CNN.com – Has rock & roll become irrelevant? – Oct. 3, 2002
No, I don’t think so, but the industries that have both fostered its growth and stifled its creativity have made themselves irrelevant.
In a development that can only be described as farcical in its labyrinthine logic, Clear Channel (the nation’s foremost owner of radio stations) announced that it would be dealing exclusively with a pre-selected set of indie promoters, who will pay the corporation for the rights to their internal research while being paid by the labels. If you’re wondering how that differs from payola — or indeed, why Clear Channel and other radio operators can’t just hire programmers who are smart enough to pick hit singles on their own, sans all this shady promotional influence — well, you won’t find an answer here.
This article has the first use of the word narrowcasting I have seen in a while. In the early days of the Internet, it was tossed around pretty frequently: there would be customized broadcasts and one-to-one interaction between media entities and consumers. The weblog is evidence that it’s possible, but not necessarily viable. Internet radio stations (like Radio Paradise) offer a varied playlist, much more diverse and interesting than commercial radio stations offer. The fact that these stations exist demonstrates a need that commercial radio and perhaps the labels themselves won’t address.
If the Internet broadcasters take to satellite transmission (as Radio Paradise hopes to do), it will be interesting to see if some guy sharing his record collection can do a more entertaining job that professional program directors. The premise of the Tom Petty song featured in the article above is that conservative program directors and large broadcasters have made the DJ who knew his music an artifact. Now his every move is planned for him, every song, every announcement, every segue. No more sharing that great sound he found over the weekend or on a trip: it doesn’t fit the format.