Speaking About Charts, Data & the Music Industry

I’ve set myself a goal of becoming a better public speaker. I didn’t do a lot of that in my time at Universal Music, and I used to be pretty good at it. Turns out though, public speaking isn’t like riding a bike. In my efforts to improve I keep saying yes to requests, so late last year I spoke on a panel at the Botswana International Music Conference and did an interview with Kaya FM.

The South African charts I’m talking about in the interview are here:

Over the last year, they have become really interesting to look at because the time period is the same (Friday – Friday) but the user bases and price points for these services differ. In a society as dynamic and heterogeneous as South Africa, there’s more to music data than just identifying the hits. These different services highlight what is popular for different communities and consumers, and it’s exactly the kind of feedback that aspiring domestic musicians need.

That’s why we joined BASA – because until now, artists haven’t had free access to this data. Music is the most popular of the Arts, yet there are no official or independent music charts. I did a little more speaking at a BASA event and they published a bit of news about Labs.FM. All in all, I’ve got some things to say, and I’ll be doing more of that over the course of the year.

The Top 20 Albums & Best Wrok of 2018 Playlist

An albums girl living in a playlist world, I listened to more records this year in comparison to the last few years. I also spent more time discussing music (with a bunch of like-minded reprobates over Whatsapp) than I’d ever done before. It was the year that classical crossover and millennial power pop stood out for me. If they keep making music this good I’ll gladly hand over the keys to our Young Overlords. Also, the mish-mashing of everything from genres to grammar just worked. Janelle Monáe combined Vaginas, Sci-Fi and Prince in a landmark R&B infused pop-operatic statement. Let’s Eat Grandma mashed up everything from the Oxford Comma to Pink Floyd-meets-the-Spice Girls. In terms of things being turned upside down, thank goodness for music, because the world is a mess.

There was so much of it this year that I’ve made a Top 20 list to avoid leaving out some of the incredible new releases. My yearly playlist is at 60 tracks vs the recommended 30 (my own rule, I get to break it), which makes just under four and a half hours of this year’s personal musical highlights available on Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer and other platforms:

And that brings me to the Top 20 Records of 2018 list:

1. Let’s Eat Grandma – I’m all Ears

I never thought my record of the year would be made by teenagers. Time and again I returned to this duo’s brave pop experimentation, which takes inspiration from the listener’s expectation of what two nineteen-year-old girls can do, and smashes it. The rapturous highs and lows of this album range from confrontational to vulnerable, all while defying genres. From start to finish it’s bold and adventurous. I’m all Ears is an extraordinary record that doesn’t sound like anything else out there.

2. Janelle Monáe – Dirty Computer

Dirty Computer is a spectacular, honest body of work that dares to occupy all positions – playful and provocative, pansexual, powerful, and iconic. In a time so clouded with double meanings, Monáe’s fearless conviction is a beacon. Nevermind smashing the patriarchy, this is a black woman calling bullshit and taking the power back while she’s dancing.

3. The 1975 – A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships

An unapologetically positive record, A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships is the antidote to Brexit and Baby Boomers. It flies high in the in the face of the depressing current political landscape, equipped with sparkling crisp lyrics and buzzing beats throughout. It’s got something for everyone and is an optimistic testament to new beginnings.

4. Niklas Paschburg – Oceanic

Paschburg’s debut is a gentle record that is as much of a slow burn as an ambient meditation. It occupies an interesting space in the growing classical crossover genre, with more pop influences in the instrumental song structures than his peers. It’s the most beautiful record I’ve heard all year.

5. Hookworms – Microshift

Microshift is a constantly moving, driving and pushing electro-psych masterpiece. The dynamic record captures an urgent tone while floating synths alongside unexpected time signatures, bursts of noise and declarative pop hooks. At times it feels like it could go anywhere, but with intense focus. A pinnacle of art-rock.

6. Anna Calvi – Hunter

On this gloriously badass record, Anna Calvi slams the notion that strength is masculine. It’s classy, fierce rock that is wildly ambitious and delivers with dreamy cinematic abandon. She sensualises and reframes predation in a manner that is liberating for women. A tour de force.

7. Boy Azooga – 1, 2, Kung Fu!

An explosive album that rolls in and chews on, serving a taste of inspiration from just about every genre. It’s a garage-rock disco slacker soul record that feels like an adventure, discovering new sounds and depths with childlike wonder in every listen.

8. Young Fathers – Cocoa Sugar

Experimental indie at its core, this is a challenging and rewarding record. From speed-rapping to krautrock, the combination of alternative ideas with sharp and focused songwriting from the Edinburgh trio has an unsettling yet shimmering effect. Groundbreaking, dark hip-hop infused pop that speaks to the times.

9. Big Red Machine – Big Red Machine

A collaboration between Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon and The National’s Aaron Dessner sounds like a dream come true, and indeed this is an album to get lost into. Along with a host of guests, they create soundscapes that feel ethereal and warm while experimenting with odd time signatures, instrumental effects and choral melodies. It’s a minimalistic and introspective record that is experienced rather than consumed.

10. Preoccupations – New Material

Post-punk has never been this trippy, even though Preoccupations are a band comfortable in the bleak shadows. This is a gritty and euphoric record that marches forward relentlessly, hitting the listener with changes in pace, noise and bright production.

11. Caroline Rose – Loner

A buzzing glitter party of a record that bubbles with wit, multi-instrumentalist Rose switches gears between considered and trashy with the catchiest of melodies. From pop synths to surf-rock guitar riffs, it’s adventurous and carefree. Caroline Rose is wild and this is the most fun album on this list.

12. Car Seat Headrest – Twin Fantasy

Will Toledo aka guitar genius of this century redid a previous (2011) release with a full band and better budget, and it’s bliss. The queer powerhouse nails awkward angst with killer riffs and deft songwriting about depression, meditation and coming of age. It’s lo-fi and slick, with layered guitars and muddy production in all the right places.

13. Lucy Dacus – Historian

Lucy Dacus is a classy lyricist and master of the slow guitar buildup. On Historian she’s both serious and subtle, ruminating on the relationships that form our stories. A pensive and mature slow burn of an album that washes over you with Dacus’ effortless vocals and intoxicating melodies.

14. Wye Oak – The Louder I Call, the Faster It Runs

A yearning, dream-pop album that buzzes with guitars and engulfs the listener in synths. Wye Oak have written laid-back folk earworms as well as the most cathartic guitar solo of the year on “Lifer.” A self-conscious record that dazzles.

15. Kurt Vile – Bottle It In

Bottle It In is this generation’s warm hug of Americana. Vile’s thoughts and loose guitar tumble from the mundane to melancholic, always with a smile. Comfortable stoner rock at it’s most emotional.

16. Bill Ryder-Jones – Yawn

This record is the beautiful sound of surrender. Indie and lo-fi, the earnest singer-songwriterness is met with wailing guitars and Ryder-Jones effortless vocals. A touching personal album that permeates sadness and bares our defeated human conditions.

17. Jonathan Wilson – Rare Birds

A sprawling, ambitious collection of influences with imagery that would be well suited to a soundtrack. Between Wilson’s pop melodies, the synths and glowing production it’s a generous rock record and a thoroughly enjoyable listen.

18. Haley Heynderickx – I Need to Start a Garden

From the spelling of her name to the stream-of-consciousness lyrics, this is a quirky AF album and an incredible debut. Heynderickx’ goes from finger picking to full-on Nirvana grunge, accompanied by a trombone. Vulnerable, wise and playful indie-folk, It’s jammed with earworms and lyrical gems like “she’ll never get to eat you like your heart’s a pomegranate.”

19. MØ – Forever Neverland

A masterpiece of electro-pop with a layer of strawberry lip gloss, Forever Neverland is a confident banger of a record from a blossoming artist. It’s a treat that mainstream pop is this indie because I’m all about that lo-fi bass.

20. Ovlov – TRU

An energetic and distorted collection of bubblegum hooks, this juggernaut punk rock record has a rainbow heart and majestic shredding guitars that make my ears rejoice.

Other stand out albums of the year that would have been a top-30ish include Son Lux, Low, Rhye, Soccer Mommy, Gaz Coombes, Villagers, Amen Dunes, Blood Orange, Mitski, Oh Sees, Miya Folick, Kacey Musgraves, Olafur Arnalds and Middle Kids.

Merry Christmas, happy birthday (to me) and have a great new year friendly people of the Internet. At last, 2018 is almost done.

 

 

5FM Interview: Algorithms, Metadata and Labs.fm

(I’m on 23 minutes in)

Playlists! New Music! Spotify!

I’ve been making mixtapes since I was old enough to press play and record at the same time. Yesterday I opened my old box of tapes and it was a treat to look through, but it reminded me that I’ve been rather lazy with publishing my playlists. But now that Spotify has launched in South Africa (I personally invited them in 2007), I thought it’s a good idea to share share share!

These days it’s easier than ever to make your own digital mixtape and publish it on social media. Not everyone uses the same streaming services though, which is why I’ve made dedicated pages (in the side column) for my Spotify and Apple Music playlists, as well as one for Other Services.

All the playlists I’ve published are now on Spotify, Apple, Deezer and YouTube; and sometimes Soundcloud, Tidal and Google Play. You can also follow me on Spotify and never miss a new playlist, as this is my preferred Streaming Service. More playlists coming soon!

Reuniting The Faithless

In the early 00’s I was working as a waitress at a small-town grill. The tips were good but the people, not so much. My boyfriend got us tickets to see Faithless live in concert. I was looking forward to it because he was into dance music, and Faithless was the only band he liked whose songs I actually knew (and liked). Also, it was a time when South African promoters only brought out one international band a year, so best you be there.

The week of the concert, I checked the shift roster and there it was, my name on the evening I’d asked to have off. And so, after not being able to get anyone to fill my shift, I pitched up to work because I’m that person. Sad Boyfriend went to the concert alone.

That night Sad but incredibly resourceful Boyfriend got me an autograph of every member of Faithless. It’s memorabilia that I still have, long after the small-town grill closed and we broke up. My Calvinistic parents didn’t teach me that it’s okay to throw in the towel sometimes. I’ll certainly teach my son about Loss Aversion and Sunken-Cost bias, and also to just quit stupid part-time jobs if they get in the way of life.

Next month multi-instrumentalist, DJ and producer Sister Bliss will be in South Africa doing a Faithless set, and I wouldn’t miss it for anything. This is the talented woman who led the expedition into a Man’s World behind the decks, while at the same time wrote all of Faithless’ hits (there are so many). God Is A DJ, and I’ve been waiting to see her for years.

Details:
Johannesburg 9 March at Wild Waters in Boksburg: Tickets at Webtickets
Cape Town 10 March at Shimmy Beach Club in Cape Town: Tickets at Webtickets 

 

Finally, Up The Creek

 

My wingman, the seriously talented and ridiculously hard-working photographer Henry Engelbrecht, drove us there after a red-eye flight on Friday morning. As the valleys unfolded we found ourselves in the middle of farmland with a secret ingredient: a gorgeous river. It was only knee-deep when we got there, but lilos (and festival-goers) don’t care.

Tent, mattress & bedding – check, check, check. I went off exploring the river stage, food stalls, bars and landscape. It’s such great venue and setting, everything is close together but never too crowded, and in the event of you needing to be alone for a little while, there’s plenty of space for that too. The organisers cap the event at 2500 tickets, and this number is just right.

Cashless Howler RFID armbands were a stroke of genius. I first saw these in 2016 at Panorama NYC, and have been singing their praises since. Being able to walk around without having to remember to look after a wallet or card is a liberating experience, and the process of cashing out took me less than 5 minutes (funds clear in 1-2 days). It’s a transparent, crime-diminishing feature that makes it as easy as possible for festival-goers to trust a payment system.

Liny Kruger from LK Mediabook ran the media and held a feast of a breakfast for us on Saturday morning, despite a bit of a drizzle. I kept hearing from people that Swellendam is always hot as hell, but this year the rain and clouds broke the usual 40-degree Celsius temperatures. There was always something to do, whether missioning between the stages or getting food or going to a bar or bumping into someone you know. And of course, all the excellent music!

 

BRYNN, killing it.

 

It was a treat seeing bands that aren’t usually on the Gauteng circuit. BRYNN was a breath of fresh air, friendly and incredibly intense on stage. With Hezron Chetty on violin, it felt like the crowd might orgasm. Dave van Vuuren is also a band member in Southern Wild, and these two bands are both at the top of their game.

Fokofpolisiekar were luxurious to watch. Not only did they perform my favourite song Tiny Town (first time I’ve ever seen it live), they also audibly shifted a gear into AC, while showing people they’re the same on-stage rockers you remember from varsity. Cape Town crowds are different, and it was good seeing them in their natural habitat.

Other highlights included Retro Dizzy, a glorious hot mess of bodies and rock guitars, as well as the Sublime Tribute Project (so much fun and bouncing, don’t think I’ve ever smiled or sung as much at a festival). I missed The Shabs, but I hear they’re a hoot. Crimson House played on Thursday before I got there, and I missed my beloved Bongeziwe Mabandla on Sunday in order to rush back to Cape Town (so that I could climb The Mountain).

Leaving the festival was a piece of pie. Without an early lift back, I hitchhiked for the first time in my life. Gail, A carefree middle-age woman in a Mazda 2 piled full of lilos, gave me a lift all the way to my Airbnb in Rondebosch. I would never dream of hiking for a lift with a stranger, but the festival seemed so open and trusting that I was convinced the universe would serve up an interesting experience (it did – “It’s later than you think” is the casual wisdom tucked into Gail’s sun visor).

Next year I’ll go from the Thursday and be the last to leave on Sunday. It’s so pleasant and relaxed, you can call it a holiday, not just a festival. Cheers, and thank you, Up The Creek.

 

The 10 Best Records & Wrok’s Best of 2017 Side B

When I joked (badly) in January that this Chinese year of the Rooster is really just the Year of The Cock, I had no idea. There were so many great songs for the last part of the year, and not even from all the big bands or artists that you’d expect. In-between all the political, economic and climatic mayhem there was some sensible music being made.

Trends for the year include hearing amazing female vocals everywhere I listened and a return to “solos” in pop songs (guitar solos for sure, but other instruments too). Trumpety-trump proved to be a strong influence, adding a whole new chapter to the history protest songs. Everyone from Arcade Fire & Mavis Staples to Billy Bragg took a stab from across the pond, not to mention all the angry music (see Best Of Albums list). On the Side B playlist, the orange man gets a cameo on “House Cat,” and is summarily dismissed by a nonchalant Mark Kozelek (as a cat). But that’s just one of the 2.5 hours of my favourite tracks from July-December 2017. Let’s all hit shuffle and go on holiday.

1. The National – Sleep Well Beast

The National really are at the top of their game, and this album seems so effortless and smooth, I’d like to inhale it. They struggle though, and the intensity with which they wrestle their creative beasts are so pleasing and intoxicating. There’s absolute harmony and discordancy at work here, as well as really intimate lyrics. The record features the band’s first real guitar solos (there are two and they’re glorious).

2. LCD Soundsystem – American Dream

The most brilliant record released this year to be met with equal and opposite amounts of scepticism. It’s one of their best to date and is overshadowed by their previous work. I only discovered LCD Soundsystem late anyway, but to me, this record sounds like prime LCD Soundsystem: the same themes but darker and the same sharp wit but with more bite. I don’t know why everyone calls it a comeback album when it’s clear that James Murphy never left the room.

3. Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile – Lotta Sea Lice

This record is my go-to album for 2017. It always matches the mood. With lots of happy, sad, rocking and laid back bits of quirky wisdom it makes sense that an honest, down to earth record would be the outcome from these slacker-rock indie darlings.

4. The War On Drugs – A Deeper Understanding

This album builds on the high standards set by Lost In A Dream, with the same wash of sound that transports you somewhere else. The mood is higher and the sound bolder, as if to resolve the two records in a celebration of victorious, dirty guitars.

5. Richard Dawson – Peasant

An exciting and strange British freak-folk album from this dude who came out of nowhere. Dawson shows incredible bravery on this medieval Celtic off-key album. It’s dirty with beautiful melodies scattered haphazardly, and the record sticks and stays with you. The weirdest and most groundbreaking album that has chosen me for a while.

6. The Weather Station – The Weather Station

Oh, my kingdom for beautiful Canadian singer-songwriters! This record is classic Folk Gold in the vein of Joni Mitchell, but at the same time is Tamara Lindeman’s confident own voice. With mint production, engaging lyrics and a rolling musical urgency, this is definitely both a vinyl/headphone and crowd-pleaser record.

7. Protomartyr – Relatives in Descent

Finally, a band has risen to take the flame from Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. Protomartyr are pissed-off and mysterious like a good Goth-inspired Post-Punk band should be. They have great rhythm and pace, with a surprising lulling quality for minor chords and dramatic badassery. Definitely music to watch Trump speeches or have existential crises to.

8. Godspeed You! Black Emperor – Luciferian Towers

A very simplified GY!BE record that hits home and feels very true to now. The album fits in well with their body of work, although it’s by no means an extensive movement of beautiful music. Rather it presents a well-organized progression of rage as grandiose tracks bombard your ears for just under an hour. A cathartic listen.

9. Rostam – Half-Light

An eclectic debut from one half of vampire weekend. The album turns pop song structure around while echoing traditional pop melodies. An inspiring sweet, detailed album from Batmanglij that doesn’t really go anywhere, but that’s entirely ok.

 

10. Bongeziwe Mabandla – Mangaliso

A record that masterfully balances the traditional and new. South African Xhosa music has never sounded this modern or hypnotic, and this album turns sweet world music turned on its head.

That’s it. Special mentions to Bjork, Sza, Josh Ritter and Sylvan Esso. As Vicky would say, “soz lol.”

On Rejection and Feist’s New Album

There’s something arresting about Feist’s haunting voice. Her new album Pleasure (with lead single of the same name) was released earlier this year. It’s edgy and raw featuring her signature sweet vocals. Also, it’s like 2007 all over again.

The Reminder was released in 2007. It’s hard to believe that was 10 years ago and we were just getting to know Facebook. I was sitting in an open plan marketing office, listening to the record when I received a notification that my half-brother would like to be Friends. I’d spent my entire late childhood and teenage years daydreaming about him and my half-sister. I’d met him once, a handsome young man studying something important at University, but she’d remained a faceless stranger. I knew that she worked in advertising because my mom once gave me a torn out magazine article. It described her as an independent female Mover and Shaker at a sought after agency, which fanned the flames for storylines over years of only-child daydreaming. And then just like that, there was a friend request from someone I didn’t really know but shared a surname and some DNA with. I didn’t breathe for a minute. Accept.

We made plans to meet up and before I knew it I was on my way to a Wimpy in a small farming town. That month I was listening to Feist a lot. Universal had just released my flavour-of-the-month record, and the fact that I was working on it made it that much better. It’s funny how memories get associated with music. The Reminder was supposed to be that great award-winning Indie record I forgot about and rediscovered one day. But just hearing her voice takes me back.

That day was overwhelming. I spent hours speaking with my brother. We danced around the issue of my dad and tried to find things we had in common. It was good. We both tried. And then around lunchtime, my half-sister showed up. I was ecstatic, so bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. And in hindsight, such a fucking n00b. I wore all of the cozy family fantasies on my sleeve, and even though she kicked back skepticism at every opportunity, I soldiered on, trying to build that relationship. I drove the 2 hours back that day a little sedated and misty-eyed. Like a big secret had just been let out.

Over the next few months, I got to know my brother and his lovely wife. I introduced them to my husband and met my nephew. The blossoming romance was beautiful, we had heart-to-hearts about things that mattered in our lives and shared everything from painful experiences to the shape of our fingernails. I put together a pack of CDs for them because sharing music is a privilege that brings people closer together. It’s so personal, and getting a new music recommendation right is the kind of curatorship victory I thrive on. Of course, I added Feist into my sister’s hamper. Because Indie is badass and you know, Fearless Female, etc.

My sister, on the other hand, remained aloof. My Friend Request was met with silence. Her Twitter profile was full of talk about forgiveness and change and empowerment. We Facebook Messaged a bit and there was a phone call or two. I can’t remember how, but she told me that she didn’t like the Feist album. She thought it was too girly, and not upbeat enough. I thought that was weird. It was such a cool record and practically everyone liked it. And just like that, The Reminder became an allegory for my relationship with my estranged siblings.

About a year later at their family farm, my half-sister insulted my husband. To be fair she didn’t insult him directly, but rather our relationship, saying that we’re together because I had father issues (there’s an age gap). I drove home disappointed and hurt, and the road was long. She’d made all sorts of assumptions about my life, from which she’d been absent, but I had done the same. My mind switched between self-doubt (why doesn’t she like me), and self-hate (why do I care). I visited my brother but stopped asking about her. We saw each other at my brother’s birthday party a few years later. It was awkward, but she was friendly. We talked a little after that, and then one day she told me that she didn’t want to know me.

It’s astonishing how you can let one person hurt you so much, without them even knowing. My half-sister doesn’t want to know me because we share the same father, something I literally have no power to change. My father has been trying reach out to them for years, with mixed success. He is a difficult and complex man, but his relationship with them has nothing to do with me.

I still love Feist but can’t listen to The Reminder in one sitting. Her new album Pleasure is superb though. It seems to have gone relatively unnoticed as there aren’t enough reviews for a Metascore rating despite an April 2017 release date. If you’re in a quiet mood you should definitely listen to “A Man Is Not His Song”. This year I’ve been slaying a few dragons in my life. I’m also trying to listen to more Feist.

“Sealion” is track 6 on The Reminder and is a super-classy, catchy AF cover of Nina Simone’s “Sea Lion Woman.”

Are Playlists The New Radio?

Adapted from a talk at the #futuretuned Radio Days Africa conference (5-7 July 2017).

The music industry has always been at the forefront of disruption in technology and, in some ways, it seems as if there isn’t a corner of it left untouched.

A year ago at Radio Days Africa, a guy from one of the labels told the audience that they didn’t need radio anymore. He justified this by saying that subscription services are now freely available and that people can listen to what they like, without having to listen to radio’s advertising or DJs. Having spent 10 years at a major label, I know for sure is that it’s the other way around — it’s radio that doesn’t need labels.

Over the last 15 years, music consumption has changed dramatically, and the power dynamic has shifted as a result. The music is better, but it’s less valuable because it’s available everywhere (and, often, for free).

Consumers now have direct access to all the new music they could ever want through subscriptions to Streaming Services. Spotify counts more than 30 million tracks, each available anywhere and at any time.

The real shift, however, is in how consumers are listening to music in this environment. Last year, playlists overtook albums in time spent listening; a number which only continues to grow.

It’s these playlists that will be radio’s competition if Radio doesn’t instead see Streaming Services as an opportunity. Radio needs to strategically use playlists as part of a larger brand positioning and marketing strategy. I could throw around the words ‘listener’, ‘user’, and ‘audience’ fairly liberally and, for me at least, they mean similar things. But most commercial stations are only incentivised to increase their listenership. That needs to change.

In addition to music consumption, music discovery has evolved. Music is no longer spread through silos by record companies pushing their priorities, or by stations having exclusive first plays. Radio is no longer determining which songs make it. Many stations know and have adapted to this, but that’s not enough. The real opportunity lies in the curation and discovery of NEW music — something that is already part of what any station does on a daily basis.

Streaming services are addressing the discovery challenge in their own ways. Spotify acquired The Echo Nest to assist with data-driven music discovery & personalisation. Their Discover Weekly playlist is a personalised playlist aimed squarely at promoting new artists and songs. Apple’s Beats 1, on the other hand, dives straight into radio territory by creating live, on-air-like shows. If you’ve ever listened to Beats 1 you’ll have noticed that it’s engaging, on-demand content which has more in common with traditional radio than podcasting.

But South African music radio? Well, it’s complicated. I believe that to grow you have to break new music. Even if you can’t play it on air.

Before Hlaudi dropped the 90% local content bomb, 5FM’s role as a national youth station was to break new tracks. The impact that this mandate had in differentiating 5FM’s and other SABC station’s respective playlists has been substantial (whether you think it’s good or bad).

What I think is being missed, however, is the opportunity that this created. Without a national station that could play new international music, many labels and radio pluggers looked towards the top regional commercial stations to start adding new tracks and, of course, this simply isn’t their mandate.

Station overlap of playlist similarity. Source: Labs.fm

Which brings me to an issue I have with mainstream Top 40 in a world of music streaming — that they don’t offer anything different. Imagine, instead, if these stations made Apple Music and Deezer playlists of songs not on their playlists? Streaming Services are another vehicle where stations can have a brand presence, especially one that promotes music discovery. The benefit is being able to curate a much greater variety of music.

Sometimes I think the way radio treats music in a streaming world is irrelevant. In years past the life of a song may have been determined by radio, but these days a song may burn before a station even starts playing it, because it’s been on the Apple Music or iTunes chart for the last 2 months. There’s too much pressure on humans to make the right playlisting calls.

Radio is an incredible format. Apart from the live music scene, it’s the only pervasive real-time music format that is social, embraces the New and invites every listener to be part of a tribe. It’s exactly the thing that Streaming Services don’t have — a personal and passionate relationship.

Streaming Services emphasize the personalized playlists such as Discover Weekly because the data gets as close to an intimate, unique recommendation as possible. Data is their strength and, even though users are shown to switch between playlists a lot, the engagement is high. For labels, growth in this format is incredible, but it requires curation because, with so much to listen to, how do people know what music to listen to?

Major label playlist curation companies

Cue Curated Playlists. Just like radio plugging, the labels have playlists curation companies that you may have seen. Universal owns Digster, Sony owns Filtr, and Warner owns Topsify. Labels glean insight into streaming track performance, and use those insights to adjust worldwide marketing campaigns. There’s no reason why individual stations or media powerhouses like Kagiso Media or Primedia shouldn’t have their own mood and genre playlists to promote their brands, or research tracks before adding them to the station. Users, listeners or audiences don’t necessarily just want to hear from one label or an artist. They want to hear about everything that there is to offer from someone they trust, and radio listeners trust a station’s music judgment.

Playlist overlap between station and iTunes ZA chart. Source: Labs.fm

Locally, some stations build streaming playlists based on their music strategy or the chart — but if you’re simply publishing the station’s chart, why would someone tune in? Why not test some of the tracks that didn’t make it to the playlist, along with some edgier tracks that may appeal to a smaller niche within your overall market, but not enough to make them suitable for playlisting? The takeaway for radio is that you have to be a little unique on Streaming Services.

At Labs.fm, we’re firm believers that Radio can be better, and already do music recommendation reports as a service, such as which tracks are a good fit for a station to add or which tracks are in danger of burning. But, taken further, we’re able to look at audiences, recommend growing niche tracks, as well as build and manage those playlists. These are the kinds of activities that make sure a music strategy can compete with streaming playlisting, and also serve as extensions of a station’s brand.

It’s interesting to note that while Spotify publicly displays the playlist follower count, Apple music does not. BBC R1, with their over 400 000 followers can’t call those numbers ‘listeners’, but if surveyed, how would a Spotify user interpret the question “Have you listened to BBC Radio 1 over the last 7 days?” Perhaps, then, the greatest threat to radio is the way listeners are counted right now. Because if that Spotify user answers yes, or attended the BBC Big Weekend, I’d call them part of BBC 1’s “AUDIENCE.”

I make the case for Radio playlists because I believe these could not only provide valuable research data for radio but also be another Brand touchpoint. By aggregating many playlists, radio can be made a lot better, and stations can gain wider Audiences. I want radio programmers and compilers to use data and streaming playlists to be adventurous and take more risks. Stations have such a wealth of knowledge and listener trust. If other mediums such as playlists, podcasts and events aren’t prioritised, there’s no incentive for stations to do anything outside of traditional radio, and they’d be missing a massive opportunity.

—

You can listen to the full, original talk from Radio Days Africa on Iono.

Best of 2017 Side A

Friends, it’s been a Milestone Year. Middle fingers and lots of changes for the better. A “Big One” (subtext: there’s a post all about it below). Put these songs on repeat, it’s been a hell of a good music year too.