Why did we let this happen to American radio?

Question

Where did we go wrong? Today the radio is a sad waste of a wonderful invention, to quote Elvis Costello. There is nothing good on the radio today, hell, today I heard the same crappyass bowling for soup song three times on the same station within 3 hours. There is no diversity left. Big coorperations bought up all the air waves. I realize this is nothing new, this has started in the mid 70s, but it makes me sad. This means people like me will no longer get a shot at radio fame. The worst part is that we let this happen. We as the record buying public has settled for crap. Somewhere we said, yeah, we don't want originality anymore, we don't care if it's not intellegent, this will do. How did we lose our way?
Rock and Roll radio needs to make a comeback and quick.

Its' disgusting to hear how many "new" songs are ripped off of old stuff, I mean out right stealing melodies and recycling the same crappy guitar riffs.

DJs used to drive the radio, they used to be something to look up to, look at Wolfman Jack, Alan Freed, Muirry the K, those guys are legends.

Answer 1

What would rock and roll be called if not for Freed? I have high hopes for satellite radio, but once again, even that is already paid for by corporations. However, Bob Dylan has his own radio show on it, Stern is now uncensored and there is still SOME hope though maybe not much.

Answer 2

Good point EBP. This is why I don't listen to the radio anymore. Elvis said it best when he said "If you don't know what's wrong with the radio then there is something wrong with you." I remember being a kid and wanting to be on the radio when I was a kid and play all those great old records I grew up on. You can't do it anymore. Everything is syndicated, and it's the same junk all over the air waves. College radio is the worst. Why are college students, who are suppose to be thinkers, listening to high school music, hell, junior high music. I'd like to think the majority of people have better taste than that, but I don't know.

Answer 3

Finally some else speaking up!
I've been wanting to make a 'RADIO SUCKS' T-shirt for years now. Kind of like the 'KILL YOUR TV' stuff.
I cannot stand radio at all! Mainstream radio is like an impeding headache that if your ears actually started to bleed you might feel better. But no, it keeps you at the threshold, playing nothing but polished BS, with annoying 'DJs', crappy segments and boringnessness.
I can't turn the radio off fast enough when I'm with a friend and the the same **** is on again and again.
"New Rock radio." HA! There's no such thing!
"Playing all your favourites!" HA! Says who? People who tell me what my favourites are? How convenient.
Radio is for people who can't think.
I got an idea, let's take a medium, that's been broadcast worldwide, for free, for decades, but now we'll send it by satellite and cram it with advertisements, but this time we'll make people pay for it! F!!!
What a joke!

Answer 4

each and all of the meant flaws or inconsistencies interior the respected clarification of 9/11 is someplace the place the conspirators, in the event that they exist, did no longer conceal their tracks and left clues out interior the open. Do you think of the government grew to become into smart adequate to tug off 9/11 and fool maximum individuals, yet they left all those clues sitting around? Did they think of no person can be conscious all those issues? Come on. think of approximately it: if the government needed to do something like this, there are a number of less complicated procedures. they have each and all of the militia hardware they like, why could they use airliners? A missile could be lots less complicated to apply and tougher to music. Or chemical weapons. Or any style of different issues. making use of airliners could purely be stupid once you are the government, it complicates the plan quite and hazards exposure. even though it makes suitable sense for terrorists. evaluate how problematic the Bush administration tried to pin 9/11 on Saddam, and failed. if that they had carried out the assaults, they could have carried out a lots greater desirable interest of framing Saddam. The 9/11 hijackers have been frequently Saudis, and Saudi Arabia is the final u . s . a . the Bush administration desires to look undesirable. If the government had carried out 9/11, you're able to correctly be confident the Saudis could have appeared harmless.

Answer 5

I'm not buying any top 40 music & I sure as hell don't listen to radio! blame the public's tastes (lack there of) on the apathetic attitudes of the soulfully inept here in america that will eat whatever sh*t is shoveled to them.
My advice? Fight back by turning on as many people as you can to indie rock/undergound bands that are keeping the spirit of rock and roll alive.
Influence people by introducing them to roots music aka "where it all started", (Chuck Berry, Gene Vincent, Lightnin Hopkins etc etc) you'd be amazed how many people are genuinly appreciative of someone else cluing them in on a great band especially if that artist or group was/is on the fringe, it makes people feel as if they've "discovered something". Nick Drake, New York Dolls, Elvis Costello,Tom Waits etc and so forth.

Image & merchandising has gone way out of control as well, every new band I see wears more eyeliner than a fashion model and I never hear any of their fans talk about the music, it's always the "cool factor" of how these tards look/act. Who cares? If these @$$holes spent as much time writing songs as they did putting on makeup & picking out clothes they might manage to write a decent song or two. F-ing Nancy Boys! & they always want to talk about how tough their music is, give me a break.
I'm also of the opinion that more artists need to sue bands that are straight out copping/stealing their riffs.

Answer 6

It's because only like 3 major companies own 99% of the stations. They get a play list (for each program type) and beat it to death. The old days of artists showing up at the station and asking to be played are over. There is no diversity, and little chance to hear anything that the coporate america doesn't get a cut from. Sad to think a bunch of suit and tie guy's are trying to tell you what art you will like, and then beat it to death hoping you give up and just listen



Oh and I totally agree with you too.

Answer 7

It's a downward spiral. Most people like bad mainstream music (IE. Nickelback, Hinder, Saliva, all that pop punk crap) and so radio stations feed them that. If the music tastes of people suddenly changed to death metal, we'd have 200 Clear Channel owned death metal stations. Second, a lot of bands water down their sound to fit to mainstream tastes. Look at Rise Against or Atreyu, they both mellowed/sold out to fit with mainstream tastes. And then there are other bands that only want to be famous, or on the radio, so they will never come up with anything original. They will search out the current trend and pump out their watered down version of that crap. Look at Nu Metal, or pop punk and how many bands like that suddenly showed up.
The simple fact is it ain't gonna get any better. If you want to listen to good, original music you have to search through the underground and on the internet.
Oh, and listen to Against Me! before they go mainstream and start to suck.

Answer 8

I wish I knew what couold be done. I remember when FM played album rock, and not the same dozen songs all day long. I am afraid that radio is dead in that regard. I think people would be surprised to know that Santana, for instance wrote more than 2 songs

Answer 9

Josephine Baker said it best when she sang "The times, they are a changin'"
I totally know what your talking about & see your point to the fullest extent.
Take a look at this & see a little bit of what I listen to & maybe you'll feel a lil better tonight when you go to bed knowing that someone out there appreciates music & the D.J. that plays it.
Long live Rock-N-Roll!!

Answer 10

Take a look at Radio365 on the web.
10,000 stations all completely free.
No DJs - very few ads.

I have put extra speakers for my computer in other parts of my house so we can listen.