My Music My Way
Posted on Tuesday, June 7th, 2005 at 14:32.
Wired: Radio Industry Hits Shuffle
I used to listen to the radio non-stop. I even worked in radio for five years. However, since my iPod revolution in 2002, I almost never listen to the radio. I abhor Top 40 stations that repeat the same five songs every two hours. Commercials are endless. Sound quality sucks. Why would I ever listen to the radio when I have any song I desire available to me through the iTunes Music Store or a friend’s CD library? I don’t want Clear Channel telling me what I can listen to and when.
I feel the same way about satellite radio. Why would I pay to listen to someone else’s playlist when I can make my own? Some will argue that outlets are needed for music discovery, but word of mouth from friends, music reviews, and iTunes Music Store spotlights do a great job introducing me to new music.
My favorite defense of satellite radio is, “What if you’re driving across the country?” Well how many people do you know make trips across the country or through any radio market where there aren’t at least 3 Clear Channel radio stations that sound exactly like the 3 Clear Channel stations where you departed from? Not many. My 20 GB iPod holds 15 days of music. It only takes a week to drive across the country.
I think satellite radio is flawed; a niche market for old people who haven’t joined the iPod revolution. Traditional radio is in an even more troubled position.
I see your point. However, don’t you think that sometimes by peeking at what’s on the radio you might find something you haven’t heard that you may end up liking instead of cycling the same songs on your iPod? By listening to the radio you aren’t surrendering your free will to Clear Channel (or whomever), you are simply choosing to see what else is out there. In the end, what you listen to is always your choice.
As both a purchaser of sattelite radio and owning an MP3 player that is not made by apple, I would have to agree with you about sattelite radio. I bought it originally with birthday money in December thinking it was cool. Very rarely do I turn the damn thing on because I hear one good song and 9 crap songs most of the time…granted once I hear a song on the radio I can save it in my favorites and anytime it plays it will automatically jump over to the station playing it. The only time I actually do listen to it is when I go on a trip somewhere so I can listen to my beloved Padres but other than that my DJ plugs directly into my stero via the auxilary port. The only thing that bugs me about the mp3 player is that I bought the 5 gig thinking Ill never fill it up, and here I am now about 5 songs away from filling it up with about 25 songs sitting on my hard drive to add. I wish I had splurged on the 20 gig.
J,
What does Clearchannel have to do with your choice of whether or not you listen to the radio?… They aren’t the only media giant in the country… :)
i agree because i listen to sattelite radio every time i go to my friends. but im thinkin about gettin an Ipod in about 3 or 4 weeks, and i think tht you should do wat ever floats ur boat but i like to listen to songs i like when i want. Not wait till it comes on the radio.
You state that you think “satellite radio is flawed; a niche market for old people who haven’t joined the iPod revolution.” Why the agist slant? How about, “…a niche market for people who haven’t joined the iPod revolution?” I agree that there are “old people” who are out of touch. There are also “young people” who are out of touch, as well. ;)
It’s not an ageist slant. Published sales demographics and even advertising approach show that the iPod has universal appeal, particularly in the 30 and under, while satellite radio has captured very little of the under 30 market. I am not saying that 30 is old, but the stats I’ve seen group 30-40 and I would not qualify 40 as the “youth” market.