By Kate BernotPLAY Writer
The current war over radio is being fought in a new frontier – space. The growing popularity of satellite services such as SIRIUS and XM radio has already changed the landscape of the radio and music industries. We’ve seen enough commercials to know what satellite is about: fewer or no commercials, a monthly fee, hundreds of stations, original programming, Howard Stern. This challenge to traditional AM and FM radio may not just be a new option; it could change the way music fans, especially discerning, technologically-savvy college students, interact with music.
Satellite’s biggest draw, according to Steve Blatter, senior vice president of music programming at SIRIUS, is the range of channels it offers compared to traditional radio. In a major market – such as New York, Chicago or Los Angeles – there are typically 15-20 FM stations (smaller markets often play host to only three or four). But SIRIUS offers nearly 70 commercial-free music channels, says Blatter.
This allows satellite providers to offer many niche stations through which die-hard fans of one genre can find music that traditionally wouldn’t be heavily played on FM radio. While Blatter says “there is definitely a segment of our listener base that loves to hear their favorite pop songs,” there are also “very devoted listeners” who tune into SIRIUS’ more eclectic electronic dance, opera and heavy metal channels.
These niche channels give satellite radio a unique opportunity to cater to college students, according to Blatter. Stations dedicated exclusively to jam bands, punk rock, hip-hop, harder alternative and indie music offer students the opportunity to identify with the music they hear on the radio.
“We find that SIRIUS (listeners) listen a lot more actively to the radio, and we think that’s good for music,” says Blatter. “New artists are being exposed on satellite radio that wouldn’t see the light of day on local radio.”
SIRIUS’s indie channel, Left of Center, typically features bands that wouldn’t be played on local alternative stations, or that wouldn’t be picked up by FM radio until six to 12 months later.
According to the SIRIUS website, these bands include the Pixies, Sufjan Stevens and My Morning Jacket. SIRIUS has a large staff of music experts who screen through “literally thousands of new releases a month,” according to Blatter, to make sure that top new artists are being played.
These indie artists may not be familiar to listeners, so SIRIUS gives a lot of airtime to their deejays. Though this is not the policy at most other radio stations, Blatter feels deejays are critical to helping music fans understand and appreciate the music being played.
“When you play a new song, there should be someone to present that song to you in a way that makes it more meaningful,” says the SIRIUS executive. “The primary function deejays have here is to provide background information on the artist and the song.”
Because SIRIUS produces its own programming, rather than borrowing from distributors such as ClearChannel, they are able to hire their own deejays and radio personalities. Notable celebrities include Eminem, who co-produces the hip-hop channel Shade 45, and Jesse Camp, one of the original MTV veejays.
Only time will tell whether more music fans are willing to pay $13 a month to make the switch to satellite radio. SIRIUS and XM boast a combined listener base of 12.5 million subscribers, and satellite radio companies are confident that more will follow. If they do, it could mean a change in the way music is discovered, broadcasted and consumed. And that has the potential to be pretty, er, serious.
Medill freshman Kate Bernot is a PLAY writer. She can be reached at [email protected].
