REAL TALK : The Curse Of Commercial Radio

[Big_Loco_FME]

I want to hear some of your opinions on commercial radio. Personally I'm pretty sick of it and I know a lot of others are too.

The problem with radio is that it is no longer by the people and for the people. It's a corporate vehicle used purely to make more money for those who already have it - Major labels. Ever wonder why you hear the same songs over and over day after day? Are those songs really the cream of the musical crop? Maybe, but more likely they're songs from artists signed to major labels who need to sell a whole lot of records that make the label a whole lot of money.

When a major label invests in a new artist, it’s a big investment and often a risk. Who's to say that what the A&R for a major label likes is what a large proportion of music listeners will like? There's no guarantee of that - without proper precautions the new artist could flop and the label loses big. So how does the label protect its investment? Simple - it puts a large amount of money into radio play and promotion so that listeners are literally forced to like something. If I hear a song 25 times a day, it's obvious that its going to grow on me and eventually my brain will tell me I like it, even if on first and second listens I thought it was garbage.

The sad thing is, the artist isn't the one that ultimately benefits from this process, it's always the label. Sure, the artist gets some fame and a little money, but they're getting a tiny fraction of what they've actually earned. The money made from their first album quickly runs out, and unless the label thinks the artist is still hot enough for them to finance another album, all the cars and houses go right back where they came from. The only people who really came up are the label and the radio executives.

Now, don't get me wrong. I think it's great that certain artists have made it to a level where they can sign to a major label and have big financial backing, meaning instant radio play and promotion. I’m not blaming them or hating on them for taking the easy option and getting the quick buck. But what about the artists who don't want to go that route, the artists that don't want to give a label a huge chunk of their money to do the shady behind-the-scenes dealing. Why should every artist with talent have to be tied down to a long-term, multi-album contract where they could (and usually do) end up getting less than a single dollar from each record sold? They shouldn't! If the music is that good, and a lot of people like it, radio stations should put it in the mix, do their job and spread great music to the masses.

To put it bluntly, the system is bullshit! Independent labels are the future; Radio for the people is the future. But we can't get to these ideals without dedication from the real music fans who say fuck what the radio tells them to like and make their own choices when deciding what music to buy and listen to. It might take some work, and some hustle, but I think it's something we can reach if we really want it.

I want to hear everyone's thoughts on commercial radio stations, what you could change if you had the chance and what ideas you've got about making it happen. Get discussing...

[Nima - Dubcnn.com]

damn! fuckin word! this shit is so true..
instead that people without alot of exposure can use the radio to come up, people who already got too much fame even get more...
personally i would categorize more each radio station.. one for westcoast rap, one for east, one for global hiphop, one for underground, one for metal etc etc.. this way, you can listen to what you're you like and want to listen to.. plus you can discover new shit.. i think you should be able to call the station and say. "hey i made a track can ya'll play it" or somethin... it shouldnt be bout the money you give to get your track played.. coz that exactly is the problem... specially for independent labels (like flawless..).. they could blow up coz their music is off the hook, but they dont have the dough to get their tracks played..
but thats how the world has been and will be... fucked up and unfair.

peace

[Rud]

The Idea Of Changing A Now 'Corporate Machine' Is A Tough One To Think Through

I Guess It Has To Start From The Artists Themselves And A Reshuffle Of The Whole Artist Label Relationship & Links To The Commercial Radio Stations

Theres 2 Options As I See it

1) The Major Labels See Theres A Way To Make Money But Still Be Able To Pay The Artists Fairly And Treat Them Well While Also Still Releasing Sellable Material To The Masses (This Is Unlikely Because Of The Corporate Fat-Cats Who Are In Business Purely To Make Money For Their Own Gain)

Lets Take The UK Pop Scene - Pete Waterman (An Obnoxious Twat & FatCat) He Takes People He Sees As Stars Produces Them A Hit Record With A Team Of Lyric Writers For The Artist Squeezes Every Penny He Can Out Of The Artists 'Sellability' And When The Artists Time Period Is Over Dumps Them With No Thought Or Care Because He Knows The Next Star Is Just Around The Corner. Now Fair Enough The Artist May Be Rich Out Of All The Publicity And Sponsor Ship But In Effect The 'Coporate Machine' Still Used Them For Purely Financial Gain.

In Hip-Hop Its Relatively The Same However Some Aspects Are Differing As Artists Write Their Own Material. Other Than That The Marketing Machine Is Still Designed To 'Rape' Artists Of The Money They Can Earn. On A Major Label (Like Mr Loc Said) They May Be Taken Care of In The Short Term, But In The Long Run The Label Has The Power To Take It All Away And Leave The Artist With Nothing.

2) Artists Move Into The 'Independent Game' In Order To Get ALL The Money They Earn Off A Record For Themelves Rather Than A Percentage Like A Label Would Offer. However The Disadvantage Of The Independent Angle Is The Lack Of Promotion They Can Afford. Getting Radios To Play A Song A Lot Is Either The Labels Paying $$/££ Or Requested On Request Shows (What An Independent Label Would Rely On)

Lets Take DPG Recordz, Daz Is Struggling, He Is Trying To Make Music For The Fans And Still Get Paid. But His, In Effect, Sometimes Dodgy Delaing (Makaveli And Dillinger, The Crook Release Etc.) Is Landing Him In Financial Trouble. He Can Make DPG Recs Work If He Concentrates On Finding New Talent And Releasing New And Top Quality Albums.

He Wont Be Helped Though By The Blatent Bias Towards Major Label Artists And The High Levels Of Promotion, Especially Commercial Radio Play.

Commercial Radio Needs To Undergo A 'Music For Everyone' Shakeup Rather Than A 'Music For The Masses' (IE Tracks That Will Sell And Be Popular If We Play It 20 Times A Day Beacuse The Artists Label Has A Stakeholder Interest) To Do This Would Require More Independent Labels Pressuring Change Within The Industry. As It Stands Things Wont Change  :-/


I Hope All That Flows - It Does To Me But Thats Bacause I Wrote It And Know What Im Getting At.

Sorry Loc For Takin This Onto The Label/Independent Tip But I Felt It Relevant.


peace

[js83]

Damn..all i gotta say about radio today..is that its fucking WACK..for example, wtf is up with the beat and power 106 in L.A?..if you look at their playlist..most of the shit is all commercial east coast songs..i'm gettin sick of hearing shit from fat joe, ja rule, fabolous, busta rhymes, usher, and all that other shit..i miss the old days, when they used to play pac, snoop, dre, warren G, dj quik, etc..all day long..man..the west cost is DEAD right now..hopefully when dre, snoop, dj quik, and others drop their albums later this year, the west will be back on the top..where it belongs.

[Youngster323]

that is what people want to hear right now. Remeber when 2001 came out and if u would listen to Power 106 , all day they played these songs....

Still DRE
Fuck You
Next Episode
Xxplosives
Lets Get High

[Youngster323]

oh yea and Whats the Difference  
People wanna hear Ja Rule, Ahsanti, Fat joe, and Usher.

What is wrong with Usher anyways?

[js83]

What is wrong with Usher anyways?

he is a faggot.

[Youngster323]

he is a faggot.

I think Usher is tight

[Big_Loco_FME]

but thats how the world has been and will be... fucked up and unfair.

That's so true player. BUT it doesn't have to be like that. Change doesn't happen overnight, but it can happen. It just takes a whole lot of work and dedication to the cause.  

Thanks for those comments so far. I'm liking all your ideas, please keep them coming.

[Trauma-san]

Ha, you're dead on about the radio, that's exactly what they do.  But there ARE some people that get radio play, AND are tight (Usher is the perfect example, actually; he's talented, plus all over the radio).  Any major act will always complain about how the radio is, if they don't usually they're not talented, and the way it's set up is helping them out, lol.

[Don Jacob]

in a way i agree with comercial radio...i mean seriously you don't have to listen to it...and if you have a radio more times than not you have a cd or tape deck attached....plus like it or not some....most people are pleased by shitty music....they're not musically mature and don't really care about music really so that's why alot of people like nelly they're just casual listeners who are not going to take the time to examin his lyrics or examin a beat's complexity and/or genius use of melodies ...they have simple tastes and the radio usually is listened to casually (i.e. while driving, standing in an elevator, ordering food at mc donalds, ) basically your doing something else while listening to the radio so more times than not i doubt and HOPE your not intensly listening to the radio , examining each and every detail of a song. i mean shit if i heard master of puppets while drivng i'd shit my pants and wouldn't be watching the road anymore i'd be too busy with the song. so i think the radio does a good job of producing simple music for simple reasons/simple music listeners.



then again i dont agree with it, for the same reasons anyone else would who hates it


so this is basically what i do , i just except things how they are and if there isn't anything good on MTV/Radio that i like i just put something on that i DOOO like,i think that's a pretty simple solution , and you just got to except that most people like what's on the radio...whether that's goood or bad is up to you, and it's pretty worthless in my opinion to get too heated over this issue

[Sikotic™]

You know radio is bad when they will play the same songs on differen't radio stations at the same exact time. It's ridiculous.

That's why I put a CD player in my ride and gave up on radio 6 months ago.

[Don Jacob]

You know radio is bad when they will play the same songs on differen't radio stations at the same exact time. It's ridiculous.

That's why I put a CD player in my ride and gave up on radio 6 months ago.

my car was made in 1960 so i have no choice but to listen to the radio lol

[Big_Loco_FME]

But there ARE some people that get radio play, AND are tight

Yea I definitely agree, this post is no knock against artists. I think most if not all of the big name commercial artists deserve to be on the radio, and I enjoy a lot of commercial music myself. I'd just like to see some more diversity and representation of what the people want, and not stations run by bigwigs taking huge paychecks from the major labels.

More comments if you got them folks, I'm real interested to see everyone's opinions on this subject.

We reclaiming the radio...

[S.G.V.]

Damn..all i gotta say about radio today..is that its fucking WACK..for example, wtf is up with the beat and power 106 in L.A?..if you look at their playlist..most of the shit is all commercial east coast songs..i'm gettin sick of hearing shit from fat joe, ja rule, fabolous, busta rhymes, usher, and all that other shit..i miss the old days, when they used to play pac, snoop, dre, warren G, dj quik, etc..all day long..man..the west cost is DEAD right now..hopefully when dre, snoop, dj quik, and others drop their albums later this year, the west will be back on the top..where it belongs.

i am sick of that shit too.....see when julio g was still on the radio...sure he played east coast shit...but his main objective was the west coast shit....baka boyz too.....but theyre gone...felli fell was pumping alot of dba at one point...but he just plays new music....which is a little better.....at least i hear the new shit...but i am tired of hearing east coast shit on west coast radio....im sure in new york they dont play a majority of west coast shit....new york supports their scene(which is much more commercial)....the west coast scene has its commercial artists....but not many.....if k-day came back the west coast would be repped on radio like crazy...but it wont...so we will have to wait!!!