In order to save a few pennies (OK, millions), the BBC is shutting down digital radio station 6 Music, the home of new and alternative music. But what does this mean for the millions (OK, tens of thousands) of listeners?
Although many musicians – particularly the up-and-coming bands supported by 6 Music – probably curse the digital age for depriving them of CD-sale revenue, the likes of YouTube and Spotify give fresh ears the chance to hear new music whenever they want.
However, listeners need to work harder. You have to know what to search for, which means reading reviews or remembering that new band your mate told you about three weeks ago.
And while Last FM and Spotify allow you to start a stream of music based on artists you like, you don’t have Lauren Laverne or Steve Lamacq telling you who you’ve just heard.
Also, what people love about 6 Music is that it doesn’t tell you the same thing over and over again or shove prime artists and messages down your throat; the 6 Music playlist is significantly broader than that of other radio stations.
So: more work for less information, less interaction, less engagement.
There are lessons here about understanding your audience.
The tangible benefits of communication can be hard to see. By now, 6 Music probably has more people petitioning about its planned demise than it has listeners at peak times, which means audiences don’t know what they’ve got until it’s going. Or people will sign anything.
Sure, you’d like to wander down office corridors and see staff poring over the company magazine or chatting about something they’ve read on the intranet, but the response is usually more muted than that. This doesn’t mean people aren’t paying attention.
Survey your audience to find the true worth of your communication (and don’t just think monetary value). Use the feedback to inform and strengthen your channels. Don’t wait until after you’ve made a big decision and then ask "Did we do right?"
Don’t deprive your readers of information they can’t get anywhere else. 6 Music has a modest, but niche and dedicated audience – much like your employee base. Commercial radio listeners could swap Radio 1 or Heart FM for Magic or Capital Radio and barely notice the difference, but 6 Music is aimed at people who don’t want to hear the new Cheryl Cole single every hour.
And stir it up. Replaying the same corporate messages will sound like brainwashing. Sure, it worked with that Crazy Frog single at the time (500,000 people bought that, you know), but everyone hates that now.
11 March 2010
It's not too late to discover the joy of 6
In order to save a few pennies (OK, millions), the BBC is shutting down digital radio station 6 Music, the home of new and alternative music. But what does this mean for the millions (OK, tens of thousands) of listeners?
Although many musicians – particularly the up-and-coming bands supported by 6 Music – probably curse the digital age for depriving them of CD-sale revenue, the likes of YouTube and Spotify give fresh ears the chance to hear new music whenever they want.
However, listeners need to work harder. You have to know what to search for, which means reading reviews or remembering that new band your mate told you about three weeks ago.
And while Last FM and Spotify allow you to start a stream of music based on artists you like, you don’t have Lauren Laverne or Steve Lamacq telling you who you’ve just heard.
Also, what people love about 6 Music is that it doesn’t tell you the same thing over and over again or shove prime artists and messages down your throat; the 6 Music playlist is significantly broader than that of other radio stations.
So: more work for less information, less interaction, less engagement.
There are lessons here about understanding your audience.
The tangible benefits of communication can be hard to see. By now, 6 Music probably has more people petitioning about its planned demise than it has listeners at peak times, which means audiences don’t know what they’ve got until it’s going. Or people will sign anything.
Sure, you’d like to wander down office corridors and see staff poring over the company magazine or chatting about something they’ve read on the intranet, but the response is usually more muted than that. This doesn’t mean people aren’t paying attention.
Survey your audience to find the true worth of your communication (and don’t just think monetary value). Use the feedback to inform and strengthen your channels. Don’t wait until after you’ve made a big decision and then ask "Did we do right?"
Don’t deprive your readers of information they can’t get anywhere else. 6 Music has a modest, but niche and dedicated audience – much like your employee base. Commercial radio listeners could swap Radio 1 or Heart FM for Magic or Capital Radio and barely notice the difference, but 6 Music is aimed at people who don’t want to hear the new Cheryl Cole single every hour.
And stir it up. Replaying the same corporate messages will sound like brainwashing. Sure, it worked with that Crazy Frog single at the time (500,000 people bought that, you know), but everyone hates that now.
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