Fm radio- now with media empire owners, and (shareholder driven) corporate backers- but once and once the most prominent mouthpiece of new music- has left the building.

The complexities of having decreasing income (dropped by record companies who used to buy air space) but being relied on more and more to create revenue (as par of a multi-segmented media empire) it’s being pushed further and further into to the centre; unable to curate it’s own playlists and to suppot the bands who need the help of a mainstream vehicle.

Part of the problem has been complacency on behalf of the stations; it’s fair to say that past glories have left radio looking like a punch drunk boxer- old, fat, tired and unable to defend itself against younger challengers (streaming sites/ curated playlist sharing sites, etc.).

It’s the after effects of radio decline that seem to have the largest impact though; it’s demise having created a music industry not too disimilar to, say, law or medicine- one with barriers to entry. If you don’t have money you won’t be able to afford the necessary tools to break (practice space/recording time/succesul producer/social media expert).

Radio, particularly commercial radio, used to do that for  a band- it would provide an audience; it would provide an opportunity.

A case in point is Tigerclub.  They should be huge. If they had as much radio time as was given to bands from the 90s like Shed Seven or Menswear, they would be huge.

It is our duty to care about, and for, the radio.  Radio broke a long linegae of artists who  helped us to understand the difference between what we want and what we need.  Bands who soundtracked the social and economic backdrop. Bands who told us there was a riot going on.

When we stop caring about the soundtrack to our times, we stop caring about our times.