Trend sign: Online is the new radio
On Facebook alone, members listened to and shared 5 billion songs between last September and January. Note: Radio is becoming part of social media.
The figures from Facebook are just one example that points to a fundamental trend: More and more of our contemporaries are no longer getting their music from radio stations, but are putting it together online according to their own preferences and consuming music via the Internet. Offers for this have been around for a long time and are apparently now being increasingly widely accepted. On the one hand, there are streaming services that distribute linear programs over the Internet. On the one hand, there are conventional radio stations with their programs, and on the other, pure Internet offerings. This selection is so large that every taste and every mood can easily be satisfied multiple times. Pure online offerings are financed by advertising, although Swiss commercials have recently also been displayed by international providers. Then there are providers where individual songs can be used or downloaded according to different pricing models. These include Spotify (which is closely linked to Facebook), Simfy, last.fm, Simfy, Pandora and Rdio. The social media version involves sharing the music you are currently listening to with your virtual circle of friends, which enables viral distribution.
An important aspect of the online trend in radio is mobile: until now, those who were on the move, especially by car, had hardly any alternative to the radio. Thanks to the spread of smartphones with tariff plans for unlimited or generous data traffic, audio offerings from the network are now also easily accessible on the move. iPhones can be integrated into new car models or manufacturers are trying to make a name for themselves with their own solutions for mobile networking on the move. Voice recognition systems that allow devices to be operated without distraction are particularly important here. (cjw)
(Image: Keystone)
