Spotify Killed the Radio Star

I am a child of radio. My parents have been in the communications business since before I was born. It’s how they met, in fact. I spent a good chunk of my childhood at the radio station. From voicing commercials to having my own little show, I was there as much as any kid could’ve been. I acted like my parents’ coworkers were my own, and I cared as much about ratings as everyone else did. I mean, I still do.

Growing up, I’ve seen what technology has done to the music industry, and I’ve experienced first-hand the introduction of many new ways of listening to music. Because of my age, I’ve been around for almost every new thing. Only 90’s kids would understand, am I right?

When satellite radio was introduced, the good old-fashioned local radio stations (like those where my parents work) took a hard hit. It was slow at first, but did some serious damage. My friends used to joke about what they heard my dad say on their way to school, but by the time I was in the ninth grade, all I heard about was what was on Sirius in the morning. The good thing for us (I say “us” because I like to group myself with the radio station employees) is that the repetition of the same songs on every satellite station annoyed people, driving them back to regular radio, at least for a while. But because of the still rising popularity of satellite, the stations in small towns were constantly looking to remodel their shows to keep up. The pressure was on to be like the bigger cities. Announcers were being replaced constantly, all to keep up with whatever new demographic rolled around. Radio no longer offered a stable job, making it a surprise my dad lasted as long as he did.

Unfortunately, satellite radio isn’t half the problem. The real issue lies in streaming and downloading music. Apps like Apple Music and Spotify are poisoning radio. They’ve completely changed the way everyone used to listen to music. When you get in the car, it’s “Pass me the aux.” When you’re at school, you’re listening on your phone. It’s everywhere, and it won’t be stopped. The appeal lies in the convenience. No commercials, no talking, and you listen to exactly what you want, whenever you want. Technology encourages fast, and radio can’t keep up. Even I only listen to the radio when I go home, half because I feel bad and half because my car there doesn’t have Bluetooth.

This story isn’t going to have a happy ending. It isn’t supposed to. I can’t turn around and say, “Just kidding— I’m going to save everything!” Radio is not going to disappear overnight, but it’s going to happen soon. I could hope otherwise but let’s be realistic … society is moving forward and leaving radio behind. I guess I’m just going to have to learn to say goodbye to an old friend.

Photography by Morgan Chin-Yee

By Sam Turnbull