Let’s face it – Slacker had to do something.
Pandora – whether it deserved it or not – has been immensely successful, leaving other Internet pure-play brands in its dust. That forces everyone else scrambling to figure out how to climb into the minds and hearts of music-loving consumers.
This week, Slacker announced a new campaign – a frontal assault at #1 – a newly redesigned website and a TV spot that looks right out of Filmhouse, taking a shot at Pandora.
Strategically, this makes sense. If Slacker can move its way to the second position, it will have vaulted past a lot of competitors, from Spotify to Songza to YouTube to that new service that your nephew told you about over the weekend. Remember Hertz vs. Avis? Same deal.
Here’s the TV spot where Slacker has put Pandora in its digital cross-hairs:
>EMAIL RECIPIENTS: CLICK HERE TO WATCH SLACKER TV SPOT<
This commercial takes a whack at playlist size; an interesting argument because radio has employed that strategy for many years. It’s the same basic approach that The Sound (KSWD) in L.A. is taking against heritage KLOS right now:
>EMAIL RECIPIENTS: CLICK HERE TO WATCH KSWD TV SPOT<
But the other Slacker attack point involves people – something that has been a part of their weaponry for some time now. Last summer, we highlighted Slacker and its traditional radio DJ package in this blog, and this new initiative continues to work the assumption that music curation matters to consumers.
We know that for certain music lovers, a great DJ – or concierge – can be a difference-maker. They can turn you on to new bands, songs you’ve missed, live performances, and other treats and discoveries that you just don’t know about.
For Slacker, it’s a positioning point against Pandora, and we’ll see whether most consumers care.
But broadcast radio shouldn’t consider itself a spectator in this game. If Slacker is working hard to provide a “live assist” with smart, savvy DJs, where do most FM stations stand?
What is the role and value of the DJ to consumers who are pelted with virtually infinite music options? And how can radio reexamine its priorities, its values, and its unique selling propositions at a time when competition continues to intensify?
Right now, Radio Ink is involved in a series of articles examining the health of key formats. I was featured representing Rock along with Joel Raab who talked about the state of Country. While my perspective has always come from what works for Rock, Classic Rock, and Alternative, I have to wonder whether Country Radio is doing a better job taking its ultra-hot music assets, and helping fans navigate and discover all this great music.
There are a few great “concierge DJs” left in broadcast radio. WMMR’s Pierre Robert comes to mind on the commercial side; Ann Delisi at WDET-FM, a public radio station in Detroit, provides her insights and good taste on the weekends during her “Essential Music” shows. And yes, there are still some Triple A stations that do this admirably, too.
But in the main, has guidance, discovery, and passion about new music presented by smart guides become a thing of the past? And if it’s becoming extinct, does broadcast radio really want to give up this asset, just as we’ve ceded Oldies, Jazz, Classical, and other “dated formats” – to Internet and satellite radio services?
As much as the radio industry needs to research pure-plays and emerging entertainment technologies, it also needs to seriously research itself.
In this year’s Techsurvey9, we have completed a record number of interviews – now more than 70,000 – and we’ve surprised ourselves with how many questions about broadcast radio we felt that it was necessary to ask.
In perceptual studies, most stations continue to ask the “usual suspect” questions – who’s your P1 station, who’s the concert station, and rate each station on a “soft/hard” scale – often missing some of the bigger consumer questions that Slacker, Pandora, and other services address every day.
Slacker may be attacking Pandora. But are they also making a statement about broadcast radio?
What questions should we be asking about ourselves?
And when all is said and done, what do we stand for?
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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“Slacker may be attacking Pandora. But are they also making a statement about broadcast radio?”
Coincidentally this topic came-up in a panel discussion I participated in during this week’s Hall of Fame activities at Full Sail University.
Sadly, I must report that in a room filled with undergrad Entertainment Business students, (most aged 18-24), in a discussion about Slacker vs. Pandora vs. other streaming options, based on criteria such as playlist size, music selection and variety, broadcast radio was generally considered irrelevant as an option for music listening.
Rather than the same old “business as usual” research questions, maybe an important question to ask first would be something more basic and brutally honest, like “what must broadcast radio do better, differently and/or stop doing to get back on the radar with this key music listening demo?”
Greg, you have a unique perspective interfacing with students. We got a glimpse of this back in 2007 with “The Bedroom Project,” and it was a bucket of cold water to learn that many did not have a working radio in their dorms and apartments. While some may “grow into” radio when they start working, broadcast radio runs the risk of losing a generation (or more) of audience.
The measurement of what they want – and how can broadcast radio deliver a unique product – is at the crux of the dilemma. And the industry continued fixation on 25-54 demographics for most of its stations complicated the mission.
Thanks for the POV and for taking the time to weigh in.
On the brighter side, my music business students still firmly believe that FM radio airplay is one true mark of a genuine “hit” song.
And they are right. There aren’t many true hits that didn’t get radio play.