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NAB, RIAA Trying to Force Radio in iPodsBy George Ziemann -- August 18, 2010 "Radio broadcasters and music labels are seeking to legally mandate FM radio reception as a feature in all consumer mobile devices in an effort to expand the market for radio." There's an end run around the truth for you. Why would the record labels get in bed with the broadcasters? That's in it for them? Actually, it's pretty easy to see, but you'll never hear anyone from either the NAM (National Association of Broadcasters) or the RIAA (you know, those guys) admit it. So I guess it's up to me. Until the Internet came along, the RIAA owned the radio waves. They used payola to buy up the airplay and were able to fill their music into the general public's ears. You hear music enough and it becomes part of you, even if you didn't like it that much at first. That's the power that Top 40 used to have on us. The repetition etches so many songs in our brains that we have an emotional connection them that is undeniable. Because of having a child at the proper age, I learned to like most of the first Hannah Montana album. And yes, even the dreaded High School Musical series. Disney is the master at this, and they have their own radio stations and TV channel. When kids are at the right age, they eat this stuff up. Hear a song 50 times, and suddenly, it's not so bad anymore. That's what radio used to deliver. That sells records. The Internet and iPods (and Zunes, if they're still around, and whatever else plays mp3s) changed all that. Now the public has the opportunity to program their own playlists. And record sales have fallen down a well. Radio no longer has much to do with what we buy, and that's killing the record labels. My analysis is that the RIAA thinks that by forcing radio onto these devices, we're all going to be to lazy to pick our own tunes, switch to FM and let them have control again. Payola ran into a speed bump a few years ago because it's completely illegal in the U.S., but it's still with us. Despite FCC efforts to demand more local, independent tracks on radio, I sure haven't heard any, and I just drove halfway across the country and back, at the mercy of whatever I could catch on my dial (forgot to take the iPod). Personally, if this is the case, I think it's just another example of the industry trying desperately to cling to what used to work in the past and trying to recreate that past instead of stepping forward into the future. So I think that even if they succeed in their demands on the electronics sector, in the long run, they're still just pounding sand because they still have no vision. |
Related...NAB, RIAA seek to push FM radio into iPods and iPhones |