Music, Style & Culture

Do It Yourself: The Rise Of DIY Broadcasting

The Buggles once told us Video Killed The Radio Star, but you shouldn't believe them.

Have you ever had that feeling where, after logging on to some modern, magical music streaming software, you draw a blank? You don't know what you want to listen to - there's too much choice. When you're standing at the aural equivalent of an all you can eat buffet, who can blame you?

Perhaps you're not that person. Perhaps you are decisive and always instantly know the answer to “Do you need a bag with that?” Or maybe, on reflection, everyone needs a little guidance every once in a while; some careful curation. You are reading a music magazine, after all.

James Cridland, a radio futurologist and Managing Director for Media UK sums it up for us: “We've all had the horrifying moment of opening Spotify, seeing the search box, and thinking, 'what on earth should I be listening to?'

"While it seems fun and amazing for the first couple of days, it soon descends into a lot of hard work – so the benefit of radio becomes more appealing. Turn it on, and it makes noise at you. Until you turn it off. Genius user interface!”

And it is just that: genius. When lazing about on a Sunday morning reading the papers (or perhaps a certain free music mag - Ed), not everyone wants to go to the trouble of carefully curating their own playlist. Or worse, taking the risk of letting the shuffle button run riot through their archives - who knew you owned quite that many Steps ‘classics’ anyway? That's where radio comes in.

It's there when you're driving your car, it's there when you're reading a book. It can even be there when you're in the shower, if you're feeling so inclined. There once was a time where radio only arrived through traditional AM or FM means, but now via your mobile phone or laptop there’s a whole new world. Gone are the days when it was only the experts allowed to turn on a microphone. With the rise of community stations, student radio, online radio, traditional podcasts and more, it seems that almost anyone can have a go.

Podcasts, whilst not a new innovation, are still relatively young in radio terms, but they're unmatched as a medium for allowing individuality to flourish. Unlike with traditional radio, which is often playlisted and places specialist content later on in the schedules, these bite-size shows allow their hosts to put out any music, content or ideas they like.

Jon Hillcock, 6Music presenter and creator of the New Noise podcast, is a fan of that freedom. “There's an intensely personal aspect to podcasting which might not necessarily translate on the radio,” he explains. “You're not governed by playlist policy, station music policy or genre-restriction. There's also no money to be made in the medium so you know the curator is going to the effort of lovingly compiling, writing, producing and editing it purely for the love of sharing something they find amazing. I find that exciting.”

Amazing Radio's Charlie Ashcroft - also part of our own DIY Radio’s launch line up (more on that later - Ed) - believes that ease and speed of access to new music plays a valuable part in what makes listening to curated broadcasts so appealing. “With dozens of social networks, not to mention hundreds of thousands of blogs, where do you start? With the internet becoming the principal stomping ground for new tastemakers, people begin to work out which presenters and websites they can rely on. Time is a precious commodity, and many music fans don't want to waste vast portions of their free time getting bogged down searching for something which might be served up more quickly by a familiar voice they trust.”

Ex-Program Director of sadly departed online station WOXY, and fellow DIY Radio host Mike Taylor agrees: “Some people prefer a filter,” he confirms. “A trusted source, if you will. They don't have the time or desire to sift through blogs and down the online rabbit hole. In my case, the majority of followers for my Big Beat podcast are former WOXY listeners."

It’s that sense of creativity and personality that has contributed to the rise of student and community radio stations. Unlike their commercial peers, the majority of these stations don't playlist their programming, instead opting for an open door policy: everything is welcome - within OFCOM guidelines, of course.

Kate Hutchinson, Co-Station Editor of London Fields Radio, a community station in East London, believes that it’s the individuality and creativity of the programming that makes these stations so special. “At London Fields Radio, you might be tuning in to an art and design show while listening to some of the most cutting-edge dubstep, or a cookery show filled with post-punk,” she explains.

"Our presenters have their own SoundCloud, MixCloud and Facebook groups too, which help build a network of like-minded people around the station. People who come in to record a show talk to their friends, who talk to theirs, and so on. It's very DIY and grassroots, and, most importantly, fuelled by the local community.”

But it seems that you don't need to be in the community to feel a part of one. The latest listener figures reported show a year on year increase in the amount of listening through mobile phones, DAB and via the internet, allowing listeners an even greater choice of stations based all over the world. With more choice, creative freedom and the added bonus of ever-changing technology, the do-it-yourself broadcast industry is booming.

Taken from the Autumn 2011 issue of DIY, available now. For more details click here.