Even considering the rampant prevalence of music piracy and the devaluation of music in general, it’s a pretty good time to be an independent musician. It’s much easier to distribute and broadcast your music now than it ever has been before, but one channel remains dead-set in the old ways. No, not physical distribution, but traditional radio.
The non-profit Future of Music Coalition, a sort of music industry think-tank generally representing independent music, conducted a study examining the state of radio over a four year period from 2005 to 2008. Their conclusion was that the composition of terrestrial radio playlists - ie. the ratio of major to independent artists - remained essentially unchanged over that period.
Needless to say, the percentage of independent music being played has remained at a rather minimal 12-14%, compared to a major label percentage of 78-82%. The remainder of the music was split between Disney, “mixed legacy” and no label or “to be determined”.
While 12-14% doesn’t sound all that bad, consider that independent music accounts for at least 30% of all released music (a figure that is probably very conservative.) Additionally, a label can be classified as independent even if it has major label distribution. As a result, plays of Nickelback count as “independent”; ten independent labels, releasing 56% of new indie label songs, ended up getting the lion’s share or 96% of radio plays.
The study also went into some depth about radio formats, such as Adult Contemporary vs. Country vs. Contemporary Hits Radio/Pop (those didn’t change much either) as well as the reliance of major labels on hit songs. You can read the whole study by following the link at the bottom of this post.
Same Old Song: An Analysis of Radio Playlists in a Post-FCC Consent Decree World [Future of Music Coalition]
