Today we have a guest blog from Jacobs Media’s Dave Beasing:
If you have kids of your own, this is old news to you – but bear with me. You’re used to the concept that children often teach us as much as we teach them, about life in general and about the rapidly evolving world around us. I had nieces and nephews staying with me recently, so I’ve been freshly reminded of this.
At their urging, I took them to Fry’s Electronics in Burbank – for those who aren’t familiar, it’s a store the size of your average Wal-Mart filled 100% with electronics. Of course, I am expected to buy something that would not only help fulfill my responsibility to spoil them, but also something that would help keep them busy. Little did I know we’d find a toy in common, one that causes them to yell, "Hey, Dave, it’s MY turn!"
If you have a PlayStation-2, get the "Guitar Hero" game. The best way to describe it? 3 words: Rock… Guitar… Karaoke…. Even the musically challenged can play along to songs like "Iron Man," "Smoke on the Water," and "Ziggy Stardust" in no time. And the best part is that these kids who were raised on Hip-Hop now find themselves appreciating Rock. So one of them asks, "Who does this song – Queen?" "No, Queens of the Stone Age," I answer. "I have their Gold Record in my office."
Who’s the Guitar Hero now, right?
Every Rock radio station should have this game as part of their set-up for public appearances. What better way to interact with your listeners, promote the passion of your station and raise the interest of a new generation in Rock music?
If Rock is going to continue to thrive into a new generation, FM won’t do it alone. Like other brands, Rock music needs to be Neo, too – giving people the opportunity to participate in it directly. That’s why its future depends a lot on videogames, MySpace pages, iTunes, podcasts and whatever’s next. And if Rock radio is going to continue to thrive, it has to be interactive just like these new technologies.
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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