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I don't buy the main thesis of the piece either (as it relates to Rock), though some points are good. But also not sure about your point: > Linear radio was d

I don't buy the main thesis of the piece either (as it relates to Rock), though some points are good. But also not sure about your point: > Linear radio was dead by 2000 no matter how the industry was regulated because linear programming sucks and people don't like it. Sounds like you're are drawing a parallel to say Netflix vs. "appointment television". And yes on-demand is almost always better for TV. But Radio? Not so sure... I listen to radio in the car or cleaning the house etc. Specifically when I want someone else to choose. If not, I'll cue a favorite album. I still love Rock but it just got old and stuck, in the way Facebook got old. Long hair and shredding guitar solos is how we stuck it to the Man back in the day! What happens when it's now grandpa cranking Eruption? No longer the defiance it once epitomized. Not to mention there's only so many ways to spin a four-piece band where every good riff is already copyrighted. The space has been completely explored over a 50+ year run. Glam to grunge, west coast soft rock to speed metal... add saxophone, synthesizers, or none of the above? And the copyright problem has affected other genres. The top-40, electronica, or hip-hop I hear today is often devoid of melody or groove as well, leaving only atmospherics and chants. Probably also by design to avoid the cartel. On the positive side I just saw Wolfie Van Halen last month at a downtown theater and it was packed and rockin'. Had a lot more fun than had it been at a large stadium like the old days.

tptacek 3y ago
I would just say that the consumption patterns for popular music underwent a tectonic shift in the late 90s and early 00's, with Napster and then the iPod, and that there was no configuration of terrestrial radio that was going to leave it as the dominant discovery and dissemination mechanism for rock music. I'm not sure I understand the cartel point. I think rock in 2024 is more vital and interesting than it was in 1995. My hip-hop consumption patterns remain mired in the 1990s, though; I have not found a more modern replacement for De La.
- mixmastamyk 3y ago
  Ok, but radio could still be a decent way to do that even if it lost its throne of best. "Big radio" just chose not to. For example in SoCal we have KCRW: https://www.kcrw.com/best-of-2023/dj-lists-songs-albums https://www.kcrw.com/best-of-2023/dj-lists-songs-albums I still discover stuff there. Available online as well. Re: copyright cartel When you have melody in a song, and it resembles something from the past (as it will almost certainly do a century after the invention of pop music), you'll be charged upfront or later sued. Combine that with never-ending copyright (see recent Steamboat Willie articles). Here is the first case I remember: https://performingsongwriter.com/george-harrison-my-sweet-lord/ https://performingsongwriter.com/george-harrison-my-sweet-lo... The process is well developed today. It must be a lot safer to just not have a discernible melody at all.

tptacek 3y ago

I would just say that the consumption patterns for popular music underwent a tectonic shift in the late 90s and early 00's, with Napster and then the iPod, and that there was no configuration of terrestrial radio that was going to leave it as the dominant discovery and dissemination mechanism for rock music. I'm not sure I understand the cartel point. I think rock in 2024 is more vital and interesting than it was in 1995. My hip-hop consumption patterns remain mired in the 1990s, though; I have not found a more modern replacement for De La.

mixmastamyk 3y ago
Ok, but radio could still be a decent way to do that even if it lost its throne of best. "Big radio" just chose not to. For example in SoCal we have KCRW: https://www.kcrw.com/best-of-2023/dj-lists-songs-albums https://www.kcrw.com/best-of-2023/dj-lists-songs-albums I still discover stuff there. Available online as well. Re: copyright cartel When you have melody in a song, and it resembles something from the past (as it will almost certainly do a century after the invention of pop music), you'll be charged upfront or later sued. Combine that with never-ending copyright (see recent Steamboat Willie articles). Here is the first case I remember: https://performingsongwriter.com/george-harrison-my-sweet-lord/ https://performingsongwriter.com/george-harrison-my-sweet-lo... The process is well developed today. It must be a lot safer to just not have a discernible melody at all.