why radio sucks

A couple days ago, I posted an article entitled “Radio Sucks.” Pretty poetic, huh? But at least it’s to the point, that finding/listening to music nowadays is a chore, and with all the technology out there trying to ‘help’ us, I find it even harder to filter out the crap and just listen to good music.
It all started with the slow downfall of our public music staple, the radio. A silent, yet deadly, weapon has been attacking it, slowly yet thoroughly, at its core. This weapon, called ‘payola‘, has a deep, strong hold of radio, due to greed, among other issues.
Now what does the listening public get in return? Annoying boring songs repeated over and over, often on multiple stations at the same time. It’s sickening. I can spend an entire 100 mile car trip just flipping from one station to another, never finding any song worth listening to. And it’s not only the public who suffers. Countless dj’s & musicians, with tons of talent, are being blocked out of the airwaves, while bland artist-wannabe’s get played constantly.
Now I finally see a ray of hope: Dan Mitchell’s article “What Can Money Buy” in the NY Times documents a possible crackdown on payola. Although just a tiny step in the right direction, this might indicate a new momentum towards opening up the airwaves to real music again.
[Note to bloggers & readers of blogs: this article also explains the ‘blog type of payola’, or paid-for-blog-posts. That’s right. Reviews you see online may not be what you think!]
Please check out the Future of Music Coalition’s take on this recent payola settlement here.