Radio 1 controller ‘Ben Cooper’ was recently quoted in the Guardian saying – “Spotify and Apple are trying to take our crown of being the place to discover new music”. Why was he saying this, was it a Mourinho style effort to deflect blame elsewhere for recent performances, or was it the confident declaration of an individual who is up for the fight?…
Unlike the former Chelsea boss who was unceremoniously sacked by his former employers there is no sense of pride or hubris colouring Ben Cooper’s statement. In fact, the complete opposite is true with him openly recognising the challenge and influence of their nearest rivals – Spotify & Apple. He’s not blaming them to protect his own skin, rather he’s see the challenge and fundamentally believe’s that if Radio 1 stay one step ahead of the game they cannot be disposed from power. But how is Radio 1 going to do this?
Answer – ‘Netflix Music Radio’
Like any forward thinking leader Cooper has surveyed the landscape, in this case the digital landscape, and identified the direct correlation between the visual and audio environments, recognising that the on demand success of Netflix for movies and television is most likely a foreshadowing of what is to come for music and radio. And therefore his desire for Radio 1, starting this autumn, is to get ahead of the game and be the first radio station to provide on demand programming, i.e. a new music output that is not tied to the output broadcast schedule; thus allowing users to stream and download key shows whenever it suits them. Will this mean the end of live radio? Well not immediately, as this content is initially being designed to complement not replace, yet you have to wonder with the increasing power of playlists, streaming and on demand viewing that the live Radio DJ’s days could well be numbered…
[Thanks to FACTmag for the heads up]