It was a dry summer for rock radio play. At work, coworkers usually controlled the stereo, choosing stations that encouraged one to get down and make babies rather than headbang. In the car I would listen to my iPod on shuffle, rolling through a mix of classic rock and new obscure tunes that at best make it to the airwaves at 2 a.m. on some foreign radio show.
I tuned into 92.9 FM (formerly WBUF) one afternoon, expecting to hear the same two Staind and Metallica songs that have been on heavy rotation for the past five years. Imagine my surprise when a strange collaboration of styles and eras came pouring out of the radio, jumping from Led Zeppelin to Marvin Gaye to newer alternative solo acts.
92.9 FM is just one subscriber to the new Jack-FM radio format, a system that pulls in hits from a playlist of thousands of songs rather than a limited selection. Going by the slogan "Playing What We Want," the Vancouver-based radio broadcasting system has taken over many stations in both Canada and America, including large cities like San Diego, Los Angeles, New York City and Chicago.
Though Jack-FM broadcasts the same song to all its branches, it differs from the usual company-controlled station in that the intention is to play a wide variety of quality music. The system is certainly a step in the right direction from payola, in which large companies like Sony and BMG bribe individual stations with cash and free vacations to play specific songs that they own, making it nearly impossible for smaller artists to get their material on the air without offering some sort of payment.
Reconstruction of the way radio works came at an appropriate and necessary time. With the tremendous rise in popularity of .mp3 downloading, portable players, XM Radio and online stores that allow you to sample new music, the radio is becoming a simplistic and outdated medium for exposing new music. Why wait through crappy songs and commercials for new music when you can just listen to online radio for free or shuffle through your own collection?
And with the explosion of the iPod and similar devices came a new revelation. Music distributors discovered that - surprise - people actually like variety of music on their plate. Rather than being force-fed the same three songs on the radio, enthusiasts' playlists encompass a wide range of music styles and genres, even an occasional wisecrack from Mitch Hedberg or Stephen Lynch. It seems like common sense, but the new randomized radio system is a big step in a medium that really hasn't changed its format for the past century.
If the shuffle system of radio succeeds nationally, it will change the quality of radio in many ways. For one, it will bring into the mix emerging artists that would have otherwise been trampled by the bigger names. It will open the doors to new sounds, leaving the direction of music up to the listeners rather than artists generated to make a profit (Avril Lavigne, Britney Spears, The Partridge Family). After all, what self-respecting citizen wants to listen to music made by The Man? And, most importantly, quality radio means not having to listen to Saliva every time your iPod battery dies.
103.3 The Edge, though not part of Jack-FM, has also followed suit to keep up with the pace. Instead of putting Linkin Park on repeat, they've ventured into Guns N' Roses and Meatloaf.
As for the cost, FM radio is still free sound, a great board for diving into music without having to pay for expensive portable devices, internet connection, digital cable, CDs, or .mp3s (assuming you're obtaining your music the legal way).
Another prediction for radio: now that the 80's culture has been recycled to death, don't be surprised if rock takes on a newly refurbished 90s alternative flair. It will be convenient for The Edge, who have been putting out Nirvana and Alice in Chains since they were first released in 1992. Perhaps the airwaves will be once again dominated by female solo acts of the mid-90s. The dark and brooding songs of Tori Amos, Alanis Morissette and Ani DiFranco were in immense rotation, an alien concept for the format of today's alternative rock music on air.
Regardless of the direction that radio takes, the music industry is starting a fresh new chapter. Like the grunge movement revolutionized music in the early 90s, new technology has forced the music industry to reexamine the way its music is distributed. Maybe, if the music on the radio is decent, even mix tapes will have their moment again. Probably not.
Email: rdb4@buffalo.edu
Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Messina, from the RMBERS' Instagram page
