Why Internet Radio Will Simply Be Called “Radio” Pretty Soon
This article is a slow pitch to all the DJs sitting in the brick and mortar mega-corp offices broadcasting on a wavelength best suited for SOS calls. Its Sasparilla time. Yes, you can still buy Sasparilla but most people dont want to cuz Root Beer is on tap everywhere and is pretty dang tasty. Much like Cable TV (The “C” in CNN BTW), which has simply become “TV”, I have not heard anyone say, “I am going to watch Cable” in at least a dozen years. Likewise, “internet radio” will become “radio” very much ASAP and like always it will be the consumer who drives that shift – from adjective to the thing itself.
And heres why: Todays broadcast corporate radio is still, even now, utter crap. Its the equivalent of local broadcast television in the 1970s. Dont like it? Tough, theres only two other channels in town, my cousin Sal owns them both, and he thinks Tiny Tim is cutting edge. But now the internet software and hardware revolution have reached a point where its not clunky, its not whiz band, its real useable and reliable technology that you can use no matter what MPH you are traveling at. Want to design your own radio station that plays only the songs you want to hear? Cool, go to Pandora.com which just a few years ago was a pirate site until cooler heads on all sides figured out it was a wallet filler. (And no Im not on Pandoras payroll its just my favorite of all those sites and services. But yeah, Big P call me, well do lunch.)
On the hardware side, which has been the big limiter up until now…Oh your Smartphone has an App that just finished that sentence? No worries, I was bored with it anyway. Dont have a Smartphone? Neither do I. It doesnt matter. Im on a $40 completely mobile, good anywhere in the lower 48, modem right now listening to radio as I type this. Planes, trains, and automobiles. Sorry Mr. Candy.
Now to anchor this all to a real world situation in Denver that you might be interested in: Wkrpradio.com has recently just launched and is partnered with PBS to film what it takes to create a hopefully successful (internet) radio station. (For the startup story, check out this have you seen the second episode yet?)The broadcast schedule includes an even dozen shows ranging from Chad Nances “Weird Load Radio” to the music program “Roots 2 Rap” with shows like “Marijuana Radio” which tackles the whole MMJ debate, in between. Full disclosure:I have a new show on there. Check it out.