“It’s A UK Thing”: Synthesizing radio & live music’s impact on connective musical communities
This is an essay is an adapted school assignment meant to draw parallels between the US and UK media landscape. I felt particularily inspired to pull together information on the socio-political economies of each location in relation to my own professional and personal expeirnce as I completed this anlysis.
Overview
The world is inextricably more connected than ever before. Rather than the world being separated into blocky segments of countries and territories — especially as the traditional music industry has operated — , cities and metropolitan centers are constantly transforming as centers of dynamism and multi-culture (Apadauri). As always feels like the case, people and their interactions are the grounding bed for culture exchange, production, and transmission. As a practitioner in the music industry, it’s essential to keep an eye on areas, either due to spatial proximity (like cities/metropolitan areas) or technologically-afforded proximity (like TikTok trends or IG hashtags) where increased cultural exchange is taking place. In these spaces, increasingly novel and breaking sonic experiments finally take flight.
However, I believe it isn’t enough to know simply where something is happening. The why behind a burgeoning music economy — the people, their motivations, and the backdrop where it’s all happening — it’s arguably more important. In addition, as was highlighted at the beginning of this course, there is something special about music industry practitioners raised in the United Kingdom. Why so? According to industry analysis reported on by Tim Ingram at Rolling Stone, British citizens, on-average, “punch above their weight” in music consumption — in terms of per-capita total annual spend on music and genre-agnostic consumption — , and occupy a a high level of executive positions at major recorded and publishing firms. This essay attempts to reveal the why underpinning the UK music market idiosyncratic manifestation to the US. While these revelations aren’t new in nature, I believe exposing these threads is a crucial practice in navigating an increasingly global music industry.
I will draw on socio-political frameworks explored in Melville’s It’s a London thing, anecdotal evidence from guest speakers in this class, and my own experience to flesh out how developments in 1) socio-political policy, 2) radio consumption, and 3) live music infrastructure results in unique music markets. I will conclude with a brief reflection on where I think these trends are going and how that might impact these markets’ shape.
Socio-Political Trends
The basis for this essay is understanding the shifting impact of neoliberalism as an economic principle underneath the global financial market structures. In the United States, highly corporatized structures are the norm for entertainment companies to maximize mass consumption practices for music (Dayen). This has enabled the US to be the leading “market” for global music consumption as an economy with a taut creation to monetization pipeline (Melville 20). Highlighting the presence of neoliberal sentiments gives us the insight to understand how music markets appear differently between the US and the UK and how, in spite, creative spaces still manage to navigate despite the burdensome pressure of these capital-prioritizing economic realities.
In brief, I’m using neoliberalism to capture the trend that shifts the construction of economic, cultural, and social systems to be geared to benefit the creation and flow of capital. Free market capitalism in the United States is a stark example of how governing structures are formed to not impede companies from growing, exploiting individual market power, and pursuing purely economic objectives. As the United Kingdom shifted its immigration policy in the 19th and 20th centuries to welcome previous “subjects” of the colonial British Empire as citizens, an influx of migrants from communities worldwide fueled diasporic pockets around London and other cities in the UK (Melville 18). Through this lens, national policies regarding immigration can be understood as ways in which nations open their borders to create a larger workforce to fuel their national economy.
Against this setting, I felt inspired to explore the similarities and differences between the US and the UK. In these densely populated spaces, diasporas met, mixed, and mingled. Music provided a language and a bridge for communities in highly racialized societies to interact, co-create, and temporarily suspend laws meant to segregate society (i.e, red-lining).
Radio: is it free?
The BBC’s presence and programming makeup are fundamentally different from terrestrial radio networks in the United States. One of the hallmarks of this difference lies in each network’s funding model. The BBC established as a public good and a lasting soft-power extension of British governance — acting as a “soft-hand” of influence over previous imperial subjects — is partially funded through government monies and a bundled service through a subscription. As a network encompassing visual and audio, most households that have TVs, or now increasingly accounts for streaming TV on other devices, will pay a fee to support the swath of BBC programming (Waterson). This basis afforded the platform free rein to provide content that more closely reflects the makeup of its broadcasting population and the taste of individual presenters. These lasting impacts are visibly present in the makeup of shows currently in rotation across the BBC’s music various channels. With presentations highlighting the convergence of African-diaspora sounds UK with DJ Edu on Destination Africa and a fusion of reggae, 80s funk, and modern indie pop-rock with DJ Huey Morgan on The Huey Show, only to name two.
Conversely, the US model for terrestrial radio networks (iHeart & ClearChannel) is primarily funded through advertising monies obtained from agencies purchasing time slots in-between music segments. This listening experience would be particularly jarring for a UK listener. BBC Radio broadcasts are not interrupted by private company ads, and only contain news segments and promotions for other programs across the BBC’s network (Media Nations). In my personal observation, US radio formats are limited to pre-established silos. They provide predictable listening journeys that are formatted to maximize advertisement optimization through specified market segmentation (I.e., Top 40, 18–35-year-old, male/female, or Classic Rock 35–55-year-old, male/female, high disposable earning). While terrestrial radio is considered “free” in the US, the ad infrastructure reaps demographic data, results in a different listening experience, and influences the content consumed through the format (University of Minnesota).
A lasting impact of a broadcasting system tied to advertising monetization means that sounds broadcasted will be tied closely to maximizing capital strategies (Forbes). Historically, with alleviation from ad monetization, the UK’s model has given its programming the ability to tap uniquely into its community to reflect the sounds and people emerging in real-time (Pooler). However, due to recent developments, the royal charter which oversees the funds for the BBC is set to expire in 2027. More over, the government has announced a freeze in the broadcasting fee which, as mentioned above, has secured the BBC as a unique presence in the media landscape. In the short term, it suggests that the broadcaster, without the ability to raise broadcasting fees, will likely face cuts as its operating margins shrink. In the long term, an existential question is being posed to the broadcaster. Are there a funding options that can maintain the quality and type of programming the BBC has been known by? What programs will it cut, and what decisions will drive what stays and goes? It is against this reality that it is incisively important to explore another (and potentially equally existentially at risk) manifestation of musical multi-culture between the US & UK: Live music.
Gigs!
Live music spaces are intense, hybridized zones of cultural mixing and production. Due to its unique mixture of aligned economic and cultural incentives, live music spaces appear readily in both the US and the UK. As mentioned in Melville’s It’s A London thing, live music productions and venues are economic ventures where promoters, performers opt to make money, and participants seek entertainment and pay a cover (Melville 3). However, it is essential to highlight that music resonates parallel of traditional economic incentives and societal norms. In these spaces, communities who wouldn’t have interacted in characteristic societal structures (jobs, living situations, schooling) are coming together for a common goal; to boogie, as they say. In a capital-driven society, this alignment affords spaces for the creation of new sounds and experiences in a community. The mixing of community in South London highlighting the fusion of soul, jazz, and electronic synthesis created the sonic-bed for rare groove and acid house as music scenes and genres.
I also experienced this in the US. Working in venue operations in Denver, Colorado, folk, soul, and electronica music frequently merged musical circles at my venues. Terms like “Grass-hop,” “Electro-Folk,” and “Tribal Dance” began to swirl around the scene. With the state-level legalization of marijuana in Jan 2014 (a hugely business-enabling policy, and one drastically ahead of its time), many parties and venues I worked at during the 2010s started to host musical nights that brought these distinct genres who shared an affinity for the drug. The size of these venues mattered. At about 150–300 capacity, there generally wasn’t a sizable risk to host a musical night, especially if the bar was open. Working night-to-night, I witnessed the development of new musical connections as artists collaborated to create a musical backdrop for these parties. Yet, distinct to the US, these musical movements didn’t spread beyond this geographic location. This scene was ripe with emerging sounds, yet the infrastructure for distributing them largely remained local or through decentralized promotion on streaming services.
The UK and US benefit from live music spaces acting as the testbed for new musical styles. I believe live music infrastructure gave these musical scenes low-stake access to develop without severe pressure to scale and grow, as would be the case in a capitalized corporate environment. While this infrastructure exists in the UK and US, how these systems are propped up is also under contention. In both the US and the UK, many independent clubs — due to COVID-related lockdowns — faced unprecedented strain and closures. With patchy public policy solutions supporting these spaces are in danger of brutal capitalistic structures swallowing them whole (Trendell and Yakes).
Reflection
The US and the UK, both rich in their contribution to the modern music economy, offer different perspectives on how policy and economic structures can influence the development and proliferation of a music market.
As Remi Harris alluded to during her presentation, funding cuts for artistic works and projects from government programs complicate the future for British cultural preservation. Adding to radio and live infrastructure, additional programs funding arts education, community centers, and museums that are facing cuts that they’ve historically relied upon for operational support. Depending on the free market will narrow the scope and impact of many of these programs. Neoliberal approaches and capitalistic incentive structures don’t equitably support artistic communities. We’re facing a situation where the support system that helped make Britain a vibrant space for emerging creative professionals is experiencing a fundamental shift (re: Brexit).
As someone who grew up in the US and with limited experience outside of this country, I was floored by immersing myself in the media systems that contribute to a fundamentally different music economy. From government enabling policies for the arts sector (Arts Council England programs), to spatial geographic idiosyncrasies from post-colonial realities (densely populated multi-culture regions), the UK has been an exciting music market to investigate. Exploring how the mixture of public policy and demographics contributes to a music economy’s manifestation are primary building blocks for analyzing new markets. If one wants to make meaningful progress in connecting our globalized music economy, it’s best to pay attention to these factors that drive and makeup local consumption, exercise patience in bringing people onboard any shifts in policy and practice, and…(for the love of god) to respect the freaking music. For without it, we’d all be lost.
Works Cited
Appadurai, Arjun. Disjuncture and Difference in the Global Cultural Economy. 1990, pp. 584–92.
Ingham, Tim. “British Execs Are Ruling Music. So What Can the U.S. Learn From the U.K.?” Rolling Stone, June 2020, www.rollingstone.com/pro/features/music-british-execs-industry-1018996/.
Dayen, David. “The Corporatization of the Web Has Thinned Out Our Culture and Undermined American Democracy.” The Nation, 2017.
Trendell, Andrew. “Music venues and nightclubs “on the brink of collapse” and demand “immediate” government action.” NME, Dec. 2021, www.nme.com/news/music/music-venues-nightclubs-omicron-covid-rules-business-collapse-government-help-3118808.
“Radio Station Formats.” University of Minnesota Library, open.lib.umn.edu/mediaandculture/chapter/7–3-radio-station-formats/.
Pooler, Mandy. “Why The BBC Must Remain an ad-free-zone.” Campaign, 1999, www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/analysis-why-bbc-remain-ad-free-zone-advertising-bbc-will-not-says-mindshares-mandy-pooler-bring-down-cost-advertising-tv-foolish-decision-tinker/66432.
Abdow, Michelle. “Media Consumption Is Over The Top: How Much And Where To Spend Is Key To Maximizing ROI.” Forbes, 2021, www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2021/04/08/media-consumption-is-over-the-top-how-much-and-where-to-spend-is-key-to-maximizing-roi/?sh=74df624d2bd9.
Yakas, Ben. “Less Than 1% Of Independent Venues Have Gotten “Save Our Stages” Pandemic Relief Funds.” Gothamist, June 2021, gothamist.com/arts-entertainment/less-1-independent-venues-have-gotten-save-our-stages-pandemic-relief-funds.
Melville, Casper. “It’s a London thing: how rare groove, acid house and jungle remapped the city.” Manchester University Press, 2020, pp. xi-15.
“Media Nations: UK 2021.” Ofcom, Aug. 2021, pp. 55–78+.
Waterson, Jim. “What could replace the BBC licence fee?” The Guardian, 16 Jan. 2022, www.theguardian.com/media/2022/jan/16/what-could-replace-the-bbc-licence-fee.
