Do what you do because it's fun. Do what you do because you enjoy helping people find music. Do what you do because you believe it's better audio programming than others supply. Don't do it for adulation, recognition, or money. You will be disappointed.(More)
An independent podcaster's Achilles Heel is the same as independent internet radio - there is no centralized sales system. Gaining the scale required to challenge NPR, Triton Digital, etc. is improbable, to non-existent. (More)
The only certainty is that there's always an exit. "When" one leaves is important. If a choice it shows the degree of commitment. If not, a lack of control. (More)
For readers of radio, podcast and indie artist web sites you can not go online today without being exposed to hyperbole on podcasting. Tap the picture to order. (More)
The following was first posted here on April 6, 2006.
...net neutrality guaranties internet costs stay the same for all businesses. unless you get involved notifying your Washington reps that you want net neutrality to remain, and place a similar warning for the public to respond on your web site, Republicans are going to give internet service providers the power to charge more to stream an online station. (More)
The connection between Kent State's place in history and where radio sits now is this: In both cases, those in control do not believe that dissidents have any chance of being right. (More)
There are two sides of this coin: 1) a new artist who is looking for exposure on a station or podcast; 2) a station or podcast seeking music it can use...(More)
Audio Graphics serves a defined set of people: 1) Artists looking for exposure; 2) Radio stations and other producers of audio; 3) Fans who love new music.(More)
Artists want to be paid by the radio industry for using their music. Advertisers want to pay less, now for an accountable return. The public doesn't want to pay anyone for anything.(More)
One moment audio sources are squeamish about paying performing/performer fees. The next, artists scramble trying to become/stay relevant in a world filled with consumers' endless choice.(More)
March 5, 2014: To emphasize the "parameters" collected by Google Analytics and many other digital platforms, examine this snippet of code: Within this incomplete segment of code (below) are 18 data points; the one designating that the browser is set at "English" is circled.(More)
August 16, 2013: There's no shortage of internet based companies willing to help an artist stand out from the crowd, but with this comes a warning that nearly all carry more rhetoric than action.(More)
Aug. 11, 2010: "I'm wondering how executives in the typewriter industry responded when they saw the world changing. ... Same can be said for the film and picture developing industries. All failed to change, and all are a memory."(More)
This is my passion: Help new artists gain exposure, while assisting online music sources that are gouged by online performance royalty fees. Fans are welcome too.(More)
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. (More)
"Radio" isn't just a "station" anymore. Facebook has audio platforms that people call "radio." There's Google Play and Apple Music Radio (with dozens of smaller operators, including our own RRadio Music). (More)
Thank you Lord, for all I have... for the love of my wife and my child. For the few small things that pleasure brings. For the joy in my day, and a smile... (More)
Curiously, if the media is the message, what message comes from a stagnated media? Good, new music from a variety of fresh artists. That's the message in the media I work in. (More)
In audio that message is comprised of either a broadcast, stream, podcast, or downloadable source - the last two are not the same. To insist they are drives home the width of chasm between broadcast radio and what's happening online. (More)
The connection between Kent State's place in history and where radio sits now is this: In both cases, those in control do not believe that dissidents have any chance of being right. (More)
As an independent musician you accept that part which flows with creativity, letting you enjoy a life producing organized noise. There's also the business side, which is required to exploit various publicity routes for maximum exposure.(More)
It was the new age of a consumer-first management strategy online, ten years matured. The public was becoming super-served by digital companies upgrading their abilities to serve more defined content and ads. (More)
If ever there is an area where radio proves it doesn't understand the digital environment, it's the lack of understanding how powerful a descriptive top level domain is. Who is it that owns "RockRadio.com," "TalkRadio.com," or "ListenToRadio.com"? It's not anyone in the radio industry. (More)
Those who have known "quality," also know real quality is rare.To produce quality takes time and talent. In today's world, seldom do the two come together in enough dosage at the right time. (More)
Here's an introduction to what I believe solves a problem... Music Short is a program knowing no limit on length, format, or distribution. A Music Short is built using royalty free music that's not streamed. It can be a single song or a night's worth of party songs. And those who play it can be radio stations or fans.(More)
Set aside personal changes and focus on just those affecting your career. There are dozens of things that you should be doing differently now than just five years ago. (More)
I have been digging into new ways of distributing audio. ... In 2016 we have a higher number of options-for-distributing audio product than types of audio being distributed. (More)
The topic du jour is what may end up being online radio's cavalry. If online independent radio stations are to survive, they MUST reach out to an indie artist community that's willing to sign royalty waivers. (More)
...on WGAR Cleveland, I heard a Pizza Hut commercial immediately followed by another restaurant chain's commercial, which started with the words "Pizza? Again, tonight? Seriously?" (More)
Record label song distribution of the past is gone. It's mixed today with independent artist song distribution and far more competition. ... Trying to maintain old world systems of exposure and revenue is wasted energy. (More)
We live in a music glut with market driven pricing. Like a kernel of corn in a silo, music has become a commodity. ... The next ninety days will show if there is fight left in this battle or if small and medium stations leave... (More)
April 23, 2015: On April 21 Google also changed, moving sites that are not "mobile friendly" off search results delivered to mobile devices. {The chart represents percentage of visits by each device to Audio Graphics' "RadioRow."] (More)
February 5, 2014: It's talent like this that a radio station can use to entice visits to its web site. It's also a way for the radio industry to begin parsing out new talent, using analytics on views to determine which new artists should be given more exposure. (More)
April 4, 2013: [This} represents the "Percentage of Average Active Sessions Resulting from Stream Starts." Through it you can tell if people are sticking around after tuning in...(More)
Aug. 22, 2011: We now have a push to place smartphone and internet connectivity in vehicles, so there will be no cavalry coming over the horizon to save radio from what's ahead this time. (More)
May 18, 2011: The radio industry is no longer isolated on a dashboard where a program is waiting for a person to simply push a button. A growing base of audience is listening through the internet, and it's up to you to make sure they easily find the way to listen." (More)
May 13, 2010: The main thrust of the Audio Graphics/Borrell Associates survey is that fewer than 5% of 1,011 respondents had ever received or used a coupon sent via cellphone. Could it be that the cellphone is so attached to oneself that there's a rebellion brewing against ads forced, as [our 28 year old son] Jeff says, "...in my face, in my space." (More)
Jan. 6, 2006: "Wonder why the public is believing that they can do news better? ... We are hearing and seeing mistakes from broadcasters that never would have made air fifteen years ago..." (More)
1) Patience is required until online radio gets on the radar screen of media buyers; 2) For those wondering what one looks like, here's a snippet from an old Google algorithm(More)
I'm not a Johnny-come-lately proclaiming I have the answers. I am proclaiming that what I hear as answers for podcasting from the Johnny-come-latelys" today is wrong. (More)
There's an insider's mindset that even with more choice of alternative audio sources, audience and advertisers will still choose the radio station.(More)
That's where both radio and indie artists sit today. Both groups hoped that each would sit pat and wait out "change." That digital would circle and rejoin old business models. It hasn't. It won't. (More)
Dying is too strong a word because in the short term radio is not dying. If you think its audience is not dwindling, though, either by size or time spent listening, you're not reading articles on technology or media use from outside of the radio industry.(More)
I dislike most advertising, too, though I understand it's the currency of content. Ask a musician how hard it's become to sell a song or survive on donations for support to this claim.
A quick look at donations and subscription percentages shows that most people feel paying for content is something someone else should do. (More)
As we continue fracturing media into a huge number of topic categories, deciding whether to mirror or lead becomes moot. The number of programs in each category grows, and fewer fans embrace individual shows.
Here's a bonus for you: The RAB2005 "Radio industry Media accountability study" handed out at, of all places, the industry conference in Atlanta ten years ago. Compare it with what's said at 2015 Radio Show in Atlanta GA, Sept. 30 - Oct. 2. (More)
In the articles you read there's no discussion of the difficulty in getting a media buyer's attention, then presenting them with data that quantifies what the podcaster or station is selling - its audience. (More)
Too often today what is found at your online station web site is far more than is required. Conversely, what's in the stream contains less than consumers want.
Basic needs are the creation of an image for what a station represents, maintaining elements within the audio (or site graphics) not easily found elsewhere, and sustaining a schedule an audience member can rely on (updated and/or deleted to maintain credibility). (More)
In all of the above, the 1984 Wendy's commercial tag line comes to mind: "Where's the beef?"
It's a fight for time between radio, streaming, podcasting and on demand. If you want the truth, look at what youth are doing as they dictate where all will be by 2020. (More)
For advertising, there is a widening chasm between digitally-oriented businesses and the radio industry. The following response (below) to a Google search I did shows why.
It needs to be said again (for possibly my last time) that what was forecasted for advertising is coming true: more ad dollars are moving into digital because of its ability to respond. (More)
We are at an impasse on a couple of major issues that affect each other. Item 1 is the indie artist payment issue; including not just the falling sales of music but how much the music industry believes new artists should be paid. (It's important to focus on that "new artists" portion of the statement.) Item 2 revolves around the radio industry, online and off. Those in control seem to believe growth in competition has no affect on how it prices radio's product - advertising; including not only the dollar pricing, but the mechanics of how ad pricing is constructed. (More)
What's with music services tripping over themselves to claim being a "discovery source" for new artists? Online and broadcast radio has been stuck in a rotation system that relies on playing the hits, while digital music services are moving the industry deeper into "new music" turf. (More)
Today there are so many radio stations that generating online revenue is complicated, expensive and problematic. Your competition is everyone pushing audio on the internet.(More)
Radio station, podcast, or indie artist - the intent is similar: create audio that gives someone joy, information, or companionship. ... Without a relationship between you and them, how is an audience member going to know that you are worthy of their time prior to hearing your work?(More)
It's a serious time for serious musicians. They, like many in media and art, are faced with complete disruption of a business model. For sure, the way things worked doesn't work anymore. (More)
Short, free programs made for internet radio and podcasts! Audio Graphics matches quality indie artists with internet radio stations. Stations may request a free download of any song or program. (More)
At the very least, be you a musician or radio station operator, the minimum knowledge required is how all that you are given to work with online ties together.(More)
Audio Graphics matches quality indie artists with internet radio stations.
RRadio Music artists are vetted for quality. Programmers only need a click to sample and request a free download of the song. (More)Friday, May 1, 2015
Programmatic ad buying is another word picked up by those in radio, in hopes of connecting with young ad buyers. While just beginning to get its legs in the digital ad world, for radio, programmatic ad buying will be as successful as HD Radio, Less is More, and the Radio Creative Resource Group. (More)
...the one unanswered question is at what point will we see artists realize it's not just music distribution companies that need to alter their view on music's worth. Performance royalty payments reflecting what an artist feels they're worth won't work. If all artists make the same, every time their music is played, more exposure will be enjoyed by fewer artists - which you already hear from broadcast radio. (More)
Maybe it's just me, but over the past year have you seen an explosion of articles and "experts" commenting on how to get the most from being online? Go through any trade publication - for artists or radio - and your head spins from the options - all wonderful opportunities that are positioned as easy to implement and built to help you succeed. (More)
How commercials are made hasn't changed in over fifty years, and that needs to change. More time for creative, to develop the concept. Scripts need rewrites to lose the "conveniently located at," "You hear right," and oh so many more trite lines that add nothing. Then, there a need for more production time, to finesse the sound and/or appearance. (More)
My records show 69 companies offering these types of services. Each promises to help artists succeed - just send money.
With all the change in music distribution over the last 20 years the one unchanged element is the non-stop work required by a musician to stabilize and grow their career. There is no "easy" in anything today - especially music. (More)
If your web site is not judged "Mobile-Friendly" after April 21 and you use search as a means to grow audience, be prepared. You will disappear from searches conducted on mobile device. (More)
We are in a day when the audience can leave to seek info on the music you play, what's happening around town, or to chat with friends on social media - these are symptomatic of our digital age. Something needs to be done to make Time Spent Listening grow. Yet we hear no chatter on this topic, from any source.(More)
Although the world for internet radio and indie artists has changed, both groups appear to plod along using yesterday's expectations. I'm not seeing people letting their minds wander, trying new things. (More)
While broadcasters are busy ignoring internet radio, the online radio community should be creating new forms of programming and delivering ad campaign ROI metrics. Feed audience and advertisers technology-based solutions that broadcast ignores. Improve commercials and tracking methodologies. (More)
Radio stations online may be forced to pay onerous performance royalty fees but, at long last, the weight of payment will be a shared pain with broadcast counterparts. (More)
Let's not confuse "revenue" with profits. The latter is still elusive for nearly everyone, for a reason - an insane insistence that online radio advertising must use CPM pricing. (More)
This concept is more complex than it appears. What do you call someone who runs an online station like a person who plays golf weekly? It's the person who will spend a few thousand dollars a year on their internet station - via Live 365, Radionomy, Blog Talk Radio, or any one of dozens of companies now providing the stream backbone. (More)
You have an unprecedented ability to place yourself in front of people who are looking for your service or product. (This concept is way past the "open-the-phonebook-and-call" your local dry cleaners to advertise on the station, or play a gig and have 50 groupies in the crowd.) (More)
Audio Graphics matches quality indie artists with internet radio stations.
RRadio Music artists are vetted for quality. Programmers only need a click to sample and request a free download of the song. (More)Friday, February 27, 2015
While you can read about broadcast numbers anywhere, the one place to read about how Christmas Music played online is here.
Online data shows a spike occurring during Week 8, each year. The 4-weeks average from this year (#7-10) is 30.25%. That's nearly double last year's 17.94%, which was nearly triple 2012's 6%. (More)
Audio Graphics matches quality indie artists with internet radio stations.
RRadio Music artists are vetted for quality. Programmers only need a click to sample and request a free download of the song. (More)Friday, January 23, 2015
"One hit wonders" abound. Little in content draws people back like a magnet attracts steel.
Content is not so much King as it is an Earl. There's only one King. Earls are a dime a dozen in an empire's hierarchy. The truth not spoken: There are tens-of-thousands of programs and songs which just exist, begging for an audience. These are the peasants. (More)
After decades in radio & TV, and 23 years working with computers and software, I started Audio Graphics in 1991 to make radio and television commercials.
Today marks 19 years of discussing (on this web site) how the internet affects broadcasting. Since the beginning I wrote thousands of articles instructing proper digital techniques embraced by my clients: companies heavily involved in SEO, search marketing, analytics, and data management. (More)
With all there is to learn, how is it possible to spend time dwelling on this past - a picture of yourself?
My list of web sites claiming to help indie artists is now 63 strong. Each service requires effort to understand. Instead of staring at a selfie, try digesting what's on this list. (More)
"Airplay for Exposure." It's how RRadio Music artists pass their passion on, and how Audio Graphics is helping reshape music distribution in the radio industry. (More)
You've heard where you don't need to know how an engine works to drive a car? In digital, you need to understand how its engines work, how they intertwine, and what is wasted time.
The amount of knowledge that's been created - yet not absorbed by those in radio - is like an ocean. Vast, complex, with some disciplines going deep enough as to require years of hands on experience prior to understanding. (More)
The value of your audio is related to: 1) your ability to get other people talking about it; and 2) whether your song/programming is found.
Picture your kernel of contributed audio as it sits in its silo and bear this in mind: Because of the internet, your silo has no height limit; to advertiser and audience, there's a near limitless supply of audio content suppliers. (More)
The biggest hurdle for radio is that it's an industry of words; operating in a technological world where innovation means producing something and then talking about it.
Think of how many times we've seen technology companies improve what they are serving online. Tech goes through versions of platforms. Radio goes through throwing another idea out, talking it up, then throwing out another idea. (More)
Study the growing list of online audio competitors. Many are built on a concept of being "local." Their local, though, is not geographic; it's focused content. (All topics you are passionate about become local.) (More)
What is a song worth, and why should a popular song be worth the same as one that's only so-so?
Today it's what the public wants, and where it wants it from. Over air, online, or digital are just different roads leading to the ears an artist needs. (More)
PAASRSS, the "Percentage of Average Active Sessions Resulting from Session Starts" is one statistic which places everyone in the Webcast Metrics report on equal footing; it shows how many people are finding the content worthy of sticking around.
The inference is that we have the biggest players in this game producing content that's not worth sticking around for. (More)
In total, 335 different types of devices were used to access RadioRow in July. I hope this begins to drive home the diversity of units that consumers are using to get to their audio, online.
This chart represents the portion of a total day's visits that come to RadioRow, via a desktop, mobile device, or tablet, over the course of 24 hours. (More)
Had it been offered at any time through the music sets to sell me a thumb drive of their songs I would have given them $10, or more. They didn't, so I gave them no money.
A song for an email address (or a phone number for texting). It's the use of technology to enhance an artist's revenue. Just add knowledge to get this to work. (More)
Advertisers, in greater numbers, are beginning to see how people who hold no interest in their product aren't worth paying to reach.
CPM is built for "broadcast"; CPA is there to use when you target a niche. But here's the importance for radio: Unless your name is Google (or a similarly-sized ad delivery system), there's not enough revenue in delivering CPM advertising online. (More)
To my knowledge, no radio group has slotted time for introducing indie artists.
Every now and then we hear about local radio stations claiming to play local artists - and I'm not doubting that they do. What you won't hear is how these local artists are getting aired at times which mean little, let's say when the station would be parting with commercials for a dollar a holler (or less). (More)
I'm tired of hearing radio stations complain about having to pay performance royalties to artists.
Established artists should be paid, but how much is playing their song for one person worth? This is where artists let the performance royalty issue get out of line with reality. (More)
What I don't hear when going around the internet to find stations to add to RadioRow.com is "new." Nothing is being presented that breaks the mold of what was, and introduces what will be.
Relative to radio, online, there's not much variation in radio programming. Most every station sounds the same, with only the I.D. being different. The Jazz host may talk slower than the AC host; but when their mouths open, it's usually the same type of wording which falls out. (More)
There's nothing from yesterday that's going to stabilize or improve how an indie artist makes money. You must invent new.
Nearly every aspect of music has changed over the past 15 years: how indie artists get a gig; the technology to make recordings; publicity; distribution. Most important is the value of music has seen a dramatic drop as the public becomes more accustomed to hearing what it wants, when it wants - usually for free. (More)
Now that we have such a wide selection of stations online, this radio industry must avoid offering to clients what its broadcast cousins are failing so miserably at - advertising that doesn't work.
Anyone who believes that writing "compelling" copy is easy, or that it can be done in one draft over twenty minutes, should be removed from the writing process. My average time spent in writing an ad is 3-5 hours; that includes the research and 8-10 rewrites. (More)
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
"What in a radio ad is most likely to get your attention?"
Nearly all radio-based online outlets operate as a playlist-on-steroids.
The online radio industry added tens of thousands of options, too. Note that we can't really call them "stations" because so few are programmed. (More)
"Airplay for Exposure." It's how RRadio Music artists pass their passion on, and how Audio Graphics is helping reshape music distribution in the radio industry. (More)
"We are changing the way music is distributed in the radio industry: Online radio station programmers only need a click to sample and request a free download of the song. (More)
Email is effective when used with the recipient's experience in mind.
How do you collect email addresses that can be used to send a short message (with a song link) to someone who cares about your music? The simplest, most effective, way is to have a laptop setup at any gig you do. (More)
Do yourself a favor; sit through these 9 minutes of facts presented by someone who does know.
The radio industry - online and off - needs to start comprehending that all which it does online needs more thought, effort, and knowledge than what has been given so far. (More)
No longer does a radio station compete against a handful of competitors fighting for a piece of the local market.
What do you hear when isolating a single station online? Paying attention to tempo, construction of IDs or playlist, does your station blend with others or offer a difference that listeners can identify? (More)
Online, the radio industry is in a position to serve medical and recreational marijuana ads by either geo-targeting specific listeners or addressing all.
Let the radio industry discuss this ad nauseum. The online radio industry needs to check with no one. (More)
You don't need anyone to say that music, as a career, is different than it was twenty years ago. I'd bet you don't really care what it was like back then.
My goal is to rewrite how music is distributed, giving artists a shot at being found and online radio stations a chance to (easily) find quality songs. (More)
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