Internet Radio Goes Silent
If you want to see - and hear - what the future of Internet radio could soon be like, check out LAUNCHcast, Pandora or hundreds of other online stations today. What you’ll hear is nothing. The fledgling industry, which has provided millions of people with a new and exciting way to listen and discover new music is holding a day of silence to protest what it sees as new rates set by the Copyright Royalty Board in the U.S. The online radio industry believes these rates will drive many players out of business simply because they won’t be able to afford the fees, which are being tripled under the new regime.
Obviously, it’s a complex issue but it’s just another example of how there’s a puzzling disconnect between consumers and the music industry. The biggest problem, challenge and opportunity is discovery. You give consumers the tools to discover new music, and there’s a good chance they’ll spend money to access it - be it a CD, digital downloading, streaming radio service, etc.
Right now, the music world is suffering from a terrible case of discovery blues. Conglomerates such as Clear Channel are forcing a cookie-cutter programming down the throats of millions of radio listeners all in the name of we know what’s best for consumers. Well, that might have worked before the Web emerged as a powerful medium but it’s a dumb strategy now given consumers are more aware than ever about what’s available around the world, and they’re hungry to discover, listen and consume it.
It’s been almost a decade since Napster disrupted the music industry’s party, and the business is still no closing to figuring out what’s going to work and how it’s going to survive and thrive.
Note: TechCrunch points out that Last.fm is not part of the day of silence - maybe being part of a media conglomerate, CBS, has already caused Last.fm to forget where it came from.
