This Business of MusicGod gave us music so we could pray without words. Little did we know we would have to pay to hear it - LOL! The last three weeks I have been hunting down program/music directors across the southeast trying to get them to play Chris' new single. When I am not on the phone, I am on the internet looking at country web magazines, reading articles about marketing, radio conglomerates, and just how large a scope this music business has in the world. Just a month ago, Triton Media Group bought Jones Media Group. Now that doesn't mean much to the average radio listener. All you want to know is WHY we must hear 'Last Name' by Carrie Underwood 6-10 times a day, right? (That is...if you are a country music lover.) Well the overall picture I can see so far is a handful of BIG DAWG companies who control the airwaves and ultimately decide what you want to hear. Just to show you a small peice of this huge pie... Jones Media Group owns and operates a leading independent radio network business that syndicates radio programming and services to more than 6,200 radio stations throughout the United States and reaches about 1.5 billion weekly listener gross impressions, based on data provided by Arbitron and RADAR. Now, with Triton purchasing Jones Media, they now own the following: The Lia Show Danny Wright All Night Bill Cody Classic Country Weekend The Greg Kihn Show Neal Boortz Midnight Radio Network Rush Limbaugh Dr. Laura Delilah Jeff Foxworthy Countdown Top 40 with Casey Kasem Top 40 with Ryan Seacrest John Boy and Billy Show Fox News Network Now here is where all of this gets kinda tricky. All of these 'programs' are basically syndicated shows which receive their 'playlists' from the corporate group. A playlist is a list of songs in whatever genre (rock, hip/hop, country) that is compiled every week from a careful review of the music charts (whats hot - whats not). These LISTS are then available to radio stations who happen to buy programming from the network. This is just not a listing of the songs - but also access to download all of these songs into a local radio stations DATABASE where the radio disc jocky just -clicks and plays-. This is radio as it is today at major radio stations across the U.S. The DJ you hear on the radio 'cuts in' to yack, give local weather, traffic updates, station info, and localized advertising; then it's back to the pre-programed list of songs. To make this more complicated, radio networks such as ABC, Jones Network, Premiere now offer localized traffic and weather (thanks to satellite technology and GPS), making it even easier for the radio station to not have to hire on-air DJ's - cutting their labor costs and still supply YOU with your entertainment. This is where the term 'jock-in-a-box' came from. What does this all mean to a singer, songwriter, band, etc. ? It means someone in Los Angeles, New York, Seattle choses what the general public wants to hear. They may never hear Cousin Vinny singing 'cos Vinny is not on the CHARTS. Vinny gets on the charts by the number of times his song is played on the radio. Since the BIG DAWGS own the sydicated shows, and the syndicated shows get their playlists from the charts, Vinny is basically SOL unless he is 'signed' by a major label (Sony/BMG, Columbia, Elecktra) with the money and contacts within the circle of music/radio. Ohhh, but it gets even more complicated. Those same programmers, for the most part, have worked their way up and around the music business through label affiliation ("I worked for SONY RECORDS for 5 years...") and landed a sweet job at the media outlets. So if a programmer has ties to a record company, then guess who's songs you will hear on the radio? Due to the eposure of PAYOLA (bribes paid to programmers to play certain songs), the record companies now have to find ingenious ways to get their artist out there to the public. Now, the influence is trickled through the conglomerate media outlets, such as TRITON, and their 'experts' in the music industy. Thank God for the emergence of INDY CHARTS, which are fast becoming the new medium for upcoming artists. These charts are managed by music industry people who got fed up with the way radio was being managed and operated and are fast becoming the new industry standard for new music - not just the top 20 artists. Springing up everywhere on the internet are Independent charts and magazines geared to 'let the music be heard'. Smaller, independently owned radio stations across rural areas who still have LIVE DJ'S are the ones that are playing the diversity of music that is the very fabric and fiber of an individual area. These are the station that are committed to giving their listeners something more to listen to instead of the same song 6-10 times a day. The more I research, the more I am finding that people are now setting their radio dials to these smaller stations instead of the big market stations. The public wants a DJ they can call and request a song. They want a DJ they can relate to. They want to hear the music coming from their local talent. Are you confused yet? Good - I am not the idiot I thought I was~ | 
