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If you're wearing out the "seek"
button on your radio in search
of quality music
programming in Des Moines, you're
not alone. At a time when media
corporations have a stranglehold
on the commercial market and non-commercial
stations struggle to survive,
discontent is reaching a breaking
point. One which could lead to
a change in the marketplace.
The days when listeners could
scroll across the dial to discover
a new artist, song or genre are
long gone. Today's shrinking playlists
are so homogenized - thanks to
national market surveys and big-label
money thinly veiled as payola
- that they leave discerning music
fans, who used to tune in for
meaningful music, with mind-numbing
ear candy. And though there are
a few niches in the local market
for music fans to cling to, they
are the exception to the rule.
However, the problem with radio
doesn't end there, music insiders
say. In addition to its poor playlists,
music radio is all talk when it
comes to investing in the music
community. As Des Moines' leaders
- both public and private - begin
to realize the role a vibrant
music scene can play in the retention
of youth, the recruitment of employees,
the improvement of our quality
of life and the possibilities
of financial gain, many have overlooked
a key piece to the puzzle that
has been missing for years - radio
and it's connection (or lack thereof)
to the local music scene. In order
for Des Moines' creative economy
to thrive, some insiders say,
radio must get in tune with the
local music scene. . >>
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