DIGITAL RADIO – MANY STATIONS, FEW OPPORTUNITIES

Digital radio is a relatively new phenomenon within Australia, and after much prompting from television and newspaper advertising, I have plucked up the courage to experience this promising new aural media. Before we get too far into this article, it would be best to outline my “grand vision” of digital radio. It remains clear to my mind as to when FM radio was introduced to Australia in 1980. The listening public were promised a greater clarity of sound, multiple new radio stations and open-ended opportunities for new artists to discovered by a large audience. To be fair, FM radio delivered on all fronts. No longer were radio stations restricted in playing “just the hits”; we heard album cuts from our favourite artists. Sometimes, album cuts were played from unknown artists, who in turn became our favourite artists. The reaction to FM radio was healthy; it created jobs and kept the music industry alive and evolving. During the 1990’s and new millennium, our familiar radio stations were changed forever by the advent of the Internet. Radio stations were transformed from a source of creativity and opportunity into profit machines. Corporate ownership of radio stations made the medium a lucrative vehicle, however play lists were essentially set to “auto pilot” [i.e. classic hits] in order to keep the general public tuned in. Even those non-corporate owned radio stations [we call them community radio stations in Australia] couldn’t resist temptation. A quick scan of a community radio station play list will resemble something akin to your vanilla corporate owned radio station; maybe 1-2 hours a day of programs devoted to new and/ or unsigned artists. The balance of the daily play list revolves around “classic hits” and corporate overseas news programs. With analogue radio in Australia, New Zealand & Asia being so bland [I am certain that it is the same in the USA & Europe], I have viewed digital radio as being the last vestige in discovering new artistic talent. I have been sadly misled… I don’t want multiple digital radio stations featuring “just the hits”; I can hear this format on analogue radio. I don’t want to listen to digital channels featuring live concert performances from “classic artists”; again, I can hear this on analogue radio. I want to be able to listen to new digital radio stations devoted to unsigned and/ or undiscovered artistic talent, covering the entire spectrum of musical genres. Digital radio could realistically be the saviour of the music industry. In Australia, the live music venue scene is dying and record labels are consolidating with one another in order to remain solvent. There simply doesn’t seem to be any other form of medium available to enable undiscovered artists to make the break to general public awareness. Has digital radio saved the music industry in other territories? I’m keen to read your opinions!!