programming – in commercial music, talk shows and sports coverage – it is well positioned to expand onto the Internet and achieve success. With solutions like ListenerActive, radio can smoothly transition into a hybrid technology model and concentrate on what it does best: provide quality audio programming that listeners can’t wait to share.
]]>The Internet has opened up opportunities for discovery around the globe. New programs and new technologies are allowing businesses to succeed in ways they never have before. Radio, hesitant to tackle this beast, has been slow in adapting this new technology into its business model. Without streaming programming and interactivity many radio websites are falling flat. Why should listeners go to these websites when the music and programming that defines radio is on the airwaves? Radio might be interested in expanding their use of the Internet beyond being a simple website landing page for current listeners. Opportunities for gaining audience members through the Internet are vast and can help drive listeners back to radio programming.
As many listeners have turned to the Internet for their music needs radio can no longer afford to rely heavily on self promotion. Radio has a quality programming model that has not been duplicated by individual music companies on the Internet. While satellite radio has allowed users to focus in on a smaller range of musical tastes, radio still has a broad reach and mass appeal. Coupled with live programming and the infrastructure to support user interaction, radio can provide an engaging listener experience. By advertising these strengths, marketing DJ personalities and promoting concerts and contests on Internet channels, radio may be able to reach out to new listeners. The proliferation of scams on the Internet leaves many users wary of signing up for new, unheard of programs. Radio has the perfect opportunity for trust because it has an outside verifiable source. Because recent moves by radio executives have trashed listener loyalty and left radio stations stripped of assets , proactive methods must be taken to woo the audience back.[Source: The Guardian]
Listeners from the latest generation may need to be educated about the role radio plays in music discovery. Their primary music experiences consist of being able to sample music for free and without interruption, play their favorite songs whenever they want and getting music recommendations from friends. This creates a conundrum for DJ led listening experiences. Unless a DJ is respected within their peer community, youth are less likely to be swayed by their music programming. A quality DJ who understands youth music and popular culture trends would be a wise investment for any radio station. While many attempt to garner attention from this generation with gimmicks, David Giovanni in How Public Radio Gained 2 Million Listeners cautions against it. “Listeners attracted by hype usually don’t listen very long. They listen for a while, then tune out.”
Having tasted the musical freedoms of the Internet, listeners will not head to radio until there is a compelling reason to do so. Many people who have incorporated Internet and mobile technology into their lifestyles will have difficulty turning a dial to find a music solution. For radio listeners systems like Listener Active’s will allow them to access radio station programming through a technology they are comfortable with. For others it will be the programming, not the technology that will pique their interest and keep them tuned in. As John Hogan, president and CEO of Clear Channel Radio said, “Better radio created a bigger audience.” [Source: RedOrbit] No matter which technology platform is used, or how listeners find a particular station, quality programming is what will guarantee a loyal following for radio.
]]>In the radio listening experience, the role of the DJ is one of the few unique benefits of radio. Members of today’s music audience want to learn more about the people who guide their listening experience. No longer content to simply listen to the recommendations of a self-proclaimed (or executive proclaimed) expert, listeners want to connect with DJs and learn more about them. Radio, by investing time and resources in their DJs will strengthen the role radio plays in audio entertainment.
The only thing that separates radio listening from uploading music to an iPod is that on radio, someone else plays deejay. [Source: CBSNews] Because technology allows listeners to create playlists of their favorite songs without interruption, DJs can be perceived as an annoyance or inconvenience when listening to the radio. But the importance of a DJ led experience should be enhanced, and listeners should be educated by radio stations about how a DJ is vital to the discovery of new music. The DJ, who understands both a particular musical genre and the listening audience, is the perfect person to screen, review and recommend new music. Without this process music discovery will stall as listeners look exclusively to old favorites to fill their music needs.
More than ever before a sense of trust between the listener and the DJ is what will make or break the listening experience. Audience members want to know that DJs and the music they play represent the desires and needs of the audience and aren’t just preprogrammed radio shows packaged by executives. Today’s listening audience wants to connect with the DJ and feel like they have input into their own listening experience. This change is based on a fundamental shift away from music being the commodity. Instead, it is now the listeners time and attention which is in demand.
In order to elevate DJs into a position of trust and gain the attention of listeners, radio stations must provide DJs with tools such as Listener Active to facilitate interaction with the audience. Increasing the methods of interaction will result in more opportunities to build listener trust. A DJ, based on his/her taste, and the knowledge of his/her audience, selects quality records and tests them. [Source: The MoTownElevator] Combine the natural affinity of a quality DJ to pick relevant music with instant feedback from the audience and this method takes most of the risk out of new music discovery. If the DJ has built up enough trust with the listener, the listener will be willing to forgive a bad recommendation, advise the DJ and the overall music experience will benefit.
Giving the DJs more control over guiding the listening experience will reduce the growing resentment towards canned repetitive programming. By capturing instant statistics, radio executives can free themselves from the paranoia that an unproven song will cause listeners to tune out resulting in lower ratings and less revenue. By embracing the unique role a DJ plays in guiding listening experiences, and allowing the audience to partake, the radio industry can once again reclaim its title as the leader in new music discovery.
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