Black Music 2007 - Part IV: Bridging The Digital Divide

Bridging The Digital Divide

As we prepare to conclude this four-part series for June-Black Music Month 2007, we turn now to "the digital divide." And although this is Black Music Month, this chapter is about more than just music. It is about the digital divide.

Before we begin, we should explain what is meant by the digital divide.

We are in the midst of an information economy, and the future is upon us. Technology is being used to grow our economy, to generate new products and services. It is being used to bring high wages, high skilled jobs to our nation's work force. The question becomes, where does this leave African Americans, Latinos and other minorities? The answer is we will be underserved unless we seize the opportunity. For those of us in the radio and music industries, we already know what's up -- most of us, anyhow.

The key to opportunity in the decades ahead lies in what's happening in our high tech world. You see it in the work place where six out of every ten new jobs are computer related. I personally know of what everyone assumed was a qualified brother who when interviewed said he understood the computer music scheduling system Selector, but really didn't. After he got the job, the GM found out he had not been truthful. One day, when his MD, who was Selector savvy, was out, he couldn't put a record on his own radio station. The word spread and soon, when his ratings went down, so did he.

Skilled labor today requires the ability to use computers and telecommunications. Telecommunications is now over 14% of the economy and growing. America will need 1.3 million new workers in information technology over the next eight years.

How do we make sure the information highway has on-ramps and off-ramps into every neighborhood? How do we avoid creating a country of information haves and have nots? How do we make sure this revolution in communications helps our listeners to recognize how important it is? We have to find a way to give our listeners some facts in between the hits they come to our stations to hear. Our stations need to re-tool themselves, so that the residual effect of Black Music Month lasts and extends well into the new year.

Popular Terrestrial Urban Radio

Isn't it interesting that terrestrial urban radio remains so popular in spite of all the distractions, including iPods, satellite delivered radio, Internet listening and various on-line music sources? More people use the Internet to get music now than ever before. When they hear something they like on the radio, they find it on the Internet and either have it delivered electronically or use that information to go out and buy the music we have made them want. Recent studies show the Internet has become an important delivery system for new music, but it's still radio where they hear about new music first. Radio used to be the only place for people to hear new music, but it is now one of many sources. Radio is competing for the audience's attention with all of these other players. But, even though our time-spent-listening (TSL) is down, radio is still very important to the music industry in 2007. It's amazing how influential radio continues to be.

And what's even more amazing is the billing slice that radio overall gets is about 8%-10% of the national pie. And naturally, urban radio gets an even smaller slice. And unlike other formats, urban and urban AC stations have the "saleable demographics" advertisers are looking for.

Demographics' main purpose is to tell what gender your audience is, how much money they earn, what products they buy and how many times they do it. Urban radio has to go beyond demographics. We still need too count numbers, but numbers alone, even when we have them, will not help us get our fair share of the local or national advertising dollar. Out truths are not self-evident. They must be told and re-told.

Part of the story that needs to be included in that pitch is the main thing that attracts listeners to our format is the fact that not only is our music strong, additive and fun to listen to, we play new music. Some of us, anyhow. And we need to play more, especially in the urban AC format. One thing many research driven, federally regulated, corporate-owned, urban adult stations fail to realize is that most urban AC stations are vying for the coveted 25-54 demo, but it's the younger end, 18-34 that drive the demand for new music and can make a huge ratings difference, even for a successful adult station.

Many smart urban stations have already noticed this hunger for new music and have reacted accordingly. Their current-to gold radio during the day, when the audience is older, is lower. At night, the percentage of currents increases dramatically because the audience is younger and demands it.

So is the answer to only play new music at night? No, new music should be played during the day, as well. And daytime new tracks should be more familiar. It should be the songs that have the best potential of making it into the "A-stack." Many of these daytime currents probably started at night with the younger audience, making that initial "playground" very important to the overall sound of your station. They are forming the "bridge" to crossover.

Finally, we have to bridge the musical "digital divide." If we can't cross that bridge it will continue to separate us when we most need to be brought together. So between songs, as part of our daily show prep, we have to find a way to work this thinking into what we say, as well as what we play. We have to make sure our listeners can get to the on-ramp on the information highway, because that's also the on-ramp to opportunity. As we said in the first week of this four-part series, we're moving forward, but we're still behind. We can't simply go along with business as usual. Because if we do, the information haves will become have-mores, and the have-nots will become have-nones.

Word.