Why Music Radio Sucks

Above, Gallup's and Window Rock's KYAT plays classic and modern country music.

Ever wondered why stations play the same thing and new artists can't get airplay on them? 

You can thank the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and Bill Clinton (for signing it) for this.

About the Telecommunications Act of 1996 from Future of Music:

Major Findings

Evidence of Consolidation

1. Ten parent companies dominate the radio spectrum, radio listenership and radio revenues. Deregulation has allowed a few large radio companies to swallow many of the small ones. Together these ten parent companies control two-thirds of both listeners and revenue nationwide. Two parent companies in particular, Clear Channel and Viacom, control 42 percent of listeners and 45 percent of industry revenues (see Chapter 3, pp. 24-25).

2. Consolidation is particularly extreme in the case of Clear Channel. Since passage of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, Clear Channel has grown from 40 stations to 1,240 stations — 30 times more than congressional regulation previously allowed. No potential competitor owns even one-quarter the number of Clear Channel stations. With over 100 million listeners, Clear Channel reaches over one-third of the U.S. population (see Chapter 3, p. 24).

3. Oligopolies control almost every geographic market. Virtually every geographic market is dominated by four firms controlling 70 percent of market share or greater. In smaller markets, consolidation is more extreme. The largest four firms in most small markets control 90 percent of market share or more. These companies are sometimes regional or national station groups and not locally owned (see Chapter 3, pp. 31-35).

4. Virtually every music format is controlled by an oligopoly. In 28 of the 30 major music formats, nationwide, four companies or fewer control over 50 percent of listeners (see Chapter 3, pp. 36-39).  

Effects of Consolidation

5. A small number of companies control the news Americans hear on the radio. Four parent companies control two-thirds of the nation’s News format listeners. Two such firms, Viacom and Disney’s ABC Radio, also control major television networks (see Chapter 3, p. 38).

6. Format consolidation leads to fewer gatekeepers. A small number of companies control what music is played on specific formats. Coupled with a broad trend toward shorter playlists, this creates few opportunities for musicians to get on the radio. Further, overwhelming consolidation of these formats deprives citizens the opportunity to hear a wide range of music (See Chapter 4, pp. 61-63).

New musicians can't get airplay to be discovered and older artists, like George Strait, can't get airplay on "country" stations thanks to the "gatekeepers".

According to Country Rebel, Strait is not alone:

Country singer-songwriter Jamey Johnson is a huge talent, but radio stations won’t play his music. They got together and wrote about their frustrations with being kicked off country radio and titled the song “Kicked Outta Country.”

The song opens with the lyrics, “I just got the news today, the record I sent them they threw it away/It don’t fit the format, don’t make the list/They said I’m too old, won’t even be missed.”

Throughout the song, he sings about when country radio stopped playing Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and Johnny Cash. He notes that they continued to write what they knew, sing what they wrote, and they didn’t care what anyone thought.

So, if you are wondering why all we hear on the radio is the same pabulum, this is why.

Thank goodness there are still some independent radio stations around. In the Gallup, New Mexico area, there is a "Navajo Country" radio station, KYAT, that plays classic and new country music, including George Strait, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams Sr., Roy Rogers and, if you can believe it, Walter Brennan. It's a damn good station!

Rock is dead, that is why I switched to country.