Random Questions About The Radio

[Frank Giaramita]

Random questions: Do you feel the radio still plays a large part in the success of a lot of bands today? Do you think the radio is a necessary tool for a band looking to break into the mainstream level?

[In Dolorosa]

no. mtv.

[Oxbig1106]

Couldn't tell you... only good radio around here is classic rock.. sometimes XPN but usually they play wierd shit.

[Pat Marquez]

yes and no.


no because people continute to download music ilegally.

yes because people that don't.. can listen to new songs on the radio.. or online radio.. i only play music that i like. idobi gets a ton of listeners and for the most part kids that IM me say that have Idobi streaming the entire day.

[NeedForReed]

Yes, and yes.

[Katie Schmitz]

Based on the radio stations in my area, I'd say heck no. All they play is all the shit that you hear on MTV. It's awful, I wish we had a good radio station that I could pick up in the area, but unfortunately around here most people eat, sleep, and breathe that MTV crap. And I'm talking about 50 cent, Black Eyed Peas, American Idol winners, etc.

[Pat Marquez]

Couldn't tell you... only good radio around here is classic rock.. sometimes XPN but usually they play wierd shit.
www.idobi.com/radio (http://www.idobi.com/radio) .. listen to my show, i play great music.

but.. FM radio sucks, i can't stand that shit. online radio is cool :)

[tambo41187]

I dont think so. I have not heard Fallout Boy or MCR on the radio at all the past year, and those are two bands who i think have "made" it. I think MTV is the gateway right now to making it big. The radio in my mind is becoming useless, what with cds, ipods, and podcasts. I know in my area (Buffalo) there is not one radio station that plays music that i would listen to.
Edit: I am not including Online Radio. Because i think that is pretty cool.

[stephisfinch]

yes & no.

i rarely listen to the radio. I hate it. I only listen when my car cd player is broken.

though there are tons of kids out there that live by the radio & whatever bands are played on it.
I suppose THOSE kinds of people would be contributing to the success of certain bands.
I mean, how else would Papa Roach have a fan base?

But then there are the bands that people like that they would find regardless.
Look at Saosin. They're quite big & I've never heard them played on the radio. Not on the eastcoast anyways. Most of the bands I listen to aren't radio bands and they've got pretty big fan bases.

It's all just a matter of what kind of people are listening.

[bbelair]

I am defiently not the most knowledgable on this subject and have no clear evidence to certainly know but I believe that radio does still play a role in making bands successful, or making them more popular. I think Green Day with their latest album has been helped out by the radio in a huge way, as they are bigger than ever and they're doing it the old fashioned way by releasing singles onto the radio, and with each single more people seem to get into Green Day. However I don't think it is necessary for bands to be on the radio in order to be successful, which has become very apparent. I think MTV might actually play a larger role in familiarizing a band with the mainstream than the radio, but in the end you can get so much music from the internet that I think virtually any band now can really create a fan base (a large one) without getting on either MTV or being on the radio.

[IcedOpethBlind]

i dont listen to radio. i dont support most mainstream music nowadays. it's mostly just over-produced, dumbed-down-for-the-masses sugary rap & pop/pop-rock music.

i find my music by searching for it, and word-of-mouth from people who's tastes come together with mine. i dont let radio select it for me. mainstream radio anyway. indie radio stations are different.

[stephisfinch]

I am defiently not the most knowledgable on this subject and have no clear evidence to certainly know but I believe that radio does still play a role in making bands successful, or making them more popular. I think Green Day with their latest album has been helped out by the radio in a huge way, as they are bigger than ever and they're doing it the old fashioned way by releasing singles onto the radio, and with each single more people seem to get into Green Day. However I don't think it is necessary for bands to be on the radio in order to be successful, which has become very apparent. I think MTV might actually play a larger role in familiarizing a band with the mainstream than the radio, but in the end you can get so much music from the internet that I think virtually any band now can really create a fan base (a large one) without getting on either MTV or being on the radio.

I agree.
Especially with purevolume -- ANYONE could create a fairly large fanbase without radio/mtv play.

[Katie Schmitz]

www.idobi.com/radio (http://www.idobi.com/radio) .. listen to my show, i play great music.

but.. FM radio sucks, i can't stand that shit. online radio is cool :)

Yeah, online radio is the only way to go ... at least where I'm from.

[fretmaster07]

not at all in new york. at one point it might have been, but not now. not at all. krock, the only modern rock station, used to have new music. now their slogan is: "great rock period" so they can play classic rock and like no new rock at all. the only new stuff on the station is audioslave and green day. its pretty sad.

[Pat Marquez]

i think it's funny when people that listen to papa roach, seether and all that over-produced garbage consider themselves "hardcore"

i used to work for a store and when we had to do some stock nights they all played fucing linkin park and disturbed.. i put on fucking unearth for god's sake and they couldn't handle it. just imagine if it was something like premontions of war, they would crap themselves.

[ClashfancypantS]

Nobody listens to the radio around here anymore, it's all MTV and downloading online.

[Katie Schmitz]

i think it's funny when people that listen to papa roach, seether and all that over-produced garbage consider themselves "hardcore"

i used to work for a store and when we had to do some stock nights they all played fucing linkin park and disturbed.. i put on fucking unearth for god's sake and they couldn't handle it. just imagine if it was something like premontions of war, they would crap themselves.

Their heads would have exploded!!!

:guitar:

[twe]

no. mtv.
correct.

[andrewlterry]

I agree.
Especially with purevolume -- ANYONE could create a fairly large fanbase without radio/mtv play.
You're right. However, even though a band like Fallout Boy has 5 million plays on purevolume, if you ask a random on person on the street who Fallout Boy is, I bet they wouldn't know.

[Luckie St]

i think it's funny when people that listen to papa roach, seether and all that over-produced garbage consider themselves "hardcore"

i used to work for a store and when we had to do some stock nights they all played fucing linkin park and disturbed.. i put on fucking unearth for god's sake and they couldn't handle it. just imagine if it was something like premontions of war, they would crap themselves.
haha yeah dude. my older brother is this nu metal kinda guy (hes 26 its so lame) and he thinks crap like slipknot is sooooo brutal. but seriously, he has no idea and it's so damn funny to me. people are so lost and cought up in their sea of shitty music, it's sad that better tunes don't reach the masses.

[seans seatbelt]

I don't think so.
I haven't listened to radio in years. Mostly because where I live there aren't any good radio stations.

[StillPickedLast]

I actually do not listen to the radio, becuase the stuff played is shit. Our college radio station has gone to playing mall metal. I rely on the internet for my new music now.

I will correct myself. If i have to listen to radio i listen to a station our local msuic venue plays. It has a great mix of hardcore to indie, with alot of local bands and bands that have gone by touring through here.

[CHRISRIPPEDOUT]

I unhooked the radio in my car. I think for the genre's that absolutepunk covers, the internet is the SOUL reason bands get promoted and big, besides obviously touring and all that. The radio is a dead media. There are college stations and others that play some shit that decent. As for MTV I think MTV is clutch for getting your 11 to 18 year old fan base. But the TRUE fans will come through catching you at a show, or finding you on the net. and when I say radio is a dead media, I don't mean internet radio, because that's a whole different realm. and that's my take.

[Pat Marquez]

haha yeah dude. my older brother is this nu metal kinda guy (hes 26 its so lame) and he thinks crap like slipknot is sooooo brutal. but seriously, he has no idea and it's so damn funny to me. people are so lost and cought up in their sea of shitty music, it's sad that better tunes don't reach the masses.
haha yeah its terrible.

[FourStarters]

Internet > radio

There are a lot of bands moving a lot of records that really aren't getting much radio play. MCR, as an example - granted, I'm from a small market, but they're not getting much here.

[dangets]

I don't think the radio really plays a large part in exposing bands to new listeners, because the stuff on mainstream radio is all corporate and hyped huge amounts by labes. you'd probably hear of a new band like a 3 Doors Down before you'd actually hear their music (and then you'd hear their music 2074 times a day).

as far as "mainstream success" goes, the radio is a necessary tool, because it gives mainstream credibility. how can you be a mainstream band if you're not on Clear Channel and the like?

just to "make it" though, i think you just need music people like listening to on a site like purevolume or myspace, a decent website, and a good touring schedule. a CD for sale can't hurt either...

[andrewlterry]

I think among youth, FM radio is dying. Now that kid's are so much in to the internet music scene, all the music they're listening to are from their CD's (either bought, burned from a friend, or of illegally downloaded music), or listening to their iPod's and MP3 players. Also with the internet scene, kids are finding these bands WAY before they hit the radio. However, FM radio will always be our parent's music source because it's all they know. It's what they group up on. They know nothing of the internet music scene, or MP3 players. The point is that I believe less and less kids are listening to FM radio, because there are better alternatives.

[notetoxself]

no since, some radio stations just play what is the main stream but they don't play up and coming artists
I myself think personally to make an artist break mainstream there are sites like purevolume and myspace
in which they can help more then the radio.

[Scott Weber]

http://kaspunkskate.free.fr/RBF/Reel_Big_Fish_-_Turn_The_Radio_Off-front.jpg

[stephisfinch]

You're right. However, even though a band like Fallout Boy has 5 million plays on purevolume, if you ask a random on person on the street who Fallout Boy is, I bet they wouldn't know.

Around here, they would.

With mtv playing that Sugar song, more than enough people know who they are by now.


& about the papa roach thing & people think they're hardcore for listening to them ----- it's even more hilarious because the singer dude looks like he's trying to be the singer of 18 visions.

[infamous_alias]

Yeah, I think so. The radio pretty much is the definition of mainstream.

[MaDeMaN FiAsCo]

We all know that all that matters is Internet radio. ;)

[waggy]

the radio definitely still decides mainstream success. i think the people on this site forget that we're not the mainstream. the scene may not be as underground as it used to be and it's definitely becoming an increasing venue for creating buzz and predicting future success, but it's still a small subset overall. and mtv doesn't have nearly the influence on music that they used to. when was the last time you even saw music videos on mtv. sure, mtv2 and mtvhits has them, but most of america doesn't get those channels. as much as it sucks, you still need to be on a major so they can pay off the radio stations to play you to get mainstream success.

[muzicbiz00]

I do feel radio takes a large part in a bands success because even though there is XM and Sirius and a lot of stations are either switching to spanish or classical, radio helps and brings the bands to a broad amount of their audience. If you are in a label A&R department, you will still go through Soundscan, Media Base and other sources to find out where new artists are and most labels even look at the smallest stations imaginable because you never know. Just to tell you, the A&R Scouts, the A&R interns and other people on the lower level are the ones that look through the radio stats and stations to look for the acts and than do they bring it to their boss and than their boss will bring it to the VP's of A&R if they can't sign anything themselves and than the VP of A&Rs bring it to the company heads. Just a little tidbit for you guys and gals.

[surfwaxsideshow]

The radio definitely still matters for mainstream success. It makes up at least 50% of the mainstream, with the rest being mtv. Independent music is getting bigger than ever, which is a good thing, but you are never going to hear most of those bands on the radio. The internet has definitely made it possible for anyone to create a big fan base. But mainstream success still is defined by FM radio and that won't change any time soon.

[starcrossdlovex]

Radio does help a lot. But the only place I'll ever hear good music on the radio is if it's online.
(Indie Access Radio) <33
But if there was a good FM station, I do think it would help a lot of bands with exposure.

[Flags of Dawn]

for me its only an indicator of when some of my favorite bands have made it big. i.e. Fall Out Boy, MCR and Motion City are all over the radio here, and its kind of one of those things where you hear them flipping through stations and are like 'i guess they've made it.

[CorporateFish]

I dont think so. I have not heard Fallout Boy or MCR on the radio at all the past year, and those are two bands who i think have "made" it. I think MTV is the gateway right now to making it big. The radio in my mind is becoming useless, what with cds, ipods, and podcasts. I know in my area (Buffalo) there is not one radio station that plays music that i would listen to.
Edit: I am not including Online Radio. Because i think that is pretty cool.
Agreed.

[violencexgrace]

I wouldn't say that radio contributes to the success of any band today in the same way that it used to be the catalyst of fame in the past. It's merely used to elevate a band that is already succeeding.

I live in Los Angeles, and based in my area is arguably one of the biggest rock stations in Southern California: KROQ. They play a lot of (what I call) mainstream rock. Namely Audioslave, Foo Fighters, System of a Down, and so on and so forth. But since the more or less recent advent of the post-punk explosion in music, they've started expanding. Sure they're always playing Green Day, the Offspring, Weezer, and Sublime, but The Killers, The Bravery, and My Chemical Romance have been receiving insane amounts of airtime.

My point is that these relatively termed "scene" bands are not in need of more exposure. They have a lot already, what with MTV and the Internet. When I saw The Starting Line at Warped '02, the next day I called up KROQ and made a request for them. The person I got on the phone knew exactly what band I was calling about, apparently having seen their jaw-dropping insanity-causing set at the L.A. Colliseum. But did a song get played? No. They had a buzz, sure. But did they have the limelight already on them? No. This is why the second FallOutBoy found a home on the TRL countdown, KROQ started playing them like they're going out of style.

I don't listen to much radio. In fact, the only time I ever do is the minute or two it takes me to get my iPod transmitter thing all set up. But when I do, it's the same all the time. The rich get richer. That's all. If a band is looking to "break into the mainstream," radio is not the place to start. That's the place they look to see if they've already made it in.

[311evan311]

have u guys ever heard of cherry monroe? the radio played a HUGE part in their getting bigger. they were on the label my band is signing to until they got picked up by universal, and all the label talks about is radio play. they seem to think that radio is still great. and ive seen them do good things for cherry monroe, so i trust their judgement.

but it depends what kind of band you are, fob and mcr are only appealing to younger kids. most younger kids arnt listening to radio, they use the internet. if you can be a band that appeals many different people, including the older demographic, then the radio is a great tool for promotion.

but these shitty generic scene bands wont go anywhere on it... most people dont like the high whiney singing, or the wierd out of place screaming.

[JunkBondTrader]

3 bands come to mind when i think of bands that use minimal to no TV or radio commercialization.....

1.Phish
2.Radiohead
3.Bright Eyes

Phish definately because the only time i have ever heard them on the radio has been on XRT a few times and that has been their last song "The Connection".......Radiohead because Thom Yorke hates all of that shit, and Bright Eyes three because the guy has no fucking website except saddle creek, only played on XRT in Chicago area and has bare minimal TV exposure........these three bands prove that your band doesnt need tv or radio exposure to get huge like all three of these bands...


just magazines

[Bosnia]

why turn the radio on when i can plug my mp3 player into the car and listen to my music. if i'm not in the car i have my computer at home,or cd player, and once again, mp3 player

[desh412]

Internet radio is on a huge increase due to stations actually playing what people outside of "the mainstream" want to hear.

We (http://www.indieaccessradio.com) get monthly reports from labels/management that the bands that we play get direct sales due to their being in our rotation. Alot of that's due to the availablity of our listeners being able to click a link while that track is playing on our station and buy the bands record.

Of course we also get advances that we air before the albums actually hit shelves, so that also stirs interest.

So yea, radio play sells records.

[tooemoformycat]

ok so the radio stations in new york city suck but, one would think that it would be the exact opposite right? Now, the only alternative station we did have (Krock) isn't even alternative anymore it's like rock/alt./classic rock/i don't even know what's going on. Hence, I no longer listen to the radio. It is much easier and convenient nowadays to go on the internet especially as like was already said with sites like myspace and purevolume and absolutepunk where you can find out about new stuff. For pop/rap I would guess that the radio is still a big part in their success...but with alternative, I think people are more apt to go on the internet or hear bands at shows...of course mtv seems to be taking a turn (for the worse?) and has obviously been a big part of fall out boy, taking back sunday, etc. I just wish new york city had some good stations (like new jersey...damn you new jersey haha).

[sean omerta]

Definitely not.

[flyerfan182]

To say radio is a way for a band to gain success is wrong. Most bands today don't have the ability to make it in radio, mainly because radio stations won't give the time to lesser known bands to get their music heard. I would say radio has gone down hill a lot. Most radio stations are owned by Clear Channel, or Cumulus Broadcasting, meaning they only play Top 40. The top 40 radio stations only play what the major record labels give them to play... When was the last time you heard a drive thru, epitaph, or vagrant records band on Top 40? Not very likely. I think in this day and age we have quit looking to radio for new music because we won't find it there. The new undiscovered way is through mediums like purevolume, or myspace. However many people are unaware of these websites so their way of hearing "new" music is through MTV. MTV has helped many bands out in the past with a bigger fan base that has put them over the edge. To name a few Blink 182, Good Charlotte, Yellowcard, Simple Plan, My Chemical Romance, and Fall Out Boy have all seen their fan bases increase from a little show called "TRL." Now back to the question at hand radio is no longer a source that bands really want to enter. If you are played on the radio most of the time its going to be on underground radio stations whose fan base is slim to none. Take for example in Los Angeles Indie 103.1, this station is a independent radio station and has recently gotten a huge fan base, but like all popular things it was now bought by Clear Channel who plan to change the format. Now if bands can get radio play good, but I would have to say MTV and the internet are more popular and easier ways to get popular and well exposure... MTV being the high end of the spectrum, and well for the norm mp3 websites like purevolume are the more popular way...

[suburbn_thrills]

Internet and TV contribute a lot more to getting a band "out there" than radio does. After the band has become well known and has a pretty large fanbase, thats usually when radio help comes into play and helps the band become mainstream.

[duffe]

Radio is one of the most important media, so yes.

[piaffeprncess98]

My radio station plays the shit out of songs, then after a few months, never plays them again. And I'm talking mostly stuff like Creed, Audioslave, etc..., but they played Acceptance for awhile when their record came out, and I've never heard it again. Same thing with MXPX, they're playing the shit out of "Heard that Sound", but after Warped has gone through town, they'll never play them again. If I had a radio station, I would play older stuff. But I guess radio stations try to play what's "hot and new". Maybe that's why I like internet radio like Idobi.

[fullerm]

To say radio is a way for a band to gain success is wrong. Most bands today don't have the ability to make it in radio, mainly because radio stations won't give the time to lesser known bands to get their music heard. I would say radio has gone down hill a lot. Most radio stations are owned by Clear Channel, or Cumulus Broadcasting, meaning they only play Top 40. The top 40 radio stations only play what the major record labels give them to play... When was the last time you heard a drive thru, epitaph, or vagrant records band on Top 40? Not very likely. I think in this day and age we have quit looking to radio for new music because we won't find it there. The new undiscovered way is through mediums like purevolume, or myspace. However many people are unaware of these websites so their way of hearing "new" music is through MTV. MTV has helped many bands out in the past with a bigger fan base that has put them over the edge. To name a few Blink 182, Good Charlotte, Yellowcard, Simple Plan, My Chemical Romance, and Fall Out Boy have all seen their fan bases increase from a little show called "TRL." Now back to the question at hand radio is no longer a source that bands really want to enter. If you are played on the radio most of the time its going to be on underground radio stations whose fan base is slim to none. Take for example in Los Angeles Indie 103.1, this station is a independent radio station and has recently gotten a huge fan base, but like all popular things it was now bought by Clear Channel who plan to change the format. Now if bands can get radio play good, but I would have to say MTV and the internet are more popular and easier ways to get popular and well exposure... MTV being the high end of the spectrum, and well for the norm mp3 websites like purevolume are the more popular way...
we've heard this argument a thousand times: mtv=suck and downloading=awesome. of course everybody knows FM radio when it debuted it was something soo spectacular we will never see again thanks to de-regulation. in my opinion, radio has become almost obsolete and caters to only a certain music listener. and radio has also become only a small part of big artists' music be supplementing their income only slightly. and to say that myspace and purevolume are unheard of? myspace was sold for $500 million with over 20 million users. the internet along with television have become greater sources of income and a much bigger and better medium for companies and musicians alike to sell their music. and radio isnt a way for bands to get heard or big. that is what the internet is for. and thanks to the internet's enormous size and amount of users, there will never be any truly underground music. theres no thrill in going to your best friends house and have him spin you a record that will change your life. its more like, "download this mp3 or stream this song". radio doesnt ruin bands, the internet does. the internet giveth the band fame, and the internet shall take it away.

[thewebguy]

it's really cliche to say that the radio is crap, but it is.

you only have to spend a few hours listening to the radio to realize that most clear channel stations are essentially a 15 song playlist set on random, with one or two other random songs thrown in every few hours.

when i worked the cashier at this crappy dry cleaner the ghetto kids would sometimes put on this hip hop station, every day i would hear the top ludacris song 7 times, the top lil jon song 7 times, the top alicia keys song 7 times, etc..

but the radio is the biggest money maker for bands, people hear songs on the radio and buy albums like crazy.

[harry_grundel]

I'm sure the radio would be a whole lot better if clear channel didnt own practically every radio station. This is the reason online radio is so much better. I listen to FM radio sometimes when im in my car thats about it. If I hear "Scars" by Papa Roach one more time I am gonna shoot my radio player.

By the way you guys need to get your podcast thingy up. I cant wait to hear that shiznit.:waddle:

[Revez247]

This is why I started DJ Rossstar's Punk Rock Show because there was no other place for me to hear my favorite bands and learn about new ones...I hope you all ahree that internet radio is the futue or I am in trouble --dj rossstar

[em0_stars]

online radio>radio

loveline=good radio

[harry_grundel]

I don't think you're in too much trouble, rosstar............................ ...............IF U ACTUALLY ARE DJ ROSSTAR!?!?! mr. 4 posts

I'm one to talk though. i got 14. hehehe

[Revez247]

It is me...I have no clue why it is stuck on my friend Jill's AP name. Interent radio is the futue. Where else could you hear yoru favorite bands live every week and get to interact with them, ask em questions and hear em live. Whether it is me, fiasco, pat or whomever even does a college show...I think companies are slowly starting to get why internet radio is so important.

[harry_grundel]

hey i remember reading a post from like april or sumthin and u were interviewing ashlee simpson's band. i thought that was kinda funny. were they actually cool guys? i've never heard any of their stuff or anything. except that SNL thing. hehe

[Pooavenger]

of course radio works and mtv. why do you think drones of retards listen to horrible music? it's because of radio.

[pinkerton]

yes. mtv doesnt play music videos anymore, so it doesnt help that much. whats taking over is satellite radio, radio with no commercials. altnation plays falloutboy, mcr, hawthorne heights, jack's mannequin, death cab, weezer, and stuff like that all the time. it rocks.

[I am all talk]

When I saw The Starting Line at Warped '02, the next day I called up KROQ and made a request for them. The person I got on the phone knew exactly what band I was calling about, apparently having seen their jaw-dropping insanity-causing set at the L.A. Colliseum.
are you sure you are thinking of the same starting line that I'm thinking of?

[tragedyco]

yes.

[violencexgrace]

are you sure you are thinking of the same starting line that I'm thinking of?

Sure. The energy had more to do with the crowd, though. The crowd was insane. We're not talking TSL post-MTV2/"Say It Like You Mean It", we're talking "With Hopes of Starting Over" a year strong, and die-hard kids with pop-punk in their veins screaming every word. It was incredible.

[backpocket]

no. if a band is pretty, has internet hype, and the backing of a label like drive thru they can hit mainstream.

[charly horse]

I'm gonna go with a Yes and a No like most people.


Yes, because when you have a sucky car like I do and don't have a cd Player all you have is the radio-unless you have the tape thing that connects to a cd player-. So,its a good place to hear songs that you like.

No, because I'm not sure if its good for helping bands get bigger just because who actually spends the whole day listening to the radio? The only time I ever listen to FM radio is when I'm in my car, and that isn't very often. I think the best way for bands to get bigger is through myspace and MTV. Myspace because its a place where you can hear more than just one song. The only thing is getting your myspace out to lots of people. MTV, is obvious. If you want to be famous, get your music to MTV. I would also have to say the same for Fuse.

[DroppedUrPocket]

I don't even own a radio. Or a conventional CD player for that matter.

yes and no.


no because people continute to download music ilegally.

yes because people that don't.. can listen to new songs on the radio.. or online radio.. i only play music that i like. idobi gets a ton of listeners and for the most part kids that IM me say that have Idobi streaming the entire day.

Since when are you in Chicago?

[I am all talk]

yes.
yah I've saw them before Say It Like You Mean It came out and it was a good set but of the three times I've seen them not once would I go far enough to say their set was "jaw dropping, insanity causing."