You're never going to get rid of pay-for-play. But you can decentralize the audience base enough so that the impact of p4p is minimized and local.
Plus, I look around me and wonder, "Who actually listens to the radio nowadays?" There are so many other ways to hear new music now.
You could argue that streamers, DJs, and other content creators are just as susceptible to p4p as a radio station, but again there are so many more of them, and regardless of who the curator is, no-one owns anything close to a majority of the total listener base.
>> Plus, I look around me and wonder, "Who actually listens to the radio nowadays?"
Guessing you don’t drive/commute? Tons of commuters here in Canada still listen to the radio every morning on the way to work.
It’s almost an ancient ritual that; for the most part, hasn’t changed up here in Canada, and for those who do use streaming services or whatever it’s usually a combination of both.
There is something comforting about listening to the morning DJ talk bullshit in the morning, traffic directions that are up to date and don’t require you to look at a screen in your car, and often a fine enough selection of music for those whose tastes aren’t too refined. Which is a surprising amount of people.
There are sometimes even ‘water cooler’ stories about anecdotes from Roz + Mocha (our most popular morning radio DJ hosts) - it’s a thing - the place the radio lost the most of ground is honestly at-home and/or portable use, which was never as huge as its use in automobiles anyway. :)
Radio play is also still a holy grail for musical artists like myself, and I’ve put a solid amount of effort into trying to get each single on the air. It’s slightly easier to do up here in Canada due to local laws regarding a % of Canadian content that must be on air. :)
Plus, I look around me and wonder, "Who actually listens to the radio nowadays?" There are so many other ways to hear new music now.
You could argue that streamers, DJs, and other content creators are just as susceptible to p4p as a radio station, but again there are so many more of them, and regardless of who the curator is, no-one owns anything close to a majority of the total listener base.