Thursday, 26 June 2014
Questionnaire
What Type of Music do you listen to the most?
Rock [ ] Rap [ ] Dance [ ] Pop [ ] Acid Jazz [ ]
How old are you?
12- [ ] 12-15 [ ] 15-25[ ] 25-35 [ ] 35+[ ]
Where are ?
[ ]
Do you go to Gigs/Clubnights often?
What radio stations do you listen to?
[ ] Radio 1 [ ] Radio 2 [ ] Capital [ ] Kerrang [ ] Kiss [ ] Other (Please state)..................
Music Based Programming Essay
Music Based Programming (MBP) is used on a daily basis, whenever you tune into the radio, walk into a shop playing music or listen to a playlist on a music streaming service such as Spotify. The general use of MBP is to arrange songs, talking and advertising in such an order that the audiences attention is maintained throughout, this is most commonly found on National/local radio stations such as BBC Radio 2, as well as In-store ones such as ASDA FM.
Many stations cater towards specific demographics, catering towards certain music tastes at certain times. More mainstream music will be played during the peak hours of the day on Stations such as BBC Radio 1 and 2, due to their being a mass amount of listeners. Whereas during non-peak hours a more diverse range of music will be played with Shows dedicated to certain genres. There are also certain Radio Stations that will only play specific genres of music for the whole time they are on air- For example take Classic Rock radio, which plays- as the title suggests- Classic Rock Music, or Absolute 90's which plays music from the 1990's (O RLY?).
Taking BBC Radio 1 as a prime example for a largely listened to Radio Station that airs 24:7, through their use of scheduling we can see how MBP takes a vital role in maintaining the interest of their listeners. Using techniques such as Sandwiching- Playing a track by a more obscure artist between two greater known songs, this is done in order to give the lesser known artist more exposure whilst maintaining the interest of the listener. Another technique used is having a specialised segment in a show, for example Zane Lowe has a slot in his show titled "The Future Of Music" in which three or four songs are usually played, these vary from well known artist's new material to showcasing new and upcoming bands and artists. Audience interaction plays a strong role in these types shows with the use of quizzes, questions and general phone-ins. This allows the listeners the ability to be "Involved" first hand with the show, requesting songs that they want to hear and to interact directly with the presenters.
Another type of show that strongly relies on MBP is the In-store/ Commercial radio station, the prime example being ASDA FM, which is the most listened to radio station in the UK. Although it's not a conscious choice for people to become part of the audience, whenever they walk into an ASDA supermarket they have no choice but to be part of it. Opposed to maintaining the Listener's attention, the main role of ASDA FM is to keep potential customers in an upbeat mood and to sell them products. Certain times of day call for certain styles of music to be played- In the morning something more energetic and lively is played, in the late afternoon music directed at children is played- due to this being the most likely time of day that parents will go shopping with their children. Between most songs an advert for an in-store promotion/product will be played and somewhat subliminally a customer may be tempted to buy certain items judging on the music they are listening to- around Christmas time, seasonal songs will be played to "remind" the customer to start making purchase in connection with Christmas. For another example the song "Red, Red Wine" could see a sudden pilgrimage of customers flocking to the beers, wines and spirits department of the store.
All in all, with MBP radio stations would have no specific structure and would not appeal to masses like they do today, with the ability to provide "Something for everyone" on the majority of stations, I have no doubt that it is the core of what makes people tune in time and time again.
Many stations cater towards specific demographics, catering towards certain music tastes at certain times. More mainstream music will be played during the peak hours of the day on Stations such as BBC Radio 1 and 2, due to their being a mass amount of listeners. Whereas during non-peak hours a more diverse range of music will be played with Shows dedicated to certain genres. There are also certain Radio Stations that will only play specific genres of music for the whole time they are on air- For example take Classic Rock radio, which plays- as the title suggests- Classic Rock Music, or Absolute 90's which plays music from the 1990's (O RLY?).
Taking BBC Radio 1 as a prime example for a largely listened to Radio Station that airs 24:7, through their use of scheduling we can see how MBP takes a vital role in maintaining the interest of their listeners. Using techniques such as Sandwiching- Playing a track by a more obscure artist between two greater known songs, this is done in order to give the lesser known artist more exposure whilst maintaining the interest of the listener. Another technique used is having a specialised segment in a show, for example Zane Lowe has a slot in his show titled "The Future Of Music" in which three or four songs are usually played, these vary from well known artist's new material to showcasing new and upcoming bands and artists. Audience interaction plays a strong role in these types shows with the use of quizzes, questions and general phone-ins. This allows the listeners the ability to be "Involved" first hand with the show, requesting songs that they want to hear and to interact directly with the presenters.
Another type of show that strongly relies on MBP is the In-store/ Commercial radio station, the prime example being ASDA FM, which is the most listened to radio station in the UK. Although it's not a conscious choice for people to become part of the audience, whenever they walk into an ASDA supermarket they have no choice but to be part of it. Opposed to maintaining the Listener's attention, the main role of ASDA FM is to keep potential customers in an upbeat mood and to sell them products. Certain times of day call for certain styles of music to be played- In the morning something more energetic and lively is played, in the late afternoon music directed at children is played- due to this being the most likely time of day that parents will go shopping with their children. Between most songs an advert for an in-store promotion/product will be played and somewhat subliminally a customer may be tempted to buy certain items judging on the music they are listening to- around Christmas time, seasonal songs will be played to "remind" the customer to start making purchase in connection with Christmas. For another example the song "Red, Red Wine" could see a sudden pilgrimage of customers flocking to the beers, wines and spirits department of the store.
All in all, with MBP radio stations would have no specific structure and would not appeal to masses like they do today, with the ability to provide "Something for everyone" on the majority of stations, I have no doubt that it is the core of what makes people tune in time and time again.
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