The Battle Continues

https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/future-radio-time-broadcasters-embrace-digital/

I saw the above link to an article on an "Internet Radio" website and you know me, I had to get it, read it, digest it, and pick it apart.

First and foremost. I AM A RADIO GUY when I say "RADIO" I mean "OVER THE AIR" or TERRESTRIAL radio stations.

I am a 50 year student of radio. with over 35 years of on air experience in several levels of radio broadcasting (college, commercial and internet). I have taught radio broadcasting at the college level (Kennedy King College, Howard University and Chicago State University) over 20 years.

What gets me started is when people start using buzzwords like "DIGITAL" which tend to be defined by the end result that the person using the word wants to attain. What does digital mean anyway? Fact - the US is not interested or intending on changing radio to "broadcast" on the DAB-- Digital Audio Band. The US is using a "combined" system (Digital and Analog) branded "HD" created by iBiquity Digital Corporation. The “HD” in “HD Radio” does not stand for “high definition” or “hybrid digital.” This design preserves the current "spectrum space". The DAB would open more frequencies for broadcast. The NAB does not want the digital spectrum -- well at least NOT YET..

I agree that the business of radio has hurt the sustainability of the radio industry. Also. radio has done a poor job of seeding its future through its own stubbornness and greedy business practices but the solutions suggested by "Soundexchange" only BENEFITS the one company -- SOUNDEXCHANGE - Surely I would call for changes in the present business models to increase my company's own revenue stream too. Soundexchange is using good business sense to do so.

SOUNDEXCHANGE boasts 5 Billion in payments but HOW MUCH did Soundexchange actually take in royalties 20 billion? And did every artist get paid royalties that they were owed? Really? The catch with SoundExchange is that royalties collected by SoundExchange can expire if the artist does not register to collect them! And here is another thing with Soundexchange it opens the door for greedy music promoters and slick Internet station owners to take advantage of artists. The one thing that really kills me about music about annual music seminars and conventions is that every one of them always states be sure to "get educated" about the industry and the business yet they never tell you where to "get" the information from.

On the other hand many "Internet Operators" are angry with the fact that they have to pay licensing fees so of course out of spite they will call for radio stations to have to pay these fees as well. However making everyone PAY is not a solution. Especially against the ADVERTISER based system that makes TERRESTRIAL RADIO FREE. Why would I as a consumer want to pay for something that I've enjoyed for free? More about that at the end of this writing.

And those same "Internet Radio" operators are ENJOYING payola to the fullest. Charging new artists through promotional packages and not able to produce a number to show that the music stream play is going to or reaching to the masses. Internet Radio is worldwide but at any given moment you can only have to the maximum 1000 listeners or as little as 6. The COST of Bandwidth for Internet Stations makes it "IMPOSSIBLE" to broadcast to a mass of simultaneous listeners that's how companies make their money off the bandwidth. Some internet operators are slick saying that they are broadcasting on several hosting services and have unlimited bandwidths. Really? Radio promotion is so lucrative that some guys are now making a living through "Independent Artist" music airplay. I'm wondering when did radio just become for "MUSIC ONLY" -- I guess that is where the money is.

The bottom line is that there is an insatiable desire to monetize the unregulated Internet. It's all about money. Taking yours and making mine.

And who is to say that RADIO is just about MUSIC promotion anyway? Where has the connection of radio to the local community gone?

It was the MUSIC INDUSTRY's failure to EMBRACE the digital technology first. Y'all remember Napster. And the president of Soundexchange has the nerve to call out radio for it's procrastination and stagnation.. BOTH radio and the music industry ARE GUILTY.

Finally, "It's important to remember that despite the advantages of internet streaming, it also has some real disadvantages. One major disadvantage is that while streaming radio is generally cheaper to transmit than "on-air" radio, it's a lot more expensive to receive. Buying a computer whether it is on your desk on in your pocket (cell phones) and paying for internet service costs a lot more than buying an AM/FM radio. Also, one of the beautiful things about radio (especially low power radio) is that it is inherently local and is a great tool for building local communities. It's easy to lose your focus on local people and local issues when your stream is available to the entire world. For these reasons, according to the Prometheus Radio Project they see internet streaming as a supplement to old-fashioned on-air radio, but not as a replacement for it." -- That's how I've always felt about (Internet Radio) however I am going to program and invest in an internet station myself too. If you can't beat em -- join em. There is some money out there to be made!