The other day I asked my 16 year old son what his current favorite song was and got an interesting answer. He said he didn't have a favorite song, but mentioned a group he really liked. Then I asked how he found out about the group, he said his friends had turned him on to their music and web site. Before I had a chance to ask my next question, he had produced their list of songs downloaded from I-Tunes. Notice something interesting here?
No radio.
The entire process from introduction of new music to it's purchase happened without the use of radio. And, while this phenomenon is nothing new, it's becoming more of the norm these days. Fact is, teens today do not know a world without the Internet.
So how does radio plug back into the mix? Chasing after another technology is not the answer. Using it would be a better choice. Sure, you can simply stream your station and promote it heavily on the air. But, does that really do anything to roadblock listeners like my son. (BTW, these listeners exist in all demographics)
My opinion is that stations need to become pro-active on the web, much like they were selling a product. Email marketing, web advertising, etc. should be a part of how you promote your station.
Take your core artists and create fan pages that exist only your station site. Give you listeners something that will enhance what they already want. Then, use everything from blogs to Craig's List to get the word out.
Today's listeners are like private investigators. They will sniff out product and talent in a Google nano-second. Using web tools as a billboard gets you back in the loop by creating your own string of connection.
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