Consumers are listening to the recently released Apple Music and all its features while other consumers are still listening to traditional broadcast radio and local music.
Apple Music combines playlist customization, artist connection and Beats 1 worldwide live broadcast in one consolidated application.
Customized playlists can be created from personally owned music in iTunes, music from the catalog or from Apple Music recommendations. The Connect feature allows listeners to follow, like and comment with artists directly as they see their lyrics, latest videos and backstage photos. Beats 1 live broadcast radio will be led by DJs in New York, the United Kingdom and London, offering exclusive interviews, guest hosts and new trending music across all cultures.
Local Radio has the opportunity to share the unique talent that surrounds residents in a community. Matt Brown, teacher of KOHS radio class at Orem High School, said, “In the past, (radio) focused more on news, communication, live radio shows and performances, but once television took over, radio became the format that people listened to, to listen to very specific things.”
Traditional Broadcast Radio listens to multiple listeners from a larger geographical area than local radio does. Gary Michaels, from The Arrow 103.5, said radio has “evolved a lot. It’s just like anything. It’s always changing.” The influence of technology on radio has been a factor in its evolution. “Radio has had to evolve with it as best as it can. The one thing that radio has going for it, it’s free,” Michaels said.
Carlos Ruiz, a member of Utah Valley University’s Radio Club, has seen radio evolve as he has worked in the industry for the past 10 years. “Even though FM seems to be the dying thing, it’s still huge. Radio’s really not going to stop,” Ruiz said. “There’s always going to be people that seek out radio, even if it’s just their commute to work or a long drive.”
Apple Music adds to the multiplicity of other Internet radio stations, including Spotify and Pandora, that offer similar features. Apple Music “will just be another avenue for people to get their music,” Michaels said. “I can’t say what effect it will have, because it’s just another place for people to get their music.”
Beats 1 adds to the online and offline radios available to listeners today. Though it may not offer the unique bands that haven’t made it to the top charts, it gives you the opportunity to tune in 24/7 to conversations and interaction with people and cultures all over the world.
Brown supports Ruiz, as they both think radio will last through the changes of internet radio. “The only thing I can see changing in the future is cars that are now being manufactured without radios,” Brown said. The thought to manufacture cars without radio has been considered, but when Forbes Magazine asked about entertainment preferences, “80 percent of consumers chose AM/FM over CD players, connected smartphones and other forums of audio entertainment.”
Whether people are listening to music on their phones or iPods, online or offline, Michaels pointed out, “What do people put on their iPods? The songs they listen to on the radio.”
