Blogia

Transistor kills the radio star?

Hábitos da geração iPod

«(...) To youth-market researcher Max Valiquette, this combination of smallness and technological muscle is part of an accelerating cultural shift away from home-based entertainment toward a brave new world of portability, allowing consumers vastly greater control over what they listen to and view.

"One, you don't have to wait for what you want to hear," says Valiquette, 30, an iPod user and president of Youthography, a research firm based in Toronto. "Two, it's not the volume of songs but the navigation -- by mood, genre, popularity, artist, et cetera -- that's the real genius here."

Valiquette also notes that the ability to control one's listening habits has steadily expanded since the Sony Walkman debuted in 1979, making headphones a commonplace accessory. From mix tapes to custom-made CDs, the "know-me-by-my-music" mentality of older music lovers is being taken to new heights by the iPod generation, he says.

"You don't sit around a coffee shop anymore saying, `If you dig that tune, you'll dig this, too,' " Valiquette says. "You pull out your iPod instead and say, `Hey, listen to this.' "»

fonte«All shook up», Boston Globe, Joseph P. Kahn, April 5, 2004

A geração iPod e a neteconomia

Será possível compreender o fenómeno associado à geração iPod sem o relacionar e integrar numa área mais vasta, a da neteconomia?

O que fazer com o espectro hertziano?

A Ofcom, britânica, já começou a discussão:

«Current trends suggest that 90% of all radio listening will be via digital platforms by 2017. At present, there are no plans to switch-off analogue (FM and AM) radio. Ofcom’s consultation seeks views on changes which could free-up spectrum, currently used by analogue radio services, at an appropriate time in the future.
Existing analogue commercial radio licences will expire between 2009 and 2027, depending upon the date of issue. Under current legislation, these licences would be re-advertised. However, in the future this spectrum might be better used for other services such as mobile television, more digital radio, more community radio services or other new technologies.
To avoid the possibility of inefficient spectrum use, Ofcom believes that Government and Parliament may wish to consider how to allow Ofcom to achieve common end-dates for all FM and AM licences. This will be a key question as digital radio listening continues to grow. Ofcom’s consultation sets out a suggested approach for achieving common end-dates, which includes extending existing licences for an indefinite period; making any licences extended in this way subject to two years’ notice of termination; and removing the automatic renewal for analogue licences whose holders are also offering a DAB service on a relevant radio multiplex.
In addition, Ofcom proposes two separate reviews of all analogue radio services - the AM (Medium Wave) spectrum in 2009; and the FM spectrum in 2012 or when digital listening accounts for 50% of all listening. Both reviews would consider future use of analogue spectrum and set common end-dates for existing services (commercial and BBC). These reviews would include a full assessment of the costs and benefits, taking into account the needs of consumers, including the most vulnerable members of society»

fonte: «Views on radio wanted» Radiotoday.com, 17/04/07

«Internet absorveu 7,5 milhões de euros em 2006»

- valores de investimento a preços reais, de acordo com a agência de meios Carat (Jornal de Negócios, 11 de abril, 2007, pág 39, Catarina Carneiro de Brito);

- o meio on line cresceu 50% face a 2005, «deverá representar 2% do mercado» (1% passa pelas agências de meios, o restante por investimento directo);

- anunciantes principais: bwin, Cetelem, Citybank, Cofidis, Credial, PT Comunicações, Santa Casa, TMN, TotalTim, Vodafone;

- para 2007: previsão de crescimento de 50%, superior mesmo; «o 'on line já não é aquele meio para onde vão os restos», diz andre freire de andrade (faz parte do plano estrategico dos anunciantes);

- a Mediamonitor não contempla a internet nos seus estudos regulares e não há data para o inicio da divulgação, atraves de uma nova metodologia

Internet impulsiona publicidade em 2007

de um artigo do Diário Económico («Publicidade deverá crescer 5,2% em 2007») de 11/04/07:

- o investimento publicitário deverá registar subida de 5,2% face a 2006 (332 mil milhões) (de acordo com um Zenith Optimedia)

- até 2009 os suportes on line deverão crescer seis vezes mais do que a televisão ou a imprensa (só este relatorio aponta para um crescimento de 28,2% para os 23,2 mil milhões de euros; o resto do mercado deverá subir 3,7%

O esforço para fazer convergir o iPod com a rádio (à margem da Apple)

«Manufacturer Roberts Radio and digital technology company Frontier Silicon have joined forces to develop the UK's first DAB/FM plug-in for the iPod. Digital radio stations will be able to reach a potential audience of millions by opening up their services to iPod users.The device, which is "about the size of an egg" will be launched in late autumn. It will be sold by major electronic retailers for £49.99. The Digital Radio Development Bureau (DRDB), the industry body set up to ensure digital radio is picked up widely and swiftly, is backing the launch.A DRDB spokeswoman said: "FM radio plug-ins for iPods have already proven popular so we are feeling positive about the DAB/FM plug-in." BBC director of music and audio Jenny Abramsky was also enthusiastic about the plug-in but added "One of the key challenges is not just getting DAB onto iPods, MP3 players and mobile phones but to get it onto all mobile devices." Abramsky said approximately 13 million MP3 players had been sold in the UK, the majority of which were iPods. She added the DAB plug-in would be a good way of preventing younger audiences from slipping away from digital radio. Apple declined to comment on whether it will consider incorporating DAB/FM technology on iPods in the future.» (fonte: «DAB/FM iPod plug-in to give digital radio boost», Broadcastnow, Yvette Mackenzie, 24/05/07; via Netfm)

Uma opinião: «One of the most common complaints about the iPod is that it lacks a simple radio. It's a common feature in so many portable audio players now that it seems almost ridiculous that the iPod doesn't have such a feature built in as standard»

Operador telemóveis EUA oferece Pandora; as vantagens de ouvir o Pandora

«Sprint has introduced Pandora to let users discover new music and hear favorite songs through their own personalized DJ on their phone. All the users have to do is enter a song or artist that they like, and within seconds, Pandora delivers a personalized radio station with a continuous stream of songs that fit the same sound and style. (...) Pandora on Sprint phones is integrated seamlessly with the online version of Pandora. Up to 100 stations can be saved in a user's account. Sprint customers can also create new stations directly on their phones through an easy-to-use interface.

Information about the current song (including title, artist and album) is displayed on the phone's color screen, and customers can also scroll backwards to see this information for recently played songs. Additionally, customers can rate songs with the touch of a button with either "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" so Pandora can immediately adjust the station's programming, and they can pause a song as well as skip a song that they don't want to hear.
Sprint customers can bookmark a song, and the song name and artist will be saved. The bookmark can serve as a reminder to purchase the song later on the Sprint Music Store, which offers more than 1.6 million songs that can be downloaded wirelessly on the phone in as little as 30 seconds for only 99 cents each with a Power Vision data plan.
Pandora is now available on five Sprint Power Vision phones - the FUSIC by LG, A900 and A920 by Samsung (News - Alert), and 7500 and 8400 by Sanyo»
fonte: «Sprint Offers Streaming Radio for Mobile Phones», TMCnet, May 24, 2007

 

Menos tempo a ouvir ráido, mas mais ouvintes jovens?

«City analysts have warned that the UK's commercial radio stations are losing younger listeners to social networking websites. Sites such as MySpace and Facebook as well a general increase in web usage mean younger listeners are spending time elsewhere. According to Credit Suisse analyst Simon Baker: "The proliferation of internet-based entertainment has precipitated one of the most significant changes, if not the most significant change, in the way the younger demographic consume media. It should be of increasing concern to radio groups." Rajar's most recent figures show that year-on-year commercial radio listening hours for the 15-to-24 age group are down by 3% despite the number of listeners increasing by 6%. The RadioCentre head of research Alison Winter said: "There is an increase in the number of young people listening to radio, but they are not tuning in for as long. I don't think this is because of increased web usage, our previous research has shown web browsing and listening to the radio are frequently complementary activities."

fonte: «Younger audiences up, but listening hours down», Broadcast.com. Yvette Mackenzie 17 May 07 (via Netfm)

«Portugueses já dedicam 25% do seu tempo à internet»

«O tempo dedicado pelos portugueses à internet tem vindo a crescer de uma forma significativa, sendo que, actualmente, este já representa 25% do total de horas dedicadas ao consumo de meios. Esta é a principal conclusão do Estudo sobre Hábitos e Comportamentos dos Portugueses face ao Consumo de Meios, realizado pela Media Contacts, unidade especializada em media interactiva e digital da Havas Media.
De acordo com este documento, o crescimento do consumo da internet “deve-se, sobretudo, à transferência do consumo do offline para o online”, dado comprovado pelo facto de “cerca de 30% da amostra ter referido que passou a consumir rádio e jornais online”. De assinalar que a internet foi o único meio que “nos últimos três anos cresceu em utilizadores”, sendo já o segundo “meio mais utilizado em número de horas”, isto apesar de “ainda só recolher 1,5% do investimento publicitário”. O estudo conclui assim que “os media precisam de adaptar os seus modelos de negócio às oportunidades que ainda estão por criar na integração dos conteúdos, do e-commerce e da publicidade”»

fonte: «Portugueses já dedicam 25% do seu tempo à internet, Meios e Publicidade, Hugo Real, 17 de Maio de 2007

(via Jornalismo e comunicação)

 

 

 

A experiência da Chicago Public Radio com vocalo.org

É um novo site em que se pretende que os ouvintes/leitores tenham poder de decisão sobre os conteúdos:

«Here at Vocalo.org we welcome your participation at any level. Start by listening to our web stream. We’re piloting for just a few hours this week. You’ll hear a surprising mix of interviews, commentary, music and first-person accounts of life in our region.  (...) Sign-up and begin to interact with our hosts while they’re on the air. Take a poll, rate a video or photo essay. When you’re ready, start your own blog, upload your photos, audio, stories. Our hosts want to share the airwaves with you. And if you really care about a topic, help us keep the discussion going even after the broadcast, by inviting friends to join the conversation, adding tags to your topic and connecting with others to take it to the next level.»

De acordo com o Chicago Sun Times: «Chicago Public Radio opened a new chapter in local media history with the launch Monday of a unique interactive broadcast and online format. Vocalo.org inaugurated its Web site and began live streaming, billing itself as a gathering place that offers a mix of interviews, commentary, music and personal accounts of "life in our region." Over the air, Vocalo.org will be heard on WBEW-FM (89.5), based in Chesterton, Ind. The format's seven hosts are Bibiana Adames, Usama Alshaibi, Ayana Contreras, Darlene Jackson, Brian Johnson, Jesse Seay and Dan Weissman. At the outset, they're taking turns hosting one-hour shifts from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Vocalo is a made-up name formed from the words "vocal" (for voices) and "zocalo" (which is Spanish for town plaza). Chicago Public Radio continues to air its traditional news, talk and information format on WBEZ-FM (91.5).»

A rádio está desvalorizada (e a Google quer resolver)

Google CEO Eric Schmidt says radio is “greatly undermonetized.” He predicts a breakout year for his company and radio as USA Today reports. “Look at the time people spend listening to radio, vs. the money currently being spent to advertise on radio — it’s out of whack.”

«When CEO Eric Schmidt joined Google from Novell in 2001, it was an unprofitable but up-and-coming search engine. Now, Google (GOOG) has surpassed Microsoft (MSFT) and Yahoo (YHOO) as the world's most-visited website. It just announced a record $1 billion in quarterly profit, virtually all from those little 10-words-or-less text ads that appear near search results. And the company is looking to expand its advertising empire. Google says it will spend $3.1 billion to acquire DoubleClick, an online company strong in display ads, an area in which Google has been weak. It also made an alliance with the nation's largest radio broadcaster, Clear Channel, to let Google advertisers buy radio ads directly from the Web. USA TODAY's Jefferson Graham sat down with Schmidt to discuss the new directions and perceptions that Google is now unstoppable. These are edited excerpts:

Q: You say this will be a "breakout" year for Google and radio. Why? A:  Radio is greatly undermonetized. Look at the time people spend listening to radio, vs. the money currently being spent to advertise on radio — it's out of whack. Radio can be so much bigger.

Q: Why do you think your network of advertisers, who specialize in online text ads, are ready to move to audio advertising? A: We have enough inventory. We got into radio when we bought (radio company) dMarc Broadcasting, but they had remnants (unsold ads offered at last-minute discounts), which is stuff people didn't want. That's a good business, but not a great business. What we needed was prime-time slots, and that's what Clear Channel offers us.» (fonte: «Schmidt says he didn't grasp the power of Google at first», USA Today)

«Como tirar os iPods das mãos das pessoas?»

... pergunta Fred Jacobs

«Radio has many challenges that have been discussed constantly in the press, as well as in this space.  Unfortunately, many of the factors facing terrestrial radio - economic, technology, etc. - are out of our control.  How are we going to take iPods out of people's hands?  How can you stop TV viewers from using their DVRs and whizzing past commercials?» (fonte: «Figure It Out»)

«Geração iPod» gosta de música clássica?

«Britain's iPod generation is becoming hooked on classical music with new figures revealing a huge surge in youngsters listening to radio station Classic FM. Driven by the success of film scores for blockbuster movies like Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter and determined efforts to sex-up the classical music industry, a section of Britain's youth appears to be tuning in to Mozart. The surprising figures revealed in the latest set of radio results show half a million under 15s are now tuning in to Classic FM each week, overturning the conceived wisdom that classical music is something people predominantly turn to in older age. Classic FM, which recently won the top award at Britain's radio oscars the Sony Radio Academy Awards last week, saw a massive 52 per cent increase in the number of under 15 listeners on the previous quarter. (...) Classic FM claims that a large number of children are also using the station as an accompaniment to their revision for school exams and homework as it helps them 'relax' and 'concentrate'. Figures are also boosted by youngsters learning musical instruments at school and those sitting music exams. The station's overall figures for the first quarter of 2007 of over six million listeners a week released yesterday by industry body Rajar, does not include under-15's. If they are included the station boasts 6.5 million listeners a week. The station has also been targeting younger listeners with two programme strands completely dedicated to children with Simon Bates during the morning school run at 8.10am and a kids request show at 3.45pm.»

fonte: «Ipod generation boosts classical music radio station by 500,000 listeners», Daily Mail, PAUL REVOIR 10th May 2007

Canais HD2 chegam aos 100 mercados

Um numero importante nos EUA:

«The HD Digital Radio Alliance, a joint initiative of leading radio broadcasters to accelerate consumer adoption of HD Digital Radio, today celebrated a major milestone in the rollout of HD2 multicast formats with the addition of 15 new markets, completing the rollout in the top 100 markets. The achievement of such a significant number of markets underscores the vision and dedication that it took for HD Digital Radio to reach the nation's top 100 markets in less than 18 months.

The momentum of the rollout has been unprecedented, making the achievement of the top 100 markets all the more significant. The top U.S. radio broadcasters came together in December 2005 to form the HD Digital Radio Alliance in part to oversee the market-by-market HD2 format selections in the top 100 markets. Since that time, radio has morphed into a digital music force propelling a massive infusion of new and eclectic content on local radio stations by Alliance-member broadcasters - all in crystal-clear digital sound with no subscription fee. The result has been a lifestyle transformation for consumers and a powerful spur to retailers, device manufacturers and automakers to catch the consumer phenom that is HD Digital Radio. Now, in a development representing no small feat, the milestone of the top 100 markets has been reached. (...)»

fonte: «HD Radio Celebrates Major Milestone: Rollout in Top 100 Markets», PR Newswire, Maio 07

«Os Equívocos da Rádio Generalista: Reflexões sobre a Rádio em Espanha e nos Estados Unidos, passando por Portugal»

é um trabalho que acabo de publicar no vol 1 nº1 da Observatorio (OBS*),

O texto em pdf aqui (provavelmente será necessário registo prévio) e com este resumo:

«Se a rádio generalista é um anacronismo histórico nos principais mercados como os Estados Unidos ou a Grã-Bretanha, como explicar que seja dominante em Espanha e que em Portugal se anuncie um novo e ambicioso projecto de rádio generalista? A partir da análise dos fundamentos da própria rádio generalista, nos EUA e em Espanha, o autor analisa alguns dos equívocos na sua categorização que vão confirmar o referido anacronismo, e propõe a sua reconceptualização a partir da análise da formatação e da tendência para a micro-segmentação que esses formatos potenciam.»

Fazer/ouvir rádio numa consola de jogos (Finetune)

Mark Ramsey chama a atenção, mais uma vez, para a mudança de paradigma:

«What do you get when you cross a game system with a radio - specifically, a Wii with a Finetune Wii player? Voila! Customized radio! No radio, no local stations, and no computer required! This is one of the trends that is emboldening the music industry to hike radio rights fees: They can smell a future where radio's leverage and reach and importance are diminished - a future where lots of media experiences look and act like radio, and the music biz wants of piece of all of it. Just as a computer will be in everything, so could a radio. Even if it doesn't look or act like the radio you know now.  And even if your stations aren't the ones listeners tune in.»

O digital divide («conflito de gerações»)

«The "digital divide". What exactly is it? The answer, it seems, is not the gap between rich and poor, but the difference in the way young people and adults view the internet.At last month's UK Kids Online seminar, the grown-ups were wheeled out. Beverley Hughes, the minister for children, young people and families, talked about how kids use computers to "engage in social networking and to create unbelievably comprehensive personal music collections, [they are] also a valuable tool for their studies". She also, like most adults, fretted more about the risks than the opportunities

Indústria musical vai cobrar à rádio?

de acordo com esta previsão da eMarketeer, as receitas físicas da indústria musical vão continuar em queda («Sales of CDs, which currently account for 55% of the industry's total revenues, will continue to decline sharply, falling to 29% of the overall business by 2011»). Para compensar, haverá novas receitas. À custa da rádio?

«(...)The question on the minds of everyone in the recording industry, however, is: Will the digital segment compensate for the losses in physical sales? The answer is a qualified "no."  "Nevertheless, growth in other sectors will make up for the shortfall in CD sales," says Mr. Verna, "resulting in net growth for the industry as a whole." That growth will come predominantly from online and mobile music, the live concert industry and the licensing of music for public performances, commercials, TV shows, films and video games.» (The Music Industry Enters Uncharted Territory, MAY 9, 2007)

Mark Ramsey não tem dúvidas: «Note that reference to the licensing of music. That's at the heart of the streaming rate hike controversy currently on every Internet radio station's front burner. And that also explains why, I believe, the music industry will soon be knocking on traditional radio's door looking for a much bigger slice of the pie. When it's content you own, distribution is key. And distribution is acquired via licensing (unless, of course, you own the distribution, too). The future of the music industry is, in part, to sell its wares to licensees who value that content more than the folks who steal it via P2P»

A qualidade do DAB continua em discussão (GB)

Apesar de...

«Ofcom therefore got ICM to conduct a poll in January to find out what users thought. They interviewed 677 DAB listeners, and "81% of all respondents rated sound quality as either excellent or good, with a further 14% rating it as average. Only 3% rated it as poor or very poor, with 2% who said they didn't know." What Ofcom calls "DAB hi-fi owners" (listeners who defined themselves as such) had the same response "with 83% rating quality as excellent and a further 12% as average"»

a verdade é que há quem pense na GB que:

«This is, of course, nonsense. The current quality of DAB in the UK - which is broadcast at low bit rates using an inefficient MP2 codec - is provably worse than FM. But I don't think that DAB radio owners have cloth ears. DAB does have advantages in eliminating background hiss and avoiding the signal interference that can afflict FM unless you use a decent aerial. However, the most popular DAB radios are mono models with small speakers, and most listening is done in the kitchen on table-top radios that can't offer proper stereo imaging. You can't honestly evaluate audio quality on that basis.»

Daí que o autor conclua que «The UK is still on course to have the worst radio in the world.»

excertos tirados de «Ofcom is still clueless when it comes to DAB radio», Jack Schofield, Thursday May 10, 2007, The Guardian

A internet não pode ser um custo para a rádio!

Diz Mark Ramsey (e aplica-se a muitos dos responsáveis por rádios portuguesas):

«Even in 2007 it's not uncommon for the average radio station to view their website as a cost, and usually a nominal one at that. To most stations even today, it's a billboard in cyberspace (remember that term?). A repository for boring details about your personalities, your music, your events, and tons of non-contextual banner advertising, occasionally bonused with a live stream. (...) Your website is a destination for enriching the experience of visitors in ways that entertain and involve them such that your brand is enhanced, usage is stimulated, page views are maximized, and revenues are generated. Start thinking about your website in those terms and recreate your site from ground zero. The trap in our industry is the norm. I can't count the number of times I'm asked for "a good example" of this or that on other radio stations. The best examples of websites for radio stations are generally not on radio stations. (...)The trap in our industry is the budget. Too many stations have volunteer webmasters if they have any at all. Your web effort will soon be as important as on-air programming effort. In fact, I would suggest you picture your website as an entirely separate radio station and budget accordingly. I can easily - easily - foresee your website attracting a larger audience than your radio station. »

fonte: Hear2.0, What your website is, 01/05/07