the future of radio (leiden - 13/10/2010)

By Julien Mourlon13/10/2010 – Leiden University

• Introduction• The LDBK experience• A few numbers• Manifesto

Let me introduce myself

• Born, raised and still living in Brussels

• I fell in love with radio at age 5 • Civil engineer specialised in computer

science with a passion for communication and experimentation

• Founder of the Laid Back project promoting urban cultures: http://ldbk.eu

• New media consultant

• Storyteller

• Contact: http://twitter.com/julien_mo

Who are you?

• Smart phones users?

• Social Network addicts?

• (Online) radio listeners?

• Bloggers or online content producers?

The LDBK experience

Analyzing a (very) specific project

The good old “Kwality Street” days (2000 - 03)

Urban culture: music, reviews, interviews, events, lifestyle, …http://ldbk.eu/kwality

FM Radio experience (2002 – 2010)

Currently on FM Brussel.Closing this chapter on Nov 1st 2010 because we can’t make it fit in our strategy.

Going online (2004 - …)

Starting with a regular blog… but is it still relevant today? Yes, for exclusive content!

A brief (online) strategy

Fish where the fishes are… Social Networks.Each platform attracts a different audience, content should be adapted!

Adding a visual dimension to radio

And my first experiment was Flickr.

Radio is interaction

No more phoners… It’s all about Facebook and Twitter these days.

Radio is video?

Gathering LDBK’s favorite videos on vimeo and youtube

Last but not least… Radio is audio content

Live stream on Radionomy – Mixes on Mixcloud – Free tracks on Soundcloud

Collaboration is the key

For more: watch IntrudersTV’s interview

So what is radio?

• Radio is a century old technology (circa 1890)

• New features? Satellite? Digital?

• In order to survive in the online age, radio should offer more than audio content!

A good starting point…

• Radio Data System, or RDS, is a communications protocol standard for embedding small amounts of digital information in conventional FM radio broadcasts: time, station identification and program information.

A few numbers

For good measure

Socialnomics

The Infinite Dial 2010

• 84% of Americans have a broadband access at home• 64% of those have a Wi-Fi network

• Internet surpasses TV as most essential medium• Internet surpasses radio for how 12/34’s discover new

music

• The car and the pocket are the next battlegrounds

• Source (pdf and webcast): Edison Research / Arbitron (US - 2010)

The Infinite Dial 2010

17% of the US internet users aged 12+ listen to an online radio weekly (jukeboxes included)

Source (pdf and webcast): Edison Research / Arbitron (US - 2010)

More numbers?

Source: Forrester

Source: Razorfish

Source: TNS Digital Life

More numbers?

Source: TNS Digital Life

So what is radio today?

• Radio is a century old technology (circa 1890)

• New features? Satellite? Digital?

• In order to survive in the online age, radio should offer more than audio content!

A good starting point…

• Radio Data System, or RDS, is a communications protocol standard for embedding small amounts of digital information in conventional FM radio broadcasts: time, station identification and program information.

Manifesto

A few ideas for the future

Why would a kid born today decide ten years from now to turn on a radio?

• It is time for radio stations to adapt to the new media technologies and to the ever-evolving listeners’ behavior.

• Internet changed the way we• communicate • access information • watch video content• read the news• …

• But radio? Should we even keep using this name? Think about phones. • Radio has a low profile among other media.

Radio’s main advantage over other media?

Listening to the radio doesn’t require 100% of the listener’s attention.

• Offer an experience: Once you catch your listeners’ attention you’d better give them something nice.

• Add value: So why not display related content and additional information in your player?

• Orientate your listeners: Radio stations should also

invite listeners to discover the infinite diversity of content available online.

What you hear is what you might want to read, try, visit, buy…

Radio 2.0?

• Radio 2.0 is not about reinventing radio but exploiting new technologies to reach more people with better content and end-user interactivity.

• More and more, listeners will filter, recommend and produce content. Soon they will also generate their own personal program grid, gathering audio contents from all over the web

• Programs should be fragmented in order to allow listeners to personalise their radio station.

• More about radio (or music) 2.0, check Gerd Leonhard

Music 2.0?

• Computer-generated playlists and on-demand jukeboxes are the new music radio stations.

• While lacking editorial content, initiatives like Spotify, Deezer and Last.fm could be seen as alternatives to music radio stations. Yet very different

• Just like current radio stations, these services help listeners discover new talent. They are the music industry’s perfect partners in a media environment characterized by collaboration and co-creation.

• Access vs Copy – Stream vs Download

Radio will remain a community-based medium but the community doesn’t have to be local anymore.One difference between terrestrial and online radio is that the latter is not limited to a geographic area. Listeners will keep a strong relationship with their favorite radio stations even if the way they connect to the radio station will evolve.

As traditional radio stations do today, online stations should improve the real-life experience of their listeners through contests, event partnerships… Anything linked to the real world increases brand visibility.

Context is the key. Supplement your audio stream with related content.Great content introduced by strong personalities is what makes people listen to radio. Radio hosts (should we call them audio bloggers now?) will remain trendsetters but will benefit from new tools to share their opinions/tastes (e.g. blip.fm, Facebook or Twitter)

Internet allows us to link audio content to multimedia information (content related to the audio being broadcasted), offering an incredible added value and a much better experience for listeners than the raw audio stream offered by FM radio.

How to integrate radio on a website?

• Much more can be done with online radio than podcasting and content streaming.

• Usability: Listeners are used to simply

turning a button to start listening to their favorite radio station. The online experience should be a one-click operation as well

• But your goal as a radio station is NOT to drive traffic to your website.

• Desktop or mobile applications coupled with social networks will help online radio attract and retain listening audiences

More on NPR.org

Traditional radio stations should understand what their added value/unique brand is and focus on that.Everything done today through airwaves can be done in a more interactive and efficient way online:• Traffic reports (integrate with navigation system if in cars)• Weather forecasts (give me visuals)• News reports (give links to read more) • Commercials• Contests and interactions

-> adapted for a listener’s location/preferences/tastes.

Welcome to Long Tail radio stations. Your audience is waiting for you.

• You can create your own radio station easily (Live365, Radionomy, …) and at no (or minimal) cost.

• And you can be sure there will be an audience for each of them.

• Read more about Chris Anderson’s Long Tail

There are more business models available for online radio stations than for their FM counterparts.Segment your business model: ads, direct sales, merchandizing, memberships (freemiums) could coexist.

A linear radio stream with commercial breaks is a known model, but advertisers will reach their audience more efficiently through ads placed also outside of the stream, inviting listeners to interact with their brands.

Make money through subscription. Everybody loves to be a VIP and receive exclusive content. Make your online services addictive.

Last but not least, it’s much easier to target and measure your online audience.

We need new devices to connect to online radio. Mobiles and tablets are the way to go.Online radio is not limited to a computer…

Online radio access anytime and anywhere will be achieved through pocket computer/enhanced mobile phones. These will provide network access to a variety of audio devices (car radio, home system) and become a remote control, allowing listeners to interact with their favorite radio station.

The way radio is done today is just one of the many possibilities we have to make radio in the coming years.

Contact: Julien Mourlon - julius@laid-back.be

Thank you to Fabian Tilmant (Cleverwood), Bie Vancraeynest, Tom Van Hout, Noah Greenwood, Stephen Wilkins, Anthony Janssens, Caroline Maerten and everybody who shared their thoughts on the various draft versions of this presentation.