On one of the few occasions that I turn on terrestrial radio I heard a very strange conversation. As I drove the family's second car home from the repair shop I turned on WTUE-FM (Dayton, OH). I don't have Bluetooth or any auxilliary jacks in that car, so the radio was my only choice for tunes (as if I would have heard any, but that's another post altogether).
WTUE was sharing an excerpt from their morning show. This typically features the syndicated Bob and Tom Show (based from WFBQ in Indianapolis). It didn't necessarily sound like Bob and Tom, but I can't be certain because I've not listened to them for a very long time. Regardless, this is my paraphrased version of what I heard:
Air Personality 1: There's no denying that the music industry is in trouble. There are few opportunities for artists to get music out to new fans. However, some artists have found that doing personal songs on Skype is a way to reach fans. [This topic has been covered by Mashable.com on their Facebook page and numerous other sources for the past week or so.]
Air Personality 2: It's kind of cool; they spend a few moments chatting and then play a song or two for the fan -- for $25.
Air Personality 3: I'm not sure I would pay $25 unless it was someone significant...
(Remember, this is paraphrased; I was driving as I listened.)
Air Personality 1: It is a unique way for people to get to hear some tunes from favorite artists, like playing shows on YouTube or though Skype, though they don't offer great audio...
Air Personality 2: True, but nothing on the internet does have good audio quality.
The conversation continued with much the same theme and the personalities mentioned that "unless you are a big name artist, you have little chance of being found on the shelves of the music stores." (Again paraphrased.)
To the last statement, I will agree. The labels have lost touch. They continue to fight change and are taking desperate measures to try to force people to follow the "old ways." They continue to manufacture tripe and force-feed it to the radio stations -- which force feed it to the listeners that haven't learned to find a world of entertainment value that isn't recycled time and again every hour.
However... these guys (and gal) were out of touch with many of the trends that have been happening online for music for more than six years.
Musicians have had the opportunity to reach fans direct through many options. The internet has opened the door for them to sell direct to fans, to reach new fans through countless opportunities. These include, and are not limited to, live streaming audio concerts, live video concerts, and podcasts. Many known artists have ditched their labels to reach out through non-traditional means. They are finding fans only thought to be available through major label distribution.
As to the audio quality: Musicians (self-included) have had the option to stream their shows live via the internet at near CD quality for years. Often, the quality of the streaming audio is superior to that of terrestrial radio. Artists have developed large fan bases through the virtual world of Second Life (and others), they have performed on live open-mics, including the now defunct TheStage.TV, YouNow, and even StageIt.com. Toad the Wet Sprocket front man Glen Phillips performs a regular show on StageIt from his couch almost every Sunday night.
I will agree that Skype is probably the worst approach for a musician to take if audio quality is a concern. The service wasn't designed for this type of use, though other services have been. But, much like Facebook retains more people even though Google+ offers better features and options -- names like Skype have become "commonplace" among the un-learned. People go with what they know -- and where their friends are. If this means reduced audio quality, but better options for musicians to reach fans -- so be it.
I think the radio personalities need to keep themselves up-to-date on the technologies available if they are going to talk about it as it relates to musicians. It sounded to me like they were talking about the internet as it was in the days of dial-up.
