Chips & Pretzels: Why The Radio Sucks

One of a bunch of reasons, I guess.

Decided to listen to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Nuthin’ Fancy tonight. I don’t choose Skynyrd that often and I haven’t heard this one in years.

But I really enjoyed it and ran into this bluesy, sleazy, party rocker, with which I was well pleased.

Got me to thinking, long ago this was a somewhat popular Skynyrd tune. But geez, I haven’t heard it in ages. Why is that? Because the radio sucks.

There’s the pool of an artist’s complete work from which we personally choose what we like and don’t like. That’s fine and dandy – the natural order of things. The artist pool and the personal pool vary in size from artist to artist, on a personal level.

But here’s the rub – radio, and at least the basic version of Pandora or whatever streaming service one chooses – reduces the artist pool to five or six songs, sometimes as little as a couple. Lynyrd Skynyrd’s predigested song pool doesn’t include this song. I think it may have years ago, but as LS got dated, songs got dropped.

Why are most folks content with this? AC/DC – Highway To Hell, Back In Black, Dirty Deeds, You Shook Me All Night Long, TNT. Mott The Hoople – All The Young Dudes, All The Way From Memphis. Old ZZ Top – La Grange, Tush. Etc. I could name the artist and I’m sure you could name the radio catalogue.

Blech.

2 thoughts on “Chips & Pretzels: Why The Radio Sucks

  1. KEXP, KCSM, and KTKE are all great independent stations that I love (though I doubt they will give you what you want, Steve).

    So, again, the best radio station in my book is simply playing my shuffle (which is now back up to 560 songs, following my purchase of a new iPhone a month ago, wherein Apple would not transfer a shitload of my stuff.

    If you put it on your shuffle, chances are you love it. Never fails.

  2. I agree completely about the radio, and it’s so WEIRD how POPULAR songs have disappeared. I disagree about Pandora though. Maybe the basic version is as you say, but I pay $40 a year for the premium version and it’s well worth it. If you let them, they will play many of the same old songs, but if you insist (by using the “don’t like” or “I’m tired of this” buttons), Pandora delivers the goods. Not only do they go outside the box but also play many great new songs (to me anyway) from related bands. After many years, they know what I will like, and have opened my ears. And yes Lawr, just putting on my itunes shuffle never fails.

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