I have a complicated relationship with mainstream radio. In recent years, a chunk of my music hasn’t come from radio but from miscellaneous searches on iTunes. For hours, I would get lost in genres and artists, discovering voices and sounds that instantly captivated me.
I also use Pandora when iTunes fails to give me the array of diverse music I crave. Television and movies are also great sources for music. I will forever be grateful to “One Tree Hill” for introducing me to Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, The Veils and Band of Horses, as well as Cartoon Network’s “Adult Swim” for bringing MF DOOM and Flying Lotus into my life.
My friends and family have also been pivotal in my search for music. Being associated with people who are as equally diverse as the musical spectrum itself provides great opportunities for artist and song recommendations.
I surely would never have discovered my favorite artists and songs on popular radio. Most of them, unfortunately, never make it that far, and that’s where the problem lies.
I don’t hate radio. There actually used to be a time in my life when I adored it. As a kid I would listen to Hot 97 with my brother, reciting hip-hop and R&B lyrics. I used to listen to Radio Disney on my way to and from elementary school, feeling awesome for knowing all the words to Hilary Duff’s “So Yesterday.”
I loved the feeling of being connected to the mainstream. I loved knowing what was popular and having the ability to recognize, remember and perform it accurately. I felt cool.
My break from radio didn’t begin until high school, but even before it, my taste in music was already different from most of my friends. While they were still stuck on the songs that made it on the top-10 countdown of their favorite radio stations, I listened to the songs that never made it to the radio.
I grew uninterested in the songs that made an artist popular and I became passionate about the songs on an album that truly showcased an artist’s raw talent.
My break from radio was as gradual as it was unintentional. It was never my plan to break away from what kept me linked to my friends, to strangers, to society. As I grew older, though, I became curious about genres and artists that existed outside my comfort zone. I wanted to get lost in sounds that I couldn’t hear on radio. I wanted to immerse myself in something that mainstream radio couldn’t provide: diversity.
Diversity is missing from mainstream radio. Most of the time, it appears that the same sounds or themes jump around from song to song, leaving listeners trapped in a musical stupor. Not to mention, only songs from the most popular artists get pushed into heavy rotation, which only alters listeners’ conception of what good music is.
When radio defines what good music is for listeners, it convinces them to keep their searches for music contained to only those artists or songs that have received nationwide or worldwide recognition. Hence, other great artists go unnoticed because their music doesn’t meet the standards established by mainstream radio. Even spectacular songs from popular artists go unheard because they lack the appeal needed for mainstream play.
Whenever I do listen to the radio, I’m reminded of why I abandoned it in the first place. On the other hand, I’m also reminded of the connection that’s initiated between one listener and an entire culture. Admittedly, it is a great feeling, but it’s a better feeling knowing that my taste in music was selected, not mandated.