Is Radio Still Relevant?

Uncategorized Nov 22, 2022

The quick answer is a “NO” but let’s dig deeper.

A wise man once said, “To get A song on the radio is expensive. If you just have radio leading the charge and you swing and miss, you just bet $200,000” - Bruce Flohr, Red Light Management

Ok, calm down! Nobody is asking you to drop 200k on a single, but what Bruce is saying is if you plan on betting it all on the radio maybe it’s best you think again.

I will go ahead and say it. In large countries such as the US, the radio is DEAD. I’m sorry but it’s game over. This is not to say that radio does not play key roles in other very important sectors such as Latin America and other less developed countries where the Internet is not so accessible.

I think when it comes to radio it’s extremely important to understand your target audience. If you're aiming to reach Americans between the age of 18-25, radio would be a very foolish strategy. Now, if you are focusing on a big Latin song in Puerto Rico or the Dominican Republic, radio plays a massive role...well at least for now. Privileged kids with financial means will not listen to commercials on the radio when they have Spotify and Apple Music at their fingertips.

Radio is becoming the icing on the cake once the product has been proven. As an artist, you should focus more on Playlists and your online presence (i.e. YouTube, Instagram, Tok Tok, etc.)

I think in 2023 it’s time to put Radio to rest once and for all…now BBC Radio ONE is still FIRE tho! And let’s not forget about Satellite Radio such as Siri XM! Those are still very powerful players, but other than BBC Radio One it’s difficult to pinpoint many stations still responsible for breaking artists nowadays without you dropping a MASSIVE BAG…It’s just not worth it anymore even if you got the cheese!

 

- Max Vangeli

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