THE DEATH OF LOCAL INDEPENDENT RADIO

I don't know if any of you remember local radio, and how great regionally specific stations can be, especially for independent music. Live, on air radio was a great thing to have because it made premium content available for the everyman. Live independent radio made local music extremely accessible for all people, and it also served as a great platform for up and coming acts to get air time.

Numerous things happened to radio in the early 2000's, including satellite/streaming premium stations that one could subscribe to. Streaming radio made a commodity out of content that people used to be able to listen to for free. The first example of this was the Howard Sterns exodus from live air radio to a streaming station dedicated to his show. People had to pay to hear something that that have (up until that time) got to listen to for free in the morning on most big name rock stations as well as some talk stations. Not that I don't agree with Sterns move, nor his motives for moving. When he was on air radio he was beholden to the stations rules and regulations, as well as stricter FCC regulations. Next, AI began to take over radio stations. Every industry has suffered under mechanization. What AI stations like BOB do is basically pull music out of an algorithm for a specific style or group of styles, and then plays it. BOB is just one example of these robot stations, and these AI radio stations are becoming more pervasive as the trend continues to grow. I am all for the future and mechanizing tasks and labor, but I always found that I enjoyed radio shows where there was a human element, and people I could see and meet in real life. Finally, radio as a media format has become as monopolized and concentrated as other media. What this means is that there is very few communications companies, and decision making power has been concentrated as well. What this has lead to is more stations playing what profits and drives sales, and at the end of the day, what is profitable is what is safe, and highly consumable. The Taylor Swifts, The 1D, the pop, country and commercial rock/metal have basically been boiled down to formulaic boring stations.

 

A video from Godsmack circa 1997 when they were local /independent

Eventually applications for phones and PC's became the norm, and free sites like Pandora, Spotify and Soundcloud provided a way for people to stream what they wanted to hear with little to no commercial interruptions. I admit, I take advantage of this technology a LOT. These apps do play new music, but typically they are very behind. Music evolves quickly. The final thing that occurred that killed independent radio was record companies monopolizing the industry and leaving any music that wouldn't immediately profit out in the dust. These days, if it wasn't for the internet and crowdfunding, some really great bands/djs wouldn't have any resources.

14 years later, and here we are. There is a robust independent music scene on line, but you have to actively seek it out. Finding and hearing good independent music isn't as easy as flipping on a radio station anymore, that is, unless you have one programmed on your device or computer. What few independent stations left are literally college stations or Public radio (NPR/PBS). Podcasts are one of the few bastions of independent music left as well. In conclusion, local independent music is great, innovative, and should be played more often on all formats. People want to hear new music, and by "new" I don't mean popular, I mean, never heard before. Independent artists have such a hard time these days because of the death of Indy/local radio. As a fan I miss being able to tune in at a certain time and be able to hear something new. 

End Rant.

Live Local Independent Boston Stations:

WEMF
WBRU 
92.4 THE RIVER

Add some to the comments if I missed any!