Category: Blog

I was invited to appear on a panel at a state broadcasters’ convention in Oklahoma recently.  The topic—a pretty daunting one—was nothing less than “The Future of Radio.”  What advice could I share to help real broadcasters in the American heartland ensure their place in the complicated, competitive new world of media? Not an easy … Continue reading Facing the Future »

This is the fifth and final post in a series about how listeners engage with music across traditional and emerging platforms Shazam, the popular app that tells users the artist and title of just about any song wherever they hear it, is the latest tool raising programmer’s hopes of discovering which new releases will ultimately … Continue reading What You Can and Can’t Learn From Shazam »

Late last month, a post on the Jacobs Media jacoBLOG called “Pyramid Scheme” introduced the idea of an update or makeover of the original Coleman Image Pyramid. It was based on the premise that radio broadcasters are now competing in an infinitely larger media landscape. The Jacobs New Pyramid suggested a different pecking order, with … Continue reading The Great Pyramids of Radio »

This is the fourth in a series about how listeners engage with music across traditional and emerging platforms YouTube has emerged as a key medium for music consumption and discovery, especially among teens and young adults.  Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” broke on YouTube.  Psy’s “Gangnam Style” became a cultural touch point on YouTube. … Continue reading How to Spot a Real Hit from a Viral Video »

This is the third in a series about how listeners engage with music across traditional and emerging platforms In our last installment, we demonstrated how music purchasing patterns are fundamentally different from music listening patterns.  Now we look at the importance of a strong sales launch because our analysis reveals that over half of all … Continue reading Why Strong Sales Debuts Can Lead To Stiffs »

This is the second in a series about how listeners engage with music across traditional and emerging platforms Before the advent of callout in the 1970s, radio’s only new music research tool was record sales.  When people stopped buying a record, radio stations stopped playing the record.  In the 1960s, almost every hit you heard … Continue reading Why Music Listening Is Different From Music Sales »

This is the first in a series about how listeners engage with music across traditional and emerging platforms For decades, radio has debated the question of how fast stations should move through contemporary music.  When modern music research first emerged in the 1970s, radio stations began holding on to hits longer than they did in … Continue reading When Is A Hit A Hit? »

Jon Coleman and I were walking through an airport last week when we unexpectedly ran into a longtime Coleman Insights client.  I won’t mention his name here, but if I did, most reading this would recognize it, as he is a highly successful and well-respected head of programming for one of America’s largest radio groups. … Continue reading One Hundred Ivy League Millennials Ready for Hire »

Those who know me well know that I’m an “early adopter” who likes to try every new gadget and technology that comes along as soon as possible.  That is especially true of anything related to music and audio streaming, as evidenced by the wide array of outmoded MP3 players that fill my desk drawers and … Continue reading Why I Became a NextRadio Disciple »