Is Your Audio Playback Up To Date?

What version of Windows Media Player do you have installed on your computer?
Take a look.
Windows Media Player is found (if you don’t have a shortcut icon) under Accessories Entertainment.
Run it, and select from the menu (you may have to right-click to get it): Help About Microsoft Media Player
If it is not at least version 9, my advice is to go ahead an update it.
Microsoft’s download URL is:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=b446ae53-3759-40cf-80d5-cde4bbe07999&displaylang=en
That will get you up to version 10. Version 11 is available as a beta, if you’re the adventurous type.
Why does this matter? Because multimedia is becoming the norm, and many Web sites, station streaming audio and other programs “use” WMP to present that multimedia.
Even my own music research software uses WMP if you enable audio playback of the tested song hooks. Yesterday, a client with an older version (6) of WMP installed could not run MusicVISTA. We upgraded, and everything was fine.
Plus, version 10 (and 11) are much better.

Duh! Consumer Generated Content!

The NAB and R&R coventions are underway in Dallas. And along with them is the Jacobs Media (programming consultants) annual Summit.

One thing came out of those meetings that was like a slap on my forehead. Hence "Duh!" above.

One of the very hottest topics in the realm of business, particularly as it ties into the new Web 2.0 technologies, is CGC, or Consumer Generated Content, or CGM, Consumer Generated Media or UGC, User Generated Content. In brief, consumers - particularly those who are really involved with a product - often enjoy interacting with, having conversations about, and generating content and new ideas that relate to a product. YouTube is the newest poster child.

What the Jacobs Media Summit reminds us of:

Radio has long known about and enjoyed the benefits of CGC.

1. Requests.

Since the dawn of commercial radio, music enthusiasts (generally very young music enthusiasts) have wanted the ability to tell us which songs they enjoy and ask us to play them again.

2. Countdowns

The "Top 8 at 8" or other "voting" show gives listeners a chance to express themselves and have some small effect on our programming.

3. Call-out

Why do we get so much better response - without paying anybody! - to our appeals for listeners to help us with our programming by participating in call-out music and other surveys? Because they want to participate! True, we don't get the response we used to, but relative to other research efforts we do very well.

4. "Boogie-check"

In Chicago, WLS listeners for years called up John "Records" Landecker to be on-air live and contribute "content" to the show. They were often subjected to abuse and/or hung up on. Even when it was going on, I never really understood why it worked. But the need to interact with the station was there then, and I have no problem believing that the need is still there today.

5. Promotions

Some of the most successful and compelling promostions worked so well because they allowed the listeners to create content.

Highveld, Johannesburg, listeners had to create a rap song and be subjected to it being aired and judged, in order to win tickets to Eminem's movie premiere and a concert in Detroit.

MTV viewers produced and submitted for judging by Madonna a video for one of her new releases.

WLS listeners "sang their way to Hawaii", writing and performing a short song that was supposed to convince the panel of judges that they should be one of those allowed to go along with our afternoon drive team for a one week remote broadcast from Maui.

KZZP Phoenix: Screaming teenage girls could win tickets to a Bon Jovi concert, but only... if they were able to get their mothers to come on the phone and sing the Bon Jovi song selected by the morning show.

6. More?

No doubt, there are many additional possibilities, and new technologies and media keep expanding the number.

Are you thinking about how to get your listeners more involved? Are you focused every day on getting listener feedback?

As programmers, we have amazing tools available. We have no excuse for not being leaders in getting our "customers" involved. How is an iPod going to do that?

More About Web 2.0

Many thanks to Heart, London's Russ Evans. He passed along this link to an informative article about the latest developments on the Web (what many are calling Web 2.0), put together by the BBC.

In addition, there are a lot of links that lead you to more detail. And of course, more links. Don't expect to come up for air for a while.

A great education, and the price is right.

Go to: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4793481.stm

Coupons?

Consultant Fred Jacob's blog has a recent post suggesting the value of something as simple as coupons for radio stations.

The idea is to simply mention in ads (or promos, I would think) that you can grab a coupon from the station Web site.

Value? Yes, if it is a decent coupon. People want to save money, and any trip to the grocery store will confirm that a lot of people use coupons.

I know that when the Borders book store chain was having customers print out coupons fom their Web site (now they print them on your receipt) I printed a lot of coupons.

I think Fred has a good idea. No doubt some broadcasters are already using them, but I can't remember ever hearing an on-air reference to Web site coupons, so I'm assuming that it isn't widespread. As Fred writes ", it's better than a remote or yet another bar night.".

What do you think? Ask your sales manager. What does she think?

The Jacobs blog is at http://jacobsmedia.typepad.com/jacobs

Effortless

A reminder:

You can keep up with my blog in several ways:

1. You can pull it up as a Web page: www.UpYourRatings.blogspot.com

The problem with that is simply that you need to remember. It can be even easier.

2. You can use an RSS reader capable of handling the "Atom" format, and set it to subscribe to the RSS feed:

www.UpYourRatings.blogspot.com/atom.xml

If you don't have an RSS reader, you should have one. One option is the new Internet Explorer 7 Release Candidate 1. You can download it for free from Microsoft at:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/downloads/default.mspx

The RSS reader is now built into Internet Explorer 

3. Or get a standalone RSS reader. Go to www.RssReader.com for a free and very good one.

4. Subscribe to a free service that will send you, daily, any updates to my blog and any others you set up. One that works very well is Feedblitz.com

How Can We Better Serve Our Listeners?

I’ve been thinking about this topic: How do we increase customization and further serve our listeners, when we only have one audio stream?

Obviously, the Net is going to have to play a role.

So, some questions:

Can’t we find out from listeners which artists and/or songs matter to them right now? And can’t we make it easy for them to update that?

With that information, can’t we give them a custom Web page?

Can’t we SMS or IM them just before their favorite song or artist is coming up?

Can’t we get them linked into the artist fan club? Wouldn’t the artist management and/or the label find a whole new world of possibilities if they knew they had a group of radio listeners absolutely guaranteed to be excited about their message, promotion, concert schedule, new release, or whatever?

Couldn’t we deliver customized promotions guaranteed to be properly targeted?

Can we put the right people in the front row at a concert?

Could we not use some of the music recommendation engines (Pandora, Tune Genie...) to deliver information about artists that have a high probability of being compatible with the tastes of our listeners? Each individual has their own “long tail” artists that they love or could love. Why can’t we extend our relationship beyond the “short tail” that we are able to actually air on the main channel?

Just questions, I know. But the idea is powerful: We are the top of the funnel. We are the most accessible beginning point for everybody’s relationship with music. We are free and we are everywhere. That is a great advantage, if we use it.

How would you use that advantage? What questions would you ask?