Spotify's new invention - music alongside talking

Having bought the podcast creation platform Anchor over a year ago, Spotify recently announced their latest venture: allowing users to create:

...a new kind of audio show combining talk segments and full-length songs.

Sound familiar?!

You’ve been able to add songs from Spotify (and previously Apple Music) to a podcast in Anchor for some time now. By default users hear a 30-second preview, but anyone with a premium account can hear the full track.

This exciting new development from the audio streaming giant means podcasts containing songs from their library can be played exclusively on Spotify in a similar way to a music playlist.

The new way to create opens up big opportunities for both organisations and individuals, especially given the ability to monetise shows through sponsorship (while adhering to their guidelines on this).

It comes two years after former Spotify CFO Barry McCarthy said, in an interview at Goldman Sachs’ Communacopia conference:

The 20-year trend is linear dies, everything on-demand wins.

The claim was repeated by CEO Daniel Ek five months ago. He added:

While most external focus is on competition between streaming services, (our focus is on) the billions of users who are listening to linear radio.

I’ve always said not to underestimate Spotify’s ability to rapidly expand as an audio platform, but I disagree that "everything on-demand wins" - the shared experience of a live broadcast, used to its advantage, is unique and irreplaceable.

Not only do 89% of British adults listen to traditional radio each week (RAJAR) and 92% of American adults (Nielsen), the growth of live streaming platforms such as Twitch and Periscope prove this.

Putting that debate aside, anyone can see this has huge potential with on-demand content that’s enough of a draw (and I’m sure there are big-name signings to come).

Of course, it’s not solely about taking on the radio industry - it could also be seen as a direct response to Apple‘s linear stations and the fact podcasts in their directory (or any other) cannot feature commercial music without the publisher obtaining the necessary licences.

Anyway, I tested this out on Anchor/Spotify. At first, my show (featuring a load of crunch ‘n’ roll links) was rejected due to an imbalance of music and speech, which is fair enough, so I uploaded an interview on the end and got the thumbs up shortly afterwards.

For me, the most annoying thing listening back was the gaps at the beginning/end of songs, particularly those that fade in or out.

That’s not just me being a sad anorak (as much of one as I may be) refusing to think outside my radio bubble, it’s a frustrating listening experience when it doesn’t flow nicely - the equivalent of a playout system with no cue points/segue markers set on anything.

I’m not suggesting Spotify should give users the ability to edit, beat-match or even “jock” the songs (can’t see record companies allowing that anyway) but something needs to be done to allow smoother seamless transitions between segments.

In other related news, Spotify just announced they’re launching a new daily presenter-led morning show, ‘The Get Up’, combining news, entertainment and a personalised selection of music for the listener (based on their listening trends).

Hosted by journalist Speedy Motman, YouTuber Kat Lazo and Spotify’s Head of Cultural Partnerships Xavier "X" Jernigan, it’ll be pre-recorded (therefore lacking any real-time audience interaction that is a huge part of many traditional breakfast radio shows), released at 7am EDT weekdays and available to stream as a playlist.

Having an algorithm choose music curated to your own tastes sounds attractive - but if you crank up a workout playlist in the gym, unwind with chilled music at night and play nursery rhymes for the kids, you‘ll probably find it a difficult listen!

There should be further customisation options allowing users to pick genres, playlists, artists etc to prevent this from happening.

It’s still early days and there’ll be more to come. It may suit Spotify’s current agenda to dismiss linear/live broadcasting, but I wouldn’t rule it out completely further down the line if demand is still there.

Radio’s advantage right now is being in the moment; reacting to the day’s events, reflecting the mood and getting the right tone. That emotional connection is something Spotify hasn't yet grasped.

YouGov: Two in five Brits prefer local radio stations

People who enjoy local stations over national ones are more likely to listen to commercial radio and less keen on podcasts than the average person, according to a recent YouGov survey.

Some 38% of Brits tend to (29%) or definitely (9%) agree that they prefer local radio stations to national ones.

This is too vague to draw conclusions though. Does that include local variations of national brands which make up the overwhelming majority of the All Local Commercial reach figure (46%)?

Plus, BBC Local Radio and local commercial radio only has a combined market share of 32%.

Furthermore, if you ask the average person what they want from a local radio station, they'll say news, travel and weather because they’re known for these.

If you ask what they want from a radio station generally, they’ll say something of interest and/or entertaining.

And see restaurant menus: people don't always know exactly what they want until they’re offered it.

Local Radio Day - who is it for?

Tomorrow is the fifth annual Local Radio Day:

...to highlight the value of local radio to communities and to celebrate the unique relationship between local broadcasting and listeners.

Essentially, it’s a day for local radio to do local radio - but shouldn’t that be every day?

The best way to win over listeners is to understand their lives, be useful to them, consistently fly the flag for the area they call home and be the hub of the community - not by blowing your own trumpet!

Great work is something to be celebrated, of course, and you’ll be rewarded for it - so why not save any one-off Local Radio Day happenings for a significant local event that’s actually relevant to the audience?

Maybe I'm just feeling grumpy. Aren't we all?!

Is Farage looking to buy talkRADIO?

The Telegraph is reporting that Nigel Farage has been involved in talks about a bid to buy talkRADIO from News UK for £15m.

A spokesman for the media giant said the station has "a growing audience" and "is not for sale".

If true, I predict they’ll eventually lose the license, Farage will claim Ofcom “hates the English” or something ludicrous and relaunch it online - which he might as well just do and save a fortune, not only the disclosed fee but also running costs without being part of an already well-resourced News UK.

Is £15m a good deal?

In the grand scheme of things, no.

While a broadcast outlet is still crucial to building a radio business in the UK at present, even national DAB spectrum isn't worth THAT much!

Furthermore, the station has never made a profit (speech radio is very expensive) and it attempted to dodge a £75k fine earlier this year by arguing there were very few listeners or advertisers and that it relied largely on internal revenue from sister outlets. A start-up would lose access to that safety net.

Why do a sports show during the sport?

Radio was the original social media - and sport is a prime example.

Even if it didn’t offer match commentary, you could rely on your ILR station to say when the ball had hit the back of the net.

Today, as with most information, live sport is widely available at the touch of a button - whether that be tweets, blogs, online video/audio etc (and dedicated sports TV/radio stations) - so why bother with a show for an audience that has far superior options at the time its on, including commentary or actually going to the game itself?

You don’t have to be a diehard football fan to show an interest of course, especially in your local side(s), and you can be there for that person by acknowledging it.

A grassroots sport show with engaging guests and listener contributions can be unique to a community station but you’d want to schedule it for when the audience is available to get involved.

Which listener would it be best to cater for at 3pm on a Saturday: the one that is either passionately watching or following the match elsewhere or the one that is seeking an alternative?

talkRADIO source: Balance doesn't really work

Following Jamie East’s departure from talkRADIO, a source at the station said it used to be “quite balanced” but added:

Balance doesn’t really work - no one listens.

...except Radio 4, 5 Live and LBC combined have 20 million MORE weekly listeners!

It is nuts, isn’t it? This is the same people who might dismiss the BBC as biased admitting they are biased themselves.

Of course, they'd argue the Beeb is publicly funded whereas talkRADIO can do what it likes.

But that’s irrelevant as those of us with a brain cell know the BBC has no political agenda and it’s in the interests of Murdoch’s business to try and damage its credibility.

How can local win in today’s radio landscape?

I’d like to wish everyone affected by the latest changes in commercial radio the best of luck for the future.

Some had been broadcasting in their respective areas for decades and remained stupendous, as ever, right to the last link.

Building strong national brands to compete most effectively for audience and revenues, with more stations as well as today's vast digital media landscape, is vital for radio's continued relevance.

Furthermore, agencies in London demand simple national ad campaigns so they can buy networks that will deliver the greatest number of impacts (based on the cost-per-thousand people that hear a spot).

It is due to an historic local and regional structure of FM licencing that consolidation has had to happen at the expense of local stations and their hardworking staff.

Global, one of the two main players in UK commercial radio, has enjoyed tremendous success in building Heart and Capital in this way.

As per the regulations, dedicated local journalists will continue to provide a high quality service on Greatest Hits Radio with hourly 2-minute peak-time bulletins (an extension for some), half-hourly headlines at breakfast and "drive" (which we need a new name for!) and online articles - not to mention travel, free airtime for local charities, jobspot and what’s on info.

With journalists who can effectively cover each TSA, they’re reasonably equipped to deal with a major local incident if necessary (assuming contingencies are in-place allowing a single TX to opt-out efficiently for more than just hourly bulletins).

Responding to these events in the right way swiftly shows strength and commands the trust and respect of listeners. Being there for your audience when the unexpected, serious and/or tragic occurs never goes unnoticed.

Of course, there was more to many of these local stations (and others) than just trusted information - outside broadcasts, much-loved entertaining presenters who know their patch referencing local places and sharing stories, local guests, locally-focused competitions etc. This relevant content will be missed.

There’s the potential for this gap to be filled by community radio - but only well-run stations that have a clear target demographic/a consistent sound, unique local content and engaging output (presenters, shows and/or features), which has the interests of the listener at heart.

Simply saying "we’re local" and "play the best music variety" won’t cut it.

There’s more choice now than ever before and radio listening habits, generally, aren’t so loyal to a single outlet these days - but you still choose a station because of how it makes you feel. Because it speaks to you.

Your decision to listen is probably based on a range of factors: music, content, information etc - but it always comes down to relevance.

I want to listen to a presenter who’s serving their audience, not just serving their own will to be on the radio. Someone who knows what I’d like to hear, not what they’d like me to hear.

Would I rather allow Greg James, Liza Tarbuck, Pat Sharp or Andy Crane to put a smile on my face - or listen to DJ Anorak hitting (or maybe even crashing) every vocal in his record collection and playing crowd SFX for personal satisfaction?

Last month, I helped launch Shine Radio in the Hampshire market town of Petersfield which has a relatively small population and a well-connected, proud community.

Petersfield has long been underserved - 101.8 has long been networked without opt-outs meaning very little local information, Radio Sussex & Surrey and other commercial stations don’t cover here and Radio Solent are too big to show much of an interest.

There’d never been a long-term local radio station exclusively for the town and surrounding villages, so we seized the opportunity provided by lockdown and responded to demand for one more quickly than expected.

Initially, we'd planned to wait for small-scale DAB (which is still the endgame). Online-only will, of course, be a bigger challenge but the last few months have shown we can rise to it.

Our USP is that we’re all about Petersfield and a hub of the community with local voices, local stories and a trusted source of local information including daily local news & travel bulletins.

The volunteers live and work here. They couldn’t have a better understanding of the patch, and their reason for being involved is a commitment to public service rather than merely a love of radio.

Who else would run a 5-minute interview with Petersfield Lions about charity fundraising? Cover a wedding at the community hospital? Put listener questions to the owner of the town’s leisure centre? Regularly engage with local schools and parish councils?

This content, and more, makes us different from every other station - and gives folk a good reason to listen.

Running costs are minimal because we don’t have premises. Our PCs are based at a serviced office in town (which advertises with us in return) and host a remote VT server for presenters to record their shows from home with a quality mic and good acoustics.

While no presenter is ever physically live, we're just as reactive and have at least one person on standby to react in a timely manner were major local news to break.

Volunteers spent lockdown doing everything from home (shoutout to In:Quality’s ipDTL for making it so efficient), but since restrictions were eased we’ve been back out and about recording with guests on-location.

Fast-forward a month and Shine Radio is heard in homes and workplaces across “the Petersphere”.

We’re also providing companionship and entertainment for residents as linear radio has traditionally done better than any other medium.

Our daily round-up of news/information, which began at the start of the COVID-19 lockdown in March, continues - this and all our best speech content (shows/interviews) are also available as podcasts given the popularity of on-demand listening.

Personally, backed up by my involvement in the Petersfield project, I firmly believe that hyperlocal has to be the way forward for what has become known as local radio.