Radio is still popular, just not MW AM radio.
1 Like
An interesting article coming out on Radioinfo this morning:
Why are Bris, Adel and Perth Music Cities while Syd and Mel are Talk Towns?
1 Like
Yeah Iâve always thought of Brisbane and Perth as music cities. Traditionally Triple J has done better in Perth and Brisbane for example.
Not sure about Adelaide though. I think itâs somewhere in the middle.
1 Like
Because Sydney is full of hot air. Sadly weâve not risen enough so that we literally fly off the ground and into the stratosphere. 
1 Like
Does anyone have a favourite past or present radio station foyer?
2UE in the late 80s had a silver reception desk and a wall behind it that was covered with a massive picture (15 metres or so) of the city skyline. This was at their North Sydney headquarters.
The 2SM foyer in Milsons Point was always a stunner. Glass doors led you into an area with a lift and staircase and a multi-level logo. In the 80s it was changed between the denim zipper, More Music, The Power and the Rock of the 80s logos.
The current 2SM foyer in Pyrmont is underwhelming. Almost embarrassing.
I guess in 2018 most RSL Clubs would have a more impressive foyer than the cityâs radio stations. It say a lot about the increasing worth of poker machines compared to radio station licences in the 21st century.
3 Likes
Isnât that the ugly 80âs wood style one?
I had a peek a year ago. It had a 2SM sticker peeling off the wallâŚthat was about the extent of the branding.
The only one I went into was the 2NM/Power FM foyer - if you could call it that.
2 Likes
Interesting read. One thing Iâve noticed and Iâm happy to be corrected but it really seems to me there is just fewer new songs around nowadays. Certainly they donât seem to cycle new music through as fast as they used to up until the 90s anyway. In the 70s and 80s there seemed to be a constant stream of new entries to the charts every week. It was relentless. But now certain songs just stay in the âmost playedâ lists for months and months. Look at Ed Sheeran tracks like Perfect. STILL in the top 5 most played songs after months and months. Nothing new seems to come through to bump songs like these off. At least not quickly anyway. Am I wrong?
4 Likes
Thatâs because the charts are so heavily influenced by streaming rather than sales of new music.
The charts werenât influenced by the amount of times you listened to recording in the past.
Impossible to compare charts from the past to the shonky ones we have today.
3 Likes
Quality has also gone downhill fast.
I donât think there will be many songs from the 10s that will be fondly remembered as Classic Hits in the 2030/40s in the same way we do now with 1970/80s music.
4 Likes
I completely agree. In the 10s there seem to be half a dozen or so stand out songs each year and thatâs it. Pick any year in the 80s and there are just dozens of instantly recognizable classic hits.
3 Likes
Also due to the musicians having long term careers, enduring talents. So many one hit wonders and flashes in the pan since the 90âs.
Look at the deterioration in Australian music heard on radio. Until the early/mid 90âs, the venues existed to support live music of varying crowd size and talent.
This flowed onto radio with household names, recognisable acts still remembered today.
Since that time, record labels tried to cultivate their own talent, unsuccessful, now most of our quota filler comes from TV reality shows (not talent shows, total lack thereof).
Yes, there are very successful alternative talent and in dance and hip hop heard on JJJ and played overseas to niche audiences, but nothing on the level of INXS, Men at Work etc.
3 Likes
Gang of Youths and Vance Joy have gone global.
2 Likes
5 Seconds of Summer
Youngblood is number 5 in the UK Top 40 and number 23 in the US Billboard 100.
Their third album was the third to debut at number one in America.
Top 10 or top 40 across Europe.
2 Likes
There was plenty of one hit wonders before the 1990s. There will continue to be one hit wonders. Iâd argue thereâs less One Hit Wonders than ever now given everyoneâs discography is so easily accessible.
There might have been one hit wonders before the 90s but it was usual for artists to be signed to labels for 3 albums, so it gave artists a chance to continue to a second and third album even if their first one was a flop. A lot - and I mean a lot - of the superstars of the 60s through to the 90s would never make it today because this doesnât happen anymore. Unless they are an instant hit they donât get a second or third chance.
2 Likes
2SM on Jones Bay Rd does have RSL like carpet and all up the walls.
Now is there a missing post on the music discussion about the state of music today and some comment about how radio is missing many new artists? Where is that comment?