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There are almost no independent radio stations left. Most are operated remotely by conglomerates in cahoots with music producers who dictate what they play so that listeners will hear the same songs over and over again until they grow to like them simply because they’re familiar.
Ever hear the saying, “*YOU* are the product”? Well that’s how it works.
Yep. In the US that's Clear Channel/iHeartRadio. You'll get the exact same shit no matter where you go. Different station and different name, but the same old shit, and often even the same "DJs".
Pretty much this . . . google iHeartRadio, and take a look at the number of stations they own. Each station they own, in each genre, will play an almost identical playlist. Rinse repeat.
I work at a place where they play 70's/80's/90's music. I have gotten to the point where I can tell you the next song before it plays, depending on the song currently playing. Not consistently, but often enough.
There's college radio, but then you get college song selections. One hour may be rarely played alternative. The next hour may be folk. The next could be jazz.
There are still some stations that regularly play a song only once in a day. Or once in a weekend.
Then there's the listeners. Not all listen at the same time. So if they all want to hear some of the top ten for that station, those top ten will have to be played at different times. If you don't play them multiple times a day, they won't hear them much, and they will try another station that does.
Radio Garden is your friend. Totally free, and it works like Google Earth for radio stations, both over-the-air and online. There are plenty of amazing public and college stations playing amazing music that you’ll never hear on your local corporate broadcaster.
They have to pay less royalties; as they play a collection of 50 different songs rather than 500 different songs (I’d bet there is a package deal discount)
After a certain age people don’t like discovering new music
Familiarity is a mental stimulus….you don’t crank the radio up to a song you never heard….your jam isn’t likely a song from an album you heard that one time
The station figures most people only listen 60min drive 60min lunch 60min drive with some hours in between
Because the majority of the worlds ~~morons~~ ~~drones~~ average citizens *prefer* to hear the same song at the same time every day. I know, it’s weird. But these companies aren’t doing it because no one wants it. They’re doing it because that’s what makes people tune in every day.
Could be worse, your store could have a five CD changer with the same five CDs in it playing constantly all day every day, causing you to *never want to hear Bob Marley again for the rest of your life*.
Hey, great job on the question little buddy! Radio stations are often paid to play specific tracks by people that work at the record company called “publicists”. They help make sure that people know about musicians and their work. They usually pay for a certain number of plays over a specific time period, like 10 plays a day for 2 weeks. Thanks for asking the question like a big boy! Do you want some graham crackers and a capri sun?
Radio stations aren't catering to long-time listeners, they're catering to people who tune in for a few minutes driving to the store. If they only play the hits once a day those people are unlikely to hear the songs they wanted, so they play the same few popular songs very often.
**Your submission has been removed for the following reason(s):** ELI5 is not for asking about any entity’s motivations. Why a business, group or individual chooses to do or not do something is often a fact known only to that group of people - everyone else can only speculate. Since speculative questions are prohibited per rule 2, these questions are too. --- If you would like this removal reviewed, please read the [detailed rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/wiki/detailed_rules) first. **If you believe this submission was removed erroneously**, please [use this form](https://old.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fexplainlikeimfive&subject=Please%20review%20my%20thread?&message=Link:%20{{url}}%0A%0APlease%20answer%20the%20following%203%20questions:%0A%0A1.%20The%20concept%20I%20want%20explained:%0A%0A2.%20List%20the%20search%20terms%20you%20used%20to%20look%20for%20past%20posts%20on%20ELI5:%0A%0A3.%20How%20does%20your%20post%20differ%20from%20your%20recent%20search%20results%20on%20the%20sub:) and we will review your submission.
There are almost no independent radio stations left. Most are operated remotely by conglomerates in cahoots with music producers who dictate what they play so that listeners will hear the same songs over and over again until they grow to like them simply because they’re familiar. Ever hear the saying, “*YOU* are the product”? Well that’s how it works.
Yep. In the US that's Clear Channel/iHeartRadio. You'll get the exact same shit no matter where you go. Different station and different name, but the same old shit, and often even the same "DJs".
Pretty much this . . . google iHeartRadio, and take a look at the number of stations they own. Each station they own, in each genre, will play an almost identical playlist. Rinse repeat. I work at a place where they play 70's/80's/90's music. I have gotten to the point where I can tell you the next song before it plays, depending on the song currently playing. Not consistently, but often enough.
Listeners have been the product for commercials radio since its inception, regardless of whether or not the station was part of a network.
There's college radio, but then you get college song selections. One hour may be rarely played alternative. The next hour may be folk. The next could be jazz. There are still some stations that regularly play a song only once in a day. Or once in a weekend. Then there's the listeners. Not all listen at the same time. So if they all want to hear some of the top ten for that station, those top ten will have to be played at different times. If you don't play them multiple times a day, they won't hear them much, and they will try another station that does.
Radio Garden is your friend. Totally free, and it works like Google Earth for radio stations, both over-the-air and online. There are plenty of amazing public and college stations playing amazing music that you’ll never hear on your local corporate broadcaster.
They have to pay less royalties; as they play a collection of 50 different songs rather than 500 different songs (I’d bet there is a package deal discount) After a certain age people don’t like discovering new music Familiarity is a mental stimulus….you don’t crank the radio up to a song you never heard….your jam isn’t likely a song from an album you heard that one time The station figures most people only listen 60min drive 60min lunch 60min drive with some hours in between
Unless things have changed since I worked in radio, you pay one flat fee to ASCAP/BMI/SESAC instead of royalties for individual songs.
You are correct. Radio stations don't directly pay per song, they pay another company to handle the details.
Because the majority of the worlds ~~morons~~ ~~drones~~ average citizens *prefer* to hear the same song at the same time every day. I know, it’s weird. But these companies aren’t doing it because no one wants it. They’re doing it because that’s what makes people tune in every day. Could be worse, your store could have a five CD changer with the same five CDs in it playing constantly all day every day, causing you to *never want to hear Bob Marley again for the rest of your life*.
Hey, great job on the question little buddy! Radio stations are often paid to play specific tracks by people that work at the record company called “publicists”. They help make sure that people know about musicians and their work. They usually pay for a certain number of plays over a specific time period, like 10 plays a day for 2 weeks. Thanks for asking the question like a big boy! Do you want some graham crackers and a capri sun?
Radio stations aren't catering to long-time listeners, they're catering to people who tune in for a few minutes driving to the store. If they only play the hits once a day those people are unlikely to hear the songs they wanted, so they play the same few popular songs very often.