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.
Audio Celebrities
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.
It’s a Matter of Trust
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.
Give DJs the Tools to Reach Out
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 ListenerActive 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.
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.
Audio Celebrities
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.
It’s a Matter of Trust
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.
Give DJs the Tools to Reach Out
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.
]]>