When There's Nothing Left to Say
We live in the age of knowledge. It's found everywhere. Yet, because it is, we seldom absorb the profound thoughts, choosing instead to "get back to it later" or move on to the "next new thing" which is simpler to understand.
I've been hammering this keyboard for nearly 2 decades, writing millions of words with one thought behind each - How the internet affects radio advertising and the radio industry. What I found is that people are too busy talking to listen.
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Over the past few weeks I've considered pulling back, pulling out of this crazy world where creating worth for one's self in the eyes of others comes at the expense of building self-worth through knowledge. I have made a decision. |
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- not care if the radio industry, which I loved so deeply, ever understands how it has squandered - and continues to squander - the vast opportunities new media placed before it.
- give up on whether those trying to run online radio stations receive the guidance required to operate in a technologically advanced world. Few seem to desire it.
- not mind if thousands of artists with real talent are overshawdowed by a few select "artists" chosen by the labels and large media.
Words I wrote in 2004 mean little today: "Audio Graphics' internet properties are used for testing concepts. Information [learning the coding and mechanics of] gained from RadioRow and RRadioMusic, web sites I created in 1999 and 2003, respectively, allowed me to post articles at Audio Graphics that are based on real-world experience."
Radio has shown it wants the easy and cheap way to digital. In all that I've been involved with, though, "easy" and "cheap" were never a course to success.
What I built for Audio Graphics will remain, slowly sold off until there's nothing left to sell. AudioGraphics.com, RadioRow.com, along with other domains like RadioAdvertiser.com, TVadvertiser.com (and TVadvertisers.com), RadioAdInfo.com and many more will exit my life and I'll not look back. (RRadioMusic.com will be kept. It is my retirement golf game, helping indie artists and small online stations.)
Facebook comments and posts are going to go where Linkedin ends up, absent of my participation because life is not worth the sacrifice of speaking when so many other voices are shouting.
It's been fun, exciting, knowledge-building and different. But it's also been frustrating to stare into so many sets of eyes that glaze over when the real work of learning about digital is spoken. Most of all it's been futile.
Currently, to see radio groups running towards podcasting is akin to their leap into HD Radio; many promises are made but, if you take into consideration all the elements of doing a podcast that are not mentioned, its promise will chase HD into that giant hole of silence as soon as this radio dream-world runs the course.
The older generation has little idea of how their lives have changed, because it fights change.
The younger generations have expectations of change, not realizing how long real change takes.
The only way to benefit from where audio sources are today is to walk away. That leaves me free of angst brought on by constant lies of how easy it is to succeed in digital. Every trade publication, radio exec, and consultant speaks as if "just wishing it" makes "whatever" happen.
Perhaps I may think of something worthwhile to mutter again. For now, though, I have nothing left to say except good-night and good luck.
Monday, July 18, 2016
Today's artist introduction is to Blues from Invisible Eddie
Give "The Blues Won't Leave Me Alone" a listen.
Stations: Add it to your playlist, free.
