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Here Comes an Unexpected Rant

In the central Minnesotan radio market, Clear Channel Communications owns more than one station. Initially, I didn’t think much of this, until I realized truly how many stations it controls: 101.3 KDWB (Top 40), 102.1 K102 (Country), KFAN (AM Sports), KFXN (Sports), 107.9 KQQL (Oldies), 97.1 Cities 97 (Adult Alt.), and 100.3 (News/Talk). If you expand your search across the state, you’ll find 19 stations owned by Clear Channel. Combine this monolithic parent company structure with payola through a third party loophole and non-musical compression techniques, and you have what appears to be a musical wasteland. Grating as it all is, one thing bothers me far more: the capacity to introduce listeners to new music and to provide mechanisms for their feedback is being squandered. The same dang list of songs is being repeated over and over when a simple hour or two per day could be used to facilitate a “we play it and you vote on it online” format. The profits of blaring the same set of songs repeatedly is too attractive to allow for any other methods of playing music.

There used to be a certain organic build up for artists; a DJ would take a chance on a song late at night, people would call in, the song would build momentum, the band would build momentum. All I’m suggesting is a slight return to that format by taking time out of the day for some more obscure music, coupled with the ability for listeners to actually give feedback about it.

Every generation has had its share of good and bad music and the manufactured pop idols, but one thing is different today than it was 5, 10, or 20 years ago.

Clear Channel owns all the radios and MTV doesn’t play music videos anymore.

This means artists are chosen by the media cartels payola system rather than a voting system by the populace.
-vertinox

Now, within a controlled microcosm American Idol returned the ability to “vote” on music to a populace that didn’t realize they lost that ability to huge conglomerates. Then, in a brilliant move, American Idol sold the results of people’s “choices” back to the payolla-ridden sewer of corporate promotion of music on radio and tv. Why do people love American Idol? It gives the illusion of having a voice in determining what is “popular” by aping the feedback system between listeners and musicians that was present before. Before what? Before the deregulation of radio facilitated the purchasing of vast numbers of radio stations by a select few companies.

It’s a sad state. I thought some more people should be aware of it … hence the writing about it. To conclude, this mess makes stations like KCMP, The Current, one of the best “real music” radio stations in the country, extremely important.

2 comments left

Comments

Nils

This blog illustrates the conclusion I came to myself around 5 years ago. Clear Channel blows and I have not tuned in for more than a 1-song-duration whenever I cross those stations on my dial (this is mainly 97.1, because KDWB can kiss my ass I hate top 40 radio). I have listened almost exclusively to 105.1 (no Clear Channel ownership) which does follow that song build up Alex described. But over the past year, maybe 2, I have been hailing 89.3 as the best thing to happen to radio (atleast in MN or the Midwest) in my lifetime. My musical horizons have been broadened so much through that station and I have found great bands that I otherwise never would have heard of, not even through Drive 105. I will take this moment to list the latest "discovery" from the Current, and that band is the Guillemots. What a knock-out album! Check out the massive review list on <metacritic.com> (great reviewing website) to see what I mean.

Fuck Clear Channel, my soul has been sold to 89.3, The Current, Minnesota Public Radio and I don't think I will ever regret it.

Richard Roche

I'd also like to chime in in agreement as i've been boycotting clearchannel for a few years. I've even gone so far in that the majority of the music i listen to is stuff i've discovered listening to previews on sites like <boomkat.com>. Seriously, go to http://www.boomkat.com/bestsellerdetail.cfm?st=genre&sp=41&rt=range&rp=1 and use to the pull down menu to sort by different genres, epecially all the ones that start with "Indie / Acoustic" and "Home Listening". Yeah, if i end up having to listen to the radio, it's always the classical music station, it's the only one i don't feel guilty listening to.

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