As it now appears that the NAB and radio will have enough votes to stave off this performance tax issue, it is comforting to know that the more things change, the more they have stayed the same.
At the root of this "war" between radio and records has been this absurd notion that radio airplay does not contribute to sales or to the overall benefit of artists. The "Going for the Gold" campaign that we instituted a couple months back was a powerful and visual statement to the contrary. More than 200 stations representing 40 of the 50 states sent us digital photos of the gold and platinum "evidence" that strongly reinforces the beneficial relationship of radio to records.
But don't take it from us. In one simple question, music industry legend, Clive Davis, told us everything we need to know about how things work:
Q: We've seen a decline in radio listening. Has the Internet taken its place to introduce an artist or song?
A: No. Radio is still the leading force of determining what songs and artists break through.
Has musicFIRST gotten the memo?
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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- Why Radio Needs To Stop Chasing The Puck - November 21, 2024
I think the root of this war is the fact that the record industry can’t sell CDs anymore and they’re looking for a quick and easy way to replace that revenue. Any justification is just a Trojan Horse. The record industry tried to stop the digital train rather than ride it and are now trying to make up for that mistake on the back of the radio business.
Of course, radio is making the same mistake with respect to the digital world. I wonder if there’s an industry radio can leech from to recapture lost revenue?