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Amazon’s new radio app could a nice twist on a historic industry
How “lateral thinking with withered technology” works in reimagining music streaming
It’s been some time now since Amazon announced their “Amp” app.
While I don’t think the name is necessarily good, the concept is gold.
Terrestrial radio still holds great power, as it still reaches most people and decides what the music industry focuses on.
While listenership to terrestrial radio is declining, Pew Research says 83% of people in 2020 still listen to the radio.
What’s that mean?
Well, it certainly guarantees that this has lasting impacting on the norms and tastes of music listeners.
Radio is not good at identifying and delivering fresh sounds well, for this reason.
This is why we get shows like Songland or American Song Contest that seem to suggest fresh and original music, but are really all about identifying musical acts that walk the tightrope of taste.
The TV dimension of music is a different rabbit hole, but I will stand strong here for the greatness of niche music.
It is the niche that informs the cultural mainstay, after all.
