Hey, Mister DJ: Play That Internet Radio

Although traditional broadcast radio continues to attract 93.1 percent of the U.S. population, Internet or digital radio proves to be just as widespread, drawing in 43 million weekly users and showing no signs of slowing down, according to Arbitron’s  analysis titled The Infinite Dial 2010: Digital Platforms and the Future of Radio.

As the Internet’s popularity rose in the 1990’s and 2000’s, many people thought that as broadband gained consumers, it would knock traditional forms of media such as newspapers, television, magazines and film into obsoleteness.

However, instead of the Internet becoming a primary competitor, the online world allowed for collaborations with traditional media and even enhanced their interactivity. And radio was no exception.

Despite the fact that many critics continue asserting that radio is a dying medium, Target Spot suggests in their 2011 study titled Digital Audio Usage Trends: A Highly Engaged Listenership that 86 percent of respondents listen to both online-only Internet radio and broadcast radio streamed on the Internet websites.

There are numerous reasons why online radio is appealing to its listeners. While some listeners enjoy the liberty to create multiple stations based off of their favorite artists, songs and genres (as well as the ability to listen to tracks from various decades and listen to another city’s radio station distantly in a digital format), 55 percent of internet radio listeners who prefer to listen to radio exclusively online shared different premises.

Digital radio listeners say that some of the reasons why they listen to internet radio include being able “to control or choose the music being played, to listen to audio that they can’t get elsewhere,” and to access a wider array of music selections as well as sit in on fewer commercials, according to Arbitron.

Although these listeners said that they sit in on fewer commercials while listening to Internet radio, they are still contributing to advertising revenue. Target Spot reports that 52 percent of listeners recalled an ad they heard on digital radio, while 40 percent of them responded to the ad they heard. The report also suggested that the aforementioned rates increase as a listener increases the number of digital radio stations they listen to.

Overall, the most appealing quality of Internet radio is that it’s free just like traditional radio. And streaming sites like iHeartRadio and Pandora  to name a few, offer customizable and personalized radio on a digital platform for their combined 100+million users at little or no cost – which is an affordable alternative for those who enjoy listening to music, but do not have the financial means, or who simply prefer not to spend hundreds of dollars legally downloading their favorite songs onto a musical device.

More on Politic365

• CBC PAC Helps Midterm Election Activity
• Obama Taps Inner-Teddy, But Are We Making the Right Comparison?
• New Hampshire: Wrapping it Up While GOP Shoots Ron Paul on Sight

2 Responses to Hey, Mister DJ: Play That Internet Radio

1. Brenda Lowe says:

   2:55am December 11, 2011 at 2:55 am

   Excellent and well-informed post. Thanks.

   Reply
2. Wm_Tucker says:

   10:18pm December 11, 2011 at 10:18 pm

   It isn't accurate to say Internet radio is free any more than it is to say MTV or Bluesville (Siriux XM) is free. A monthly subscription to an ISP is required in order to listen to radio online. In this respect, Internet radio isn't free or as accessible as is traditional broadcast radio. Also… U.S. Internet radio listeners are not permitted to choose the music they hear over online radio channels, or create their own playlists. Instead, companies like Pandora and Spotify refer listeners to channels playing music similar to what the user identifies.

   It's fair to say onine radio offers listeners more radio stations to choose from. And although it's still a very young medium, it remains to be seen whether its potential will be developed consistent with other technologies.

   Reply