Streaming Media - October 2008 - (Page 62)

The FUTURE of Internet Radio I By Elizabeth Welsh n 1922, 17 years after Jules Verne’s death, the oft-recognized “father of radio” Guglielmo Marconi eulogized the “father of science fiction” by saying, “Jules Verne made people see visions, wish they could do things, and stimulated them to do them.” Through Verne’s novels, readers were dazzled by prophesies. He introduced the beau ideal of technology that would enrich our lives, expanding our reach beyond our reality and the known world. Figments of the author’s imagination often led to grand innovations—for example, his concept of a worldwide communications network, better known today as the internet. We often credit fiction for sparking advances deemed incredulous even by forward-thinking inventors such as Lord Kelvin, who, in the 1890s, famously declared, “Radio has no future.” We may have scoffed, but as the medium creeps toward extinction, could there have been a grain of truth to this? It was only a century ago, in 1907, that the first commercial transatlantic radio service was established. Here in Madison, Wis., which neighbors Streaming Media’s editorial base, the University of Wisconsin’s WHA station broadcast the first human speech to the public. Madisonians still tune in today. 1920 brought the first known radio news broadcast on station 8MK, and Pittsburgh’s KDKA received the first “limited commercial” broadcasting license. The controversies surrounding the birth of radio are a striking parallel to internet radio’s current growing pains. History buffs will recall that in the nascent days of radio, record companies feared a profit loss, and rightly so. With this new, free music delivery medium, they argued, why would Duke Ellington fans spring for his latest LP? And what right did radio stations have to turn a profit from on-air ads while broadcasting free music? Others adopted an optimistic outlook, hoping radio would promote the very musicians whose intellectual property the music recording industry was vying to protect. Fast-forward to the 21st century, where the battleground for artist remuneration is online. Webcasters (and now over-the-air stations too) sweat as the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) tries to push through Congress its coup de grâce: a hike in performance royalties that some speculate would finish internet radio as we know it. Does internet radio have a future? Webcasters anxiously await Congress’ ruling on the royalty decision, arguably the most significant issue pertaining to internet radio’s future. The viability of pure internet radio plays such as Last.fm, Live365, Pandora, Slacker, and WOXY—to name a few—hinges on mobility and customizability. Tests for so-called terrestrial, or over-the-air, stations’ simulcasting include how they can remain relevant to their communities, whether they can push on-air listeners to their streams during nonpeak hours, how easy-to-use the streams are for the “Bob and Tom demographic,” and, finally, the quality of the content. And we can’t forget the sat-caster Sirius/XM hybrid (can it come down from the clouds in time to ride the wave of success that internet radio hopes to enjoy?) or the all-important 62 STREAMING MEDIA October/November 2008 http://www.Last.fm

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Streaming Media - October 2008

Streaming Media - October 2008 Table of Contents Standard Time Technology and Business Trends by the Numbers Encoding for Screencams Meeting the Enterprise Video Distribution Challenge Pulling Back the Curtain on Level 3 The 2008 Streaming Media Readers’ Choice Award Winners The Ultimate Guide to Creating Online Video Content That Works, Part 1 Brave New Platforms Video From the Democratic National Convention—Both Official and Unofficial—Made Clear That It’s No Longer Politics as Usual Creative Suite Turns 4 The Future of Internet Radio Decoding the Truth About Hi-Def Video Production Educating the Next Generation of Online Media Makers ViewCast Niagara GoStream SURF The Past and Future of Online Video: I’m Not Dead Yet!

Streaming Media - October 2008

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