YourEDM has an interesting piece on the thinking of DJ Producer Ryan Raddon, aka Kaskade, regarding radio and YouTube. Raddon sat on a recent Advertising Week panel in New York City. Raddon’s words:
“On my [YouTube] channel I’m just sharing insight, I mean anything from ‘hey this is music that I’m listening to,’ to ‘this is what I’m doing in the studio,’ ‘this is my life on the road,’ I feel like I can speak to the fans really directly. I didn’t have to wait for radio to break my song. I put it up on YouTube, a self produced video, get it out there and see what the reaction is and start some momentum that way.”
Discussants on the panel were all about which platform comes first, radio or YouTube, TV or YouTube. In my mind the generic social algorithm goes something like this: “You post something on Twitter, or YouTube, or Spotify, or someplace similar, and then hopefully it gets picked up by radio or television as you get more popular.” But increasingly it feels like the online platforms are an end unto themselves, and AM/FM radio is either there or it’s not there, but it isn’t the end goal any more.
These cautionaries to radio aside, there is an interesting Radio Story School online that you might want to check out. It comes with a free e-book, advice about gear, and a whole lot of other stuff. It is produced by Zena Kells, an Australian radio producer who lives in Cambodia.
Meanwhile The Turtles, victorious (at the moment) over Sirius XM regarding pre-1972 recording royalties, are now suing Pandora for $25 million. As with Sirius XM, the issue is that while federal law doesn’t cover recording royalties prior to 1972, California law does.
Speaking of YouTube, who is next?
