The next two weeks worth of blogs come to us courtesy of Jean Cook and Justin Jouvenal. They work with the Future of Music Coalition, an education, research and advocacy nonprofit focused on the intersection of independent music, technology, and policy. I met Jean earlier this year at a classical music "Think Tank" and was intrigued by her approach to classical music and media.
"If broadcast radio won't provide the eclectic mix that so many young listeners create on their own iPods, then arts organizations will just have to do it themselves." - Marc Fisher, Washington Post 1/21/07
Just a decade ago, options for hearing chamber music, jazz, and world music on the radio were straightforward and rather limited: a local NPR or Pacifica station spinning Beethoven string quartets or Wynton Marsalis on a dial filled with infinite varieties of commercial pop, country, and talk.
But as with many art forms, the Internet has revolutionized how niche music reaches fans. With recording, podcasting and webcasting becoming cheaper every day, traditional radio broadcasts have morphed into dozens of new forms on the web, and - perhaps most importantly - the line between being a performer and a broadcaster has blurred. This new environment offers new possibilities for reaching new audiences, but it requires a new way of thinking about radio.
What is the sound of classical and jazz on the radio today? It's Internet radio devoted to touring artists, contemporary composers, and oboe soloists (among other eclectic topics) reaching their slices of 72 million American web radio listeners last month; it's partnerships with satellite radio forged by leadership organizations such as the Metropolitan Opera and Jazz at Lincoln Center; it's podcasting made more powerful through syndication on traditional public radio networks.
More than a quarter of all Americans tuned into web radio last month. Of that, 25% were tuning into simulcasts of their favorite broadcast stations. But what were the rest listening to? At least 6,000 of them were listening to Wolf Trap Radio, checking out live recordings of classical, cabaret and soft rock from the Filene Center, interviews with performing artists and Wolf Trap staff, and special programming such as music and commentary from jazz pianist John Eaton. Wolf Trap Radio broadcasts 24 hours a day and is accessible via their website, Live365.com, and - perhaps most importantly - the iTunes web radio station directory, filed under "Eclectic".
Or perhaps they were listening to the unique offerings of the American Music Center's newly launched web radio station, Counterstream, which showcases new music by United States composers. Drawing from the AMC's substantial recordings library, the station streams programming remarkable for its depth and eclecticism. The playlist for a recent half-hour included Steven Stucky's "Ad Parnassum" performed by Ensemble X, Earle Brown's "Tracking Pierrot" for Ensemble Avantegarde conducted by the composer, and Ibis Camerata playing Peter Fraser MacDonald's Vocalise - hardly mainstream radio fare. Clicking on each piece provides information on the recording and a link to Amazon.com to buy it immediately. Let's see your terrestrial radio station do that.
If you prefer listening to digital audio in a more portable form, you're not alone. The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Strathmore Hall, Wolf Trap Opera Company, Naxos, and Bret Primack, who produced a series profiling tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins, are just a few presenters and musicians creating high-quality downloadable audio pieces, also known as podcasts. These podcasters are reaching new audiences as they take the time to introduce, explain and contextualize their work. And business-to-business networks such as the Public Radio Exchange, an online marketplace where podcast producers can syndicate their radio pieces to public radio stations across the country, these pieces can even become a modest income stream.
Radio offers many opportunities for classical music, but the key to finding them is understanding the medium in the Internet age. It requires new partnerships, new thinking, and, in some cases, becoming a DJ.
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