The favorite past-time of other media, their PR organizations and now the Grammy Awards of all things, is to smear radio to the general public. As others from radio have already chimed in to say (Bill Stakelin, Bob Neil, Randy Kabrich), the Grammy nominations television show opening theme that radio is no longer relevant is the ultimate slap in the face to radio so far.
So here’s a short and sweet suggestion to the entire radio industry:
IGNORE THE 2009 GRAMMY AWARDS.
I’m talking all radio stations and all their forms of content. Just ignore the upcoming Grammy Awards. Then, let’s check back with the Grammy broadcast in February to see if there is a different message about radio. If there is not, then radio should ignore the Grammy Awards for the following year. Radio should not acknowledge the Grammy Awards ever again, until the Grammy Awards broadcast acknowledges radio as the primary source for the discovery of music, which is universally understood as fact except to the over-eager Grammy copywriter. Here are the facts as they are known today: The plurality of people discover music on radio. Once they’ve discovered that music via radio, many of those same people download the music from the Internet…often without paying for it.
Radio doesn’t have its own PR agency. Form your own PR agency by acting in unison on important issues to radio. Radio needs to remind the public and organizations how important and valued it is in comparison to other media with better PR, many with miniscule audiences.
Start with the Grammies and ignore them.
If you agree, send this idea to your radio friends and make it happen. And you don’t have a PR agency bill to pay, either!
I am surprised on an annual basis when I see the level of attention paid to the Grammys by the radio industry. Let them celebrate their artists while we pay attention to the things that affect US. The fact that Madonna(or whoever) is a Grammy award artist makes virtually zero difference to the average consumer so why do we continue to care? The labels and some artists have stated that they don’t need radio. I suggest that they don’t know WHAT they need. If they did there would not be so much turmoil in label land. So why do we continue to care about this annual self-promotion fest? Congratulate them on their wins. Be happy for them. But don’t crash the party when you’re not invited in the first place.
As radio continues to dismantle the industry with its burn and slash strategy, radio’s users and lives are moving forward with different ideas and wants. Radio is out of touch, it’s focused on protecting the fortress, and instead of creating better products and ideas users want.
Add spin to your research all you want, the internet is replacing radio for new music discovery. I can hear the same songs over and over plus, 10 spots in a row or click a keyboard and mouse and find more music, plus I can chat with similar minded people all over the world. I’m 48 and still like new music, survey that! Plus with FREE wireless looming, radio’s problems are going to multiply. Imagine every dashboard internet enabled and capable of tuning 500,000 music sites and radio stations. It won’t be perfect, but it’s the future. Radio listeners 12-34 have unplugged. Radio’s future are not listening like they once did. And HD is a dead horse.
A jock or computer playing music to the masses, radio listeners, is in the past. Those days are history..
The music industry put it right in radio’s face and the only people who are upset are radio guys out of touch like Bob Niel and a few bloggers who have nothing better else to write. Other than that nobody really cares, it’s a bunch of nothing.
My advice learn a new trade or skill set, a plumber maybe. it’s honest work and you’ll always have a job.
Rick Wagner CEO of GM said to congress: “The reason GM didn’t move towards hybrid vehicles sooner, is because he didn’t think gas prices would peak so high.
Mr. Wagner is a car guy with the most industry experience and congress thinks this guy should be fired. This guy is out of touch.