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Radio, Not YouTube, Is Still King of Music Discovery

journovampire writes: We might live in an age of YouTube and Spotify being the go-to music players of teenagers, but radio was still the top method of music discovery in the U.S. last year. According to the research, "59% of music listeners use a combination of over-the-air AM/FM radio and online radio streams to hear music," and "243 million U.S. consumers (aged 12 and over) tune in each week to radio – 91.3% of the national population tuning in across more than 250 local markets."

126 comments

  1. Sure! by Frosty+Piss · · Score: 5, Funny

    Next thing you know, there will be a story about how a lot of people still buy books and go to libraries!

    --
    If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
    1. Re:Sure! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I'd wager dollars to donuts that the ad council for radio advertising funded this so called research study

    2. Re:Sure! by kilodelta · · Score: 1

      You think so? I do too. My new music discovery has been purely net based for several years now. And it isn't me streaming my local ad laden FM station on the web.

    3. Re:Sure! by kheldan · · Score: 1

      I never stopped listening to the radio (primarily while driving, because it's free and convenient and I can get a wide variety of content) just like I never stopped buying printed paper books, which by the way are better for you if you read in bed at night than if you're using an e-book reader with a backlight, which by the way can be dropped and break, or that you can forget to recharge, or that some author or publisher can (by mistake or by design) decide to yank back content you paid for, or decide to 'edit' (read as: censor) your content, and there is little to nothing you can do about it. Radio still has it's place in the world and it would be a sad thing indeed if broadcast radio went the way of the dinosaurs. You don't need to pay for a data plan or broadband internet access to listen to it, you don't need to be in range of a wifi hotspot or need a wireless signal, you don't need to create a playlist or be limited to whatever you loaded onto your PMP, and unless you're living in a small market, you have multiple stations you can switch to at the push of a button. Yes, there are commercials, but if they bother you that much that's a great use for the station presets on your car stereo, you can surf stations until you find something else to listen to.

      --
      Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!
    4. Re:Sure! by amiga3D · · Score: 1

      I think people that are really into music use the net. Casual listeners like myself just turn on the radio and let it flow. Most of the types I know that live with earbuds stuffed in their ears 24/7 get all their tunes online but not everyone is that heavily involved. For most people FM radio is adequate to their needs.

    5. Re: Sure! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      yeah, if your local radio's any good.

      I'd love to listen to the radio more often but the selection where I live is complete garbage. streaming or playing off devices with stored music is the only way here.

    6. Re:Sure! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I still listen to radio on the drives to work and home each day. But my next car will almost certainly have a Bluetooth head unit so I'll likely be listening to my own tunes instead of commercial radio, well, commercials. Shame, really. As TFS says I've "discovered" plenty of new tunes on radio over the years.

  2. Bad news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    for good music.

    1. Re:Bad news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yep. The only things I listen to on the radio now are AM talk radio programmes.

  3. Figures... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    that a puff story about how the internet isn't important wouldn't understand how a hyperlink works. Since there is no FA we can conclude based on the summary that there wasn't any real research done either, and that while 91% of the public may tune in to "over-the-air" radio, said group will discover no new music there as all the radio stations simply play the same song over and over.

    1. Re:Figures... by Frosty+Piss · · Score: 1

      that a puff story about how the internet isn't important wouldn't understand how a hyperlink works.

      So says an Anon Coward.

      I've been reading about how "dead tree" books and radio were "buggy whips", and by now the Internet would have eliminated both.

      At the same time, I want to know where my flying car is...

      --
      If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
    2. Re:Figures... by fustakrakich · · Score: 1

      ...I want to know where my flying car is...

      Gate D13, better hurry

      --
      “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
    3. Re: Figures... by blang · · Score: 1

      dead tree books are buggy whips. if you haven't noticed, a lot of book stores have closed shop. borders are gone. and it is not just because of amazxon. when is the last time you looked up in a dictionary or a lexicon?

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      -- Another senseless waste of fine bytes.
    4. Re: Figures... by Gavagai80 · · Score: 2

      Even many people who have kindles are still collecting dead tree books -- my dad for one. And while I sometimes read on my tablet, I'm currently reading a dead tree book I got for Christmas. And every time I go to the library, there are a lot of people there holding a lot of dead trees. Just because something has lost marketshare from a monopolistic starting point doesn't mean it's gone or disappearing. It's like saying nobody uses Microsoft Windows anymore.

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      This space intentionally left blank
    5. Re: Figures... by Frosty+Piss · · Score: 0

      borders are gone.

      If you think Borders was a real bookstore, you've never been to one. Try Powells in Portland. Doing great business, they are.

      --
      If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
    6. Re: Figures... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Like Portland is a representative sample of anything but hipsters.

    7. Re: Figures... by blang · · Score: 1

      And blinded by his superior taste in book stores, wirth a snob move, this asshat decided to pull up a single anecdotal bookstore, ignoring that it runs counter to the larger trend. Way to go, "Miles".

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      -- Another senseless waste of fine bytes.
    8. Re: Figures... by kilodelta · · Score: 1

      I walked away from dead tree books years ago. Don't get me wrong - I still own quite a few from the period prior or from authors who in their stupidity don't make e-book versions of their books available for sale.

      I like the fact that I can have several hundred linear feet worth of books in the palm of my hand.

    9. Re: Figures... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your mom showed you the shift key, did she?

    10. Re:Figures... by kheldan · · Score: 1

      as all the radio stations simply play the same song over and over

      You mean like you do with your PMP, or that internet streaming radio stations do? You simply do not know what you're talking about because you simply do not listen to broadcast radio so how would you know? The closest reality comes to your uninformed view of it would be a Top-10 station, and by the way my gym uses satellite radio and the Top-10 channels on that are the most annoying and vapid thing I've ever heard and I know of no Top-10 broadcast radio stations in my market, which is not by any definition of the word a 'small' market for radio. There is new music all the time on broadcast FM radio around here, you should try listening to it yourself, maybe you'd hear something you like.

      --
      Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!
  4. URL Broken by retroworks · · Score: 2

    Can't read the article

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    Gently reply
    1. Re:URL Broken by Rei · · Score: 3

      Yeah, I wanted to write some remark about me finding most of my new music and bands by going to concerts for other bands that I like and being unexpectedly impressed by the opening act, which is something that if a person does iteratively is a way to pretty much ensure they ends up a hipster who's crazy into bands that nobody else has ever heard of. ;) Then thought, well, what if "at concerts" is an actual category in the study? I didn't want to get a bunch of snide "RTFA" remarks, so I went to check out the article... and saw a nice demonstration of Slashdot's lack of proofreading, to the point of not even checking whether their URL is malformed.

      --
      It's times like this I wish I had a friend named 'The Professor'.
    2. Re:URL Broken by Zocalo · · Score: 1

      From the original submission, this is the link that you are looking for. Yep, it's a industry rag reporting on Nielsen data. No way that's not going to be a victim of lies, damn lies and statistics...

      --
      UNIX? They're not even circumcised! Savages!
  5. cars by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    the only reason anyone in our family would count as one of these 243 million people is the radio in the car. it just happens to be there, and on, but usually at a volume low enough it isn't really listened to unless no one is talking in the car. rarely does anyone listen to the radio outside of the car except perhaps during very severe weather and the power is out. given that our local radio choices are small town twangy country on fm or small town am without a nighttime license, not much 'music discovery' going on either.

    1. Re:cars by fustakrakich · · Score: 1

      AM at night? Art Bell

      --
      “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
    2. Re:cars by Opportunist · · Score: 2

      Talk to? By phone or how? Judging from what I've seen on US roads it seems to be illegal to transport more than one person per car.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    3. Re:cars by reboot246 · · Score: 1

      Art's not on any AM station I can find. He's going to return to broadcasting on the Internet when his non-compete clause with SiriusXM expires in July 2015. http://artbell.com/

      You can listen to George Noory on the 'Coast to Coast AM' radio show on lots of AM and FM stations, and on SiriusXM.

    4. Re:cars by Jeff+DeMaagd · · Score: 1

      Yeah, I don't get it. Most of the commercial stations are Clear Channeled, even some "non commercial" stations are following the general model. Basically the same rotation of the same small pool of songs every day, If we're lucky, a song gets changed out in the pool once a month, and songs you'd think were played out from the incessant repetition are still playing a couple years later. I don't understand how people can stand that.

    5. Re:cars by kilodelta · · Score: 1

      Imagine my surprise when I got the new cell phone it was in July that I got emergency text notifications of weather events. It was bizarre - heard this loud BONG BONG BONG on the car bluetooth and then saw the message on the phone.

    6. Re:cars by kilodelta · · Score: 1

      Yeah that's pretty much what killed radio. The incessant repetition is awful to the point I'd rather drive in silence a lot of the times.

    7. Re:cars by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      One likes to believe in the freedom of music. But glittering prizes and endless compromises shatter the illusion of integrity.

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  6. Broadcast Radio? Eeew.... by Lumpy · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Sirius/XM? yes. Why anyone would tolerate 10 minutes of music 10 minutes of DJ chatter, and 40 minutes of commercials I will never understand.

    --
    Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
  7. nc by Falos · · Score: 1

    People still use the top-40 echo chamber to tell them what to listen to, details at eleven.

    They need netflix for the same reason.

    1. Re:nc by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Youtube's "featured videos" aren't really any better.

    2. Re:nc by kelemvor4 · · Score: 1

      People still use the top-40 echo chamber to tell them what to listen to, details at eleven. They need netflix for the same reason.

      Because having a seance is a far better way to figure out what's new and good?

  8. Radio? What's that? by pubwvj · · Score: 1

    Radio? What's that? We can't get radio here.

    1. Re:Radio? What's that? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      You could run an antenna up from the basement.

    2. Re:Radio? What's that? by pubwvj · · Score: 1

      Mountains are in the way.

      (Thank you for your thoughtless and ill considered reply.)

  9. Radio - iTunes purchase process by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Well yeah...

    Know how I end up buying stuff on iTunes?

    I hear something on the radio - usually my alarm, I google bits of the lyrics, end up on a lyrics site and get a title, go to youtube with that to check it's the right one, and buy it on iTunes.

    Now any idiot would figure "we need to make this simpler, so that people spend more money". Problem is, "rightholders", "labels", "songwriters" and so on, are BEYOND idiocy. So instead they tried (and still try) to shut down the lyrics sites and get their stuff off youtube. Those morons are actively trying to prevent me from giving them money!

    Just how dumb can you get!

  10. Nice try failing radio media companies by EmperorOfCanada · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I simply don't hear radio much anymore. My kids don't listen to it, I don't hear it in cars driving by, I don't hear it much in stores, and I certainly don't listen to it.

    But the simple numbers that tell an absolute and unmanipulable truth is the advertising revenue. Every other statistic is a complete and total fabrication created in an effort to prevent the total freefall of existing sales and stock prices. A great example of these desperadoes is that they often show revenues from 2009 to the present. This makes it look like a growth industry but in reality it is a recovery from the disaster that was 2008.

    Quite simply people don't want to be told by a bunch of baby boomers what music to listen to. They have a device in their pockets that gives them total control. Remember these are the same sort of people who loved putting one good song on each CD so that people were effectively paying $20 per song.

    1. Re:Nice try failing radio media companies by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm 26, radio is my primary source of music and likely will be for decades.

      But not traditional broadcast radio (useless, limited by physical means, too many ads, local crap I don't care about).

      I use digital internet radio, thousands of stations at my fingertips and plugins that automatically switch between stations for me if/when ads come up (the adblock of the radio world. though they're based on signal processing to detect change-in-beat/end-of-song, lack of music, then just voice).

      I doubt I'd ever use Spotify or whatever the others are, my understanding is they only really cover music that people in the US would listen to, I listen to a lot of UK hardcore, EU hard dance, EDM, etc.

    2. Re:Nice try failing radio media companies by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There's a lot of hearsay and opinion in there. Not sure where to start so I'll just ask for some sources on baby boomers programming radio shows, the falling listener stats, falling stock prices and something to back up the claim of fabricated statistics.

      As for "one good song on each CD", you do know that music is supposed to be art and that artists are often pressured into creating hit singles. Expecting 10-20 hit singles on each CD is a bit...needy.

    3. Re:Nice try failing radio media companies by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I use digital internet radio

      That isn't radio, young buck, it's streaming music over the internet, and isn't what TFA is talking about.

    4. Re:Nice try failing radio media companies by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm 26, radio is my primary source of music and likely will be for decades.

      But not traditional broadcast radio (useless, limited by physical means, too many ads, local crap I don't care about).

      I use digital internet radio, thousands of stations at my fingertips and plugins that automatically switch between stations for me if/when ads come up (the adblock of the radio world. though they're based on signal processing to detect change-in-beat/end-of-song, lack of music, then just voice).

      I doubt I'd ever use Spotify or whatever the others are, my understanding is they only really cover music that people in the US would listen to, I listen to a lot of UK hardcore, EU hard dance, EDM, etc.

      Listening to a lot of UK EDM on spotify...not sure what hole you are speaking out of...

    5. Re:Nice try failing radio media companies by kelemvor4 · · Score: 1

      I simply don't hear radio much anymore. My kids don't listen to it, I don't hear it in cars driving by, I don't hear it much in stores, and I certainly don't listen to it. But the simple numbers that tell an absolute and unmanipulable truth is the advertising revenue. Every other statistic is a complete and total fabrication created in an effort to prevent the total freefall of existing sales and stock prices. A great example of these desperadoes is that they often show revenues from 2009 to the present. This makes it look like a growth industry but in reality it is a recovery from the disaster that was 2008. Quite simply people don't want to be told by a bunch of baby boomers what music to listen to. They have a device in their pockets that gives them total control. Remember these are the same sort of people who loved putting one good song on each CD so that people were effectively paying $20 per song.

      How do you propose they figure out what new music to put on the device in their pocket?

    6. Re:Nice try failing radio media companies by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The internet? I'll go look at Pitchfork's album reviews. Anything 7 or up (after filtering out stuff I know I won't like) I make a spotify playlist for (almost everything is available). I'll download them for offline listening on my phone, and listen when I go for a walk or stream in my car. Stuff I really like I'll google the artist, find out if they have any other projects, check those out, etc.

      If I'm listening to streaming internet music and come across a song that I like, I'll add it to a playlist on spotify (not a spotify advert, it is just what I happen to use). Every once in a while I'll listen to that playlist. Whichever songs I still end up liking, I'll listen to the whole album they came off from.

      It is a little bit of work but I really enjoy music and am willing to spend 20 minutes looking at review sites or New Release lists to find things that look interesting.

    7. Re:Nice try failing radio media companies by LostMyBeaver · · Score: 1

      I was waiting for that comment. I honestly haven't heard radio anywhere lately. Not in stores, not in other peoples cars (built in MP3 players). Not in gyms. Not in business. Not in anywhere I can name.

      I actually can't remember the last time I actually heard the radio.

      I am usually very interested in knowing things like "How did they reach their conclusions?". Also, I suppose I don't live in outback weird places like Oklahoma or Texas... so I can't speak for those "Heart of America" kind of people. Maybe if you don't mind listening to country, it might be more popular.

    8. Re:Nice try failing radio media companies by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      Try listening to Yes or ELP. You're lucky to get two songs in total .

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    9. Re:Nice try failing radio media companies by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Indeed. Radio is dead as far as music is concerned. Just about every US channel in owned by the same company that controls what they play, which in a very limited playlist. Then you have hours on inane chatter padding programming, then the adverts. Radio is dead, it disappeared up its own greedy poopy-hole.

      Live TV is next. Neither of mine bother with it whatsoever. It's all youtube, netflix or ripped stuff from the NAS, and then it's not for long like my generation. Seeing as they've lived in the US and UK, it's not a cultural thing, as they can have advert free quality programming from the BBC, and on demand via iplayer. The youth of today have moved on. It'll be interesting to see what broadcasting is left in a couple of decades, once the boomers are all dead. I guess sports, HBO and reality crap for females will be left.

    10. Re:Nice try failing radio media companies by iggymanz · · Score: 1

      You don't live in near a big city with congested rush hour? Lots of radio listeners in that situation. I still listen to it at times during the weekend when driving family around.

    11. Re:Nice try failing radio media companies by Sperbels · · Score: 1

      radio is my primary source of music .... But not traditional broadcast radio .... I use digital internet radio,

      I'm not sure if you actually ever had one, but your geek card has been revoked, with prejudice.

    12. Re:Nice try failing radio media companies by EmperorOfCanada · · Score: 1

      My test for TV is the commercials. CNN had a prime time advertisement for catheters the other day. My guess is that 5 years ago CNN simply wouldn't have accepted their money; nor could such a niche product afford prime CNN advertising 5 years ago.

  11. missing link is missing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    /. editors need to be fired and replaced with the good folks at Fox News!
    Might be more reliable...

  12. must be some wrong interpretation of statistics by blang · · Score: 1

    if they are state that only 1 in 25 don't listen to radio every week, theyre lying. my car had as radio, but thastsd because I've been to busy to replaced with a digital media player. I only listened to that radio maybe 5 weeks per year, and only npr, and never music. I know lots of others who also don't have as radio in the house. radio is as retro format like vinyl.

    --
    -- Another senseless waste of fine bytes.
    1. Re:must be some wrong interpretation of statistics by oodaloop · · Score: 1
      Hey thanks for the anecdata.

      radio is as retro format like vinyl.

      ...which is still really popular. Vinyl manufacturers can't keep up with the demand of record sales.

      --
      Tic-Tac-Toe, Global Thermonuclear War, and relationships all have the same winning move.
    2. Re:must be some wrong interpretation of statistics by AK+Marc · · Score: 1

      Why replace it. Nearly all will accept inputs. I can play any MP3 player through my car radio, without modification. Aux-in and USB ports are common, even in factory radios these days.

    3. Re:must be some wrong interpretation of statistics by kelemvor4 · · Score: 1

      ...which is still really popular. Vinyl manufacturers can't keep up with the demand of record sales.

      The hipsters got jobs, apparently.

    4. Re:must be some wrong interpretation of statistics by EmperorOfCanada · · Score: 1

      I don't even want a radio in my next new car. I literally want a radio, including satellite, as much as I want an 8 track, a cassette player, or even a CD player. I want the sound system and controls to interface with my phone and that is pretty much it. Maybe just maybe I could use a little in car storage for the rare time that I don't have my phone.

    5. Re:must be some wrong interpretation of statistics by blang · · Score: 1

      Because my car radio is as old as the car, and only has radio and cassette. which was the standard package back in the day. I'm using one of those cassette adapters to provide an aux, and they sound OK, except for the grinding sound of the fake cassette spinning.

      By the way, the biggest scam nowadays in new cars are the equipment packages. Schmucks are not going to pay you off on those when the car is sold used anyways.
      If you pay $1,000 for a CD player or even just a radio, you're being had.
      After market digital players for under $100 can generally play the shirt off the standard included ones.
      My neighbor chose to order his car with no audio package at all.
      Ordered an aftermarket digital player and speakers.
      Great was our surprise that the car already came with speakers.
      Apparently, the only difference between package or not, is that they wont put in a head unit. It must be cheaper to just install speakers on all cars, than bother keeping a stock of cars with and without audio.

      So next time you buy a new car, save yourself a bundle, and say no thanks to audio package, bu a $100 head unit and use the savings to buy $900 worth of other stuff.

      --
      -- Another senseless waste of fine bytes.
    6. Re:must be some wrong interpretation of statistics by AK+Marc · · Score: 1

      In most cases, you can't get it without the audio package. Even on special order.

  13. Re:Broadcast Radio? Eeew.... by AndroSyn · · Score: 1

    SiriusXM still has DJ chatter, depending on the station, but yeah, generally no commericals. For me, I have SiriusXM since I cross through a few radio markets on my commute and broadcast radio is just a pain in the rear to deal with in that case.

  14. Re:Broadcast Radio? Eeew.... by Technician · · Score: 1

    You don't have kids that listen to the morning zoo. It;s kind of like the daily dose of Facebook of teen gossip.

    --
    The truth shall set you free!
  15. Really? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So how much did ClearChannel pay for this study?

  16. Listening, maybe. Discovery, no! by whoever57 · · Score: 2

    I use Pandora continuously at work, and I have discovered new music through it.

    Radio, on the other hand, even if you hear a piece of music that you like, the chance of actually being told the name of the artist is close to zero. So, there is no chance to really "discover" music.

    --
    The real "Libtards" are the Libertarians!
    1. Re:Listening, maybe. Discovery, no! by _Shorty-dammit · · Score: 1

      Shazam. (But radio sucks anyway.)

    2. Re:Listening, maybe. Discovery, no! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Googling lyrics or using spotify to identify it for you... is so hard.

    3. Re:Listening, maybe. Discovery, no! by Rei · · Score: 1

      Yeah, I hate that. Now, you could probably have used Shazam - but it's not always a solution - for example, for obscure or foreign music. A while back I actually went so far at one point as to record a song on the radio that I really liked with my cell phone so that I could play it back to write down the lyrics to google them... but since it was an Icelandic song and thus really obscure even that didn't help. I ultimately ended up - with quite a bit of searching - guessing the title on Youtube. Fallback solution of choice ;)

      --
      It's times like this I wish I had a friend named 'The Professor'.
    4. Re:Listening, maybe. Discovery, no! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      The link is broken so I can't RTFA, but the summary says:

      over-the-air AM/FM radio and online radio streams

      To me that makes it sound like they're including Pandora and other streaming services as "radio" - which makes the statement "people still mostly discover music on the ol' fashioned radio" a lot less convincing.

    5. Re:Listening, maybe. Discovery, no! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    6. Re:Listening, maybe. Discovery, no! by tlhIngan · · Score: 1

      I use Pandora continuously at work, and I have discovered new music through it.

      Radio, on the other hand, even if you hear a piece of music that you like, the chance of actually being told the name of the artist is close to zero. So, there is no chance to really "discover" music.

      They're comparing music discovery via traditional radio and online radio vs. YouTube.

      You say you don't listen to radio, but you just got included in the radio group because you used Pandora, which they consider an online radio stream.

      It's really about whether people use radio or radio-like (online or satellite) mechanisms to discover new music, versus YouTube's music thing.

      So everyone saying radio is dead and they're using spotify or something - well, they count that as radio usage.

    7. Re:Listening, maybe. Discovery, no! by radarskiy · · Score: 1

      "the chance of actually being told the name of the artist is close to zero.
      It's interesting that in other comments people complain about the amount of DJ chatter, but to reduce it the first thing DJ eliminate is the part that is useful to the listener.

    8. Re:Listening, maybe. Discovery, no! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Pandora is crap... it used to be a great service, but it's no better than listening to the radio.

    9. Re:Listening, maybe. Discovery, no! by swillden · · Score: 1

      Or Google music search.

      --
      Note to ACs: I usually delete AC replies without reading them. If you want to talk to me, log in.
    10. Re:Listening, maybe. Discovery, no! by ncc74656 · · Score: 1

      Radio, on the other hand, even if you hear a piece of music that you like, the chance of actually being told the name of the artist is close to zero.

      Many car radios at least will display artist/title information on FM, if the station provides it. If they don't (or if yours doesn't do that), you can fire up SoundHound or something similar and see what it says.

      --
      20 January 2017: the End of an Error.
  17. Re: must be some wrong interpretation of statistic by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I 3d print a fresh copy for each listening.

  18. I *NEVER* listen to the radio by _Shorty-dammit · · Score: 1

    I can't stand listening to the radio, and never do. I discover new music two ways: word-of-mouth and late night talk shows. When I have music on, 100% of the time it is being played back from my library of music. Radio sucks, even streaming ones.

    1. Re:I *NEVER* listen to the radio by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      I just can't imagine that people are actually still listening to the radio. Is it really true? Or do people just say they do? Why would anyone do that?

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  19. I Like Discovering Music by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yippppeeeee!!!!!

  20. Why get snarky? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    91.3% of the country still listens to radio but Slashdot becomes less relevant every year.
    *oh snap*

  21. Re:Broadcast Radio? Eeew.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Local information. Local content. Local sports. I want to hear about whats going on in my city, not New York.

  22. "I'd sit alone and watch your lights, by Trax3001BBS · · Score: 1

    my only friend on teenage nights..."
    Queen-Radio https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

  23. Radio Paradise by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Bill and Rebecca Goldsmith are responsible for more new 'international' stuff I hear than anyone else, yet I am in the UK and live in a very musical community (more than dozen of my friends are in diverse bands getting national airplay).

    Whole chunks of music that would otherwise pass me by, I now hear, because I am listening to a source outside that rich environment.

    1. Re:Radio Paradise by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      More than *a* dozen. Argh.

      If I share a youtube video on facebook, chances are it's a track I've first heard, or extremely belatedly been reminded of, on RP.

  24. Re:Broadcast Radio? Eeew.... by smooth+wombat · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Why anyone would pay for something they can get for free I will never understand.

    --
    We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
  25. It's the people, not the platform. by wh1pp3t · · Score: 1

    Discovery occurs with selective filtering of the music. I listen to KCRW here in Los Angeles, as well as catch recordings of Passport Approved for my music discovery.
    Sure, Pandora can play tracks I have never heard before. But that's akin to throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks.
    I'd rather have talented humans help me to find new music worth listening to.

    1. Re:It's the people, not the platform. by Mandrel · · Score: 1

      Discovery occurs with selective filtering of the music.

      Yeah, there's so much new music that one could never find what you like without some sort of human or machine filter/sorter. But even mild filtering makes the job of music discovery manageable.

      I create weekly YouTube playlists of the new music played on our local music video TV show. By removing repeats, the playlist is cut down from 11 hours to 2-3 hours, which is easy to listen to over the week. The playlist is filled with all genres, which I like because good stuff can come from anywhere. That's why I don't like music services that try to categorize music and stereotype you as only loving music "similar" to what you already love.

      Such a YouTube playlist is the only 100% concentrated eclectic source of new music that I know of. No repeats, ads, charges, DJs, or schedules.

  26. not broadcast, but internet streams by dltaylor · · Score: 1

    I haven't tuned a radio to a station in ages, but my preamp has internet radio capability that I use frequently (and donate/subscribe). I can also get streams on my Ouya, through XBMC and plugins.

    The FCC really screwed up one of my favorite radio stations. They gave an LPFM (low-power KOCI) the same frequency as a powerhouse down the coast. I can only get the LPFM in a few block radius. Fortunately, the LPFM also has a shoutcast stream, so it's available on my computers, main sound system, the bedroom, and at work.

  27. So? You don't need to read it.. by s.petry · · Score: 2

    This is plain old common sense. What you will see on Youtube is what other people already listen to.. alot. On a new computer I'm inundated with suggestions for Taylor Swift and Niki Minaj(sp? don't worry, I don't really care). You don't run across anything "new" when what's "popular" is always suggested. Skimming radio stations gives you new things, and has since the advent of Radio.

    I quoted "popular" very intentionally by the way. Popularity is not just what people listen to, but what people want people to listen to especially in with certain genres (see the 2 names mentioned above). A rare few have any talent at all (Taylor Swift as far as I know writes most of her music), and the majority are spoon fed music and lyrics and only provide a face someone likes (see the other name mentioned).

    --

    -The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.

  28. Thanks, Magic Johnson by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I go to Youtube to listen to music I already know about. Radio, however, gives me 99% of shit I don't care about and the occasional song I like, which I will then look up on the internet, find it on Youtube and thereby the rest of what that artist did.

    Captain Obvious to the rescue.

  29. I discover new music by rossdee · · Score: 1

    I discover new (age) musicon the music channel "Soundscapes"

  30. KFJC 89,7 FM Los Altos hills by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "Let it be said, that if something got one play in a week at KFJC, chances are that was the MOST important play of the week"
    http://kfjc.org/netcast/index.php

  31. Fix the link by kelemvor4 · · Score: 1

    I'd sure like to read the article. Unfortunately the only link in this post is a reference back to this post on slashdot. Where are the editors?

  32. Now that you mention it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I can't remember the last time I saw a radio that was connected and wasn't part of a car.

  33. Re:Broadcast Radio? Eeew.... by kelemvor4 · · Score: 1

    Sirius/XM? yes. Why anyone would tolerate 10 minutes of music 10 minutes of DJ chatter, and 40 minutes of commercials I will never understand.

    I agree sirius is better. As for the why? It's very expensive at list prices. That is, if you aren't onto their game where you have to call and bitch every renewal. If you do, it runs about 4 bucks a month. One of their operators told me about the pricing scam when I was going to cancel a few years ago.

  34. Compulsory licensing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So it turns out that compulsory licensing is a huge benefit to music copyright holders. Why on earth the same thing isn't written into law for video is beyond me.

  35. Because it's local by TheDarkener · · Score: 1

    From TFA: "...radio’s ‘local nature makes it an integral part of the daily lives of hundreds of millions of consumers in markets large and small’."

    People like local content, it's as simple as that. It's a real shame that most local radio stations don't play music created by local artists, but it makes sense since most of them are owned by corporations that don't live in the area..

    --
    It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
  36. True For Me by friedmud · · Score: 1

    I subscribe to Beats for my unlimited, play anything service.

    I use iTunes for buying Albums I want to keep forever (that I usually listen to on Beats first).

    BUT... I still subscribe to Sirius/XM in the car (and online)... and that's where I normally learn about new bands (on the Indie/Alt stations). I use Shazam to snag a song that comes on the radio... and it directly has a button that lets me listen to it (and the album) on Beats later after I get home... from there I typically spin off to other things Beats/iTunes suggests.

    I tried dropping the "radio" portion of this system a while ago... and found myself stuck in a musical rut. Beats does a decent job of leading me into hand-picked playlists that are "radio like" - but when faced with the choice of picking something I know is good vs something I don't know about I still often find myself listening to stuff I've already heard before. The "forced" nature of the radio naturally leads to listening to things outside of my current library...

  37. Re:Broadcast Radio? Eeew.... by friedmud · · Score: 1

    "very expensive"?

    I don't think most people would consider $10/month "very expensive". It is a small amount of money by almost any measure.

    Is it worth $10/month? That's a personal question... but there's no way that's "very expensive" to anyone with a steady job...

  38. Re:Broadcast Radio? Eeew.... by kelemvor4 · · Score: 1

    "very expensive"?

    I don't think most people would consider $10/month "very expensive". It is a small amount of money by almost any measure.

    Is it worth $10/month? That's a personal question... but there's no way that's "very expensive" to anyone with a steady job...

    $19/month or $199/yr according to their website.

  39. Re:Broadcast Radio? Eeew.... by fermion · · Score: 1
    who is going to pay $200 a year for radio. I pay almost that much for contributions to non profit stations, but if I listen to commercial radio it is streaming from my phone, mostly non-US stations to discover movie.

    In any case Sirius does not solve the basic problem, which is the payments to the artists for airplay. Streaming services are going to tend to much better than radio to target new music to listeners, and are not running ads to pay for excessive fees to allow artists to publicize their music, so while these services need to pay artists, they cannot be as much as radio. Likewise, the big publishers should be removed from the process, otherwise we are going to end up with same lame formats we have on radio.

    --
    "She's a scientist and a lesbian. She's not going to let it slide." Orphan Black
  40. Radio? by Randle_Revar · · Score: 1

    I occasionally listen to 95.7 (now "the jet" formerly "KJR") here in Seattle, but not as often since they (ClearChannel) twice attempted to rebrand it and somewhat altered its format (for one thing they put in a damned morning show, when they used to brag about playing only music in the morning because "who talks along with the radio?")

    Now it is pretty much my USB stick in the car and Pandora at home.

  41. Re:Broadcast Radio? Eeew.... by guzzirider · · Score: 1

    I listen to radio on my 45 minute commute. Here in Dallas we have a Listener Supported station KXT. It supports (plays) local and national artists and does not have an overly restrictive/repetitive play list. I do find that I use it for discovery, sometimes I stream it at Work. It is about 50% of my discovery and the rest is spread around (friends, internet 4KW stereo in other guys car). I do understand Eeew, it has pledge drives that are well, Eeew. For some reason I never upgraded the radio in my commute car, it is and old OEM becker piece that in the past I had refurbished by the factory. I no longer remember why (should have just replaced it)

  42. Radio? What's that? by Maxo-Texas · · Score: 1

    Seriously, I don't listen to music radio any more except pre selected songs from periods I already like.
    So hit me with the "70s" and the "80s" music.

    I discovered Blue October because a friend gave me a pirated disk and said they were good. So I've gone to several concerts- bought some T-Shirts.

    But it's really too hard to find good music by listening to the market dominating "clearchannel" mega media conglomerate.

    I'm in the filter bubble on pandora so it doesnt' suggest anything new.

    Netflix does a better job because it has a "what's popular on netflix" set of shows.

    --
    She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
  43. Music variety by fph+il+quozientatore · · Score: 1

    What worries me about radios is the lack of variety in the represented genres. I don't know about where you live, but here all stations seem copies of the same one, and they all broadcast the same kind of pop-ish music. The less popular genres have zero chances of making it out to the public. The cycle will never be broken if it goes like (people like and choose music based on radio broadcasts) -> (artists on radios get famous and popular) -> (radios choose music based on their perception of people's taste).

    --
    My first program:

    Hell Segmentation fault

    1. Re:Music variety by alfredo · · Score: 1

      Look for streaming public radio stations. You might find something you like. Right now I am listening to some Steve Earle on a public station out of Whitesburg Ky (WMMT). Some of the best Rap I heard was on WRFL (Radio Free Lexington). http://wrfl.fm/playlist/# Stations like these are a threat to corporate radio, so that's why there are attempts at defunding them or selling off their bandwidth to mega media.

      --
      photosMy Photostream
  44. Re:Broadcast Radio? Eeew.... by friedmud · · Score: 1

    Where? A basic music package is $10/month:

    http://www.siriusxm.com/ourmos...

  45. Re:Broadcast Radio? Eeew.... by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

    Why anyone would pay for something they can get for free I will never understand.

    You can't get commercial-free radio for free. On the rare occasion that you can, it is usually shit — that is, it's usually college radio, and the selection is eclectic enough to where unless you have truly broad interests in music, you will hate most of it.

    Sirius and XM are the only kinds of radio I can actually get at any tolerable level of quality where I live, so there's another potential reason.

    I just listen to canned music, and then I don't have to deal with subscriptions or static. But if I drove more, I might well have Sirius or XM. Do they even both still exist? Heh.

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  46. Re:So? You don't need to read it.. by kilodelta · · Score: 1

    I have a well configured Pandora One account. I like the model - tell it artists you do like, and it suggests based on that.

  47. Re:Broadcast Radio? Eeew.... by kilodelta · · Score: 1

    Yeah - come to think of it there is one radio station I stream - it's KBCS out of the Seattle area. No commercials at all.

  48. Re:Broadcast Radio? Eeew.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You get commercial-free radio for free in countries with public broadcasting services.

  49. Re:Broadcast Radio? Eeew.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    You get commercial-free radio WHERE SOMEBODY ELSE PAYS FOR IT AT GUNPOINT in countries with COMMUNISM.

    FTFY (at my own expense).
    --
    roman_mir

  50. Probably one of the best eclectic radio: by DavidMZ · · Score: 1

    The french radio fip.

  51. Re:So? You don't need to read it.. by kheldan · · Score: 1

    Gee, that's nice. But what makes you think they're not performing a 'man in the middle' attack on your personal preferences and tastes by injecting something they're being paid to try to get you to like? There is no invasion of privacy or crime being committed if they do that, and it can easily be dismissed as their algorithm hiccupping and feeding you something you didn't really want -- or you can go "Gee, I kinda like that too, thanks Pandora!" and their mission is accomplished. Kind of like broadcast radio. Yes, I have no proof of this -- but it's plausible. So how is something that requires you to PAY for access (data plan on wireless, or internet access at home) better than something that comes OTA for free? Yes, radio has commercials -- but you can always switch stations if it bugs you that much. You're dismissing broadcast radio out-of-hand for no good reason. Oh and don't call me a Luddite (although most people don't use the term correctly), I tried Pandora, and found it annoying. The deal-breaker was when it wouldn't let me skip more than so-many selections per hour, essentially forcing me to listen to what it wanted me to hear. At that point I may as well just listen to whatever MP3s/AACs I had around -- or turn on the radio again.

    --
    Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!
  52. Devices not that good, lack of tuner for PC by Blaskowicz · · Score: 1

    I have some small radio/CD thing with separate speakers that sits unused (Philips). It has modern features : MP3, aux in, older ipod dock (interfacing with it is illegal because of patents) and even a remote.
    So, it ought to be somewhat ideal for listening to radio but.. the speakers while better than what many people deal with (most consumer electronics crap) aren't that good, those on my PC are better.
    I once figured out the feature to auto-scan all the FM stations and store then in memory, but there are only 20 slots and I can get well very 30 radio stations. That means switching between the station with next/previous or the keypad numbers on the remote only covers the spectrum up to 100MHz. That is fucking infuriating, for lack of other words :).

    I can listen to the FM on the dumbphone, switching stations is easier there.

    In the 90s you could get a FM tuner card for a a PC, but they don't seem to exist anymore?
    Sure I found one (PCIe 1x) but it does HDMI in, composite in and TV tuner, which I don't need. I want just the FM. Maybe old analog TV tuner cards you can find in stashes of old stuff can work, if you can recommend me some good linux software to use one.

  53. Public Radio! by alfredo · · Score: 1

    Public radio has been a great resource for me. WUKY in Lexington has introduced me to some great musicians that would never get air time on corporate radio. You won't hear Christian McBride or Lucinda Williams on your local AM station. Chances are, you won't hear a live, local Dj on your radio unless you tune into your NPR station. I'm listening to WMMT streaming from Whitesburg Ky.

    --
    photosMy Photostream
  54. The Radio? by sudon't · · Score: 1

    People still turn to commercial radio for new music? I thought commercial radio's been irrelevant since the mid-seventies?

    --
    -- sudon't

    Air-ride Equipped

  55. Don't use radio anymore by CanadianMacFan · · Score: 1

    The last thing that I had been using radio for was my alarm but I stopped that when I got sick of the fart jokes and Bieber updates. They didn't play his "music" but for some reason thought I gave a damn about what he was up to.

    I find many artists through CBC Music 3. The Band of the Day app is pretty good too.

  56. Re:Broadcast Radio? Eeew.... by Lumpy · · Score: 1

    The kids can wear headphones or listen to Howard Stern like daddy.

    --
    Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
  57. Re:Broadcast Radio? Eeew.... by Lumpy · · Score: 1

    Please tell me where you can get commercial radio for free that does not fade out as I drive 600 miles.

    No Spotify is NOT free, you pay for your bandwidth for your phone, so try again.

    --
    Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
  58. Re:Broadcast Radio? Eeew.... by Lumpy · · Score: 1

    Lots of people do,

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S...

    23.9 million people subscribe in the USA, so it seems a very large number subscribe. So it's highly popular.

    --
    Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
  59. Stupid people take a while to catch up is all by Kuruk · · Score: 1

    I have not listened to radio in years. I play music and podcast I enjoy when I what them. It is almost amusing to listen to them now in a store or a party and hear ads and idiot radio jocks.

    Some of the radio shows I did like I only listen to the podcasts when I want. Hamish and Andy is one of them I will play for a laugh.

  60. Re:Broadcast Radio? Eeew.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I wonder if that is related to "FREE X YEARS of XM with the purchase of a new car!!" I see advertised. What would be more interesting is the renewal rate after promotional periods or rates or whatever.

  61. Re:So? You don't need to read it.. by Quirkz · · Score: 1

    I've had good luck with that, too. I'd say over the past couple of years the ratio is about 20:1 for Pandora:Radio in terms of useful recommendations. One of my main problems with the radio is even when I hear something new that I like I either 1) miss who the artist was in the first place, or 2) hear but fail to remember the name later, when I'm out of the car and capable of doing something about it. With Pandora at least I'm already on the computer, and can just copy/paste, or at worst thumbs-up the song, and increase the chances it'll come back around a second time.

  62. The top 3 ways to discover music by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    1.) Radio
    2.) Movies
    3.) Friends

    We are surrounded by radio broadcasts every day, anyone who is anyone that has a smartphone and appreciates music uses Shazam to figure out the artist/song title since the stations do a poor job of relaying that info. Movies are the 2nd most common, followed by friends.

    At least, that's my opinion.

  63. Re:Broadcast Radio? Eeew.... by RyoShin · · Score: 1

    This is like saying "Why would you pay for [$NICE DINING ESTABLISHMENT] when you can get a hobo to feed you poop for free?" (Or, for those who require car analogies, "Why would you purchase a vehicle when you can jump on the back of a bus for free?")

    I suppose if you're the type who likes having a selection of ~40 songs 90% of the time, separated by annoying commercials and whatever the "DJ" spews forth, then radio is fine. Personally, when I want to listen to music, I want to listen to just music. Preferably of a wide variety and stuff I know I'll like, so all my devices that can have music on them do, from my personal collection (bought-and-paid), including my car. Sure, I might miss out on some new music I would enjoy while driving, but I will happily do so over having to deal with the crap surrounding it. I listen to Pandora One while at work or home, which I pay for to also get rid of the commercials, so I'll hear the new music anyway.