Why no Blues Radio Stations?

[5StringBlues]

Do you support yourself playing blues now? Could you if you wanted to?


I think that, to a large extent, blues DOES sound the same to many non musical type folks. Loads of pentatonic wankery gets old quickly to them, I would bet.

Now, probably not, the scene has changed.




Pentatonic wankery is a problem. It was, and should still be, a singers medium.

 

[Pings Bass]

I'm surprised Rock has that much of a percentage.

Yeah, me too, but this is 5 year old data; R&B/hip hop has probably eaten into that since then. And if you combine pop with R&B/hip hop, it's a combined 43% market share to rock's 24% in 2017.

 

[Herrick]

Yeah, me too, but this is 5 year old data; R&B/hip hop has probably eaten into that since then. And if you combine pop with R&B/hip hop, it's a combined 43% market share to rock's 24% in 2017.

I'd be interested (but not enough to look it up myself) to see updated percentages.

 

[Marley's Ghost]

Quality FM radio stations are few and far between. Sirius XM is really the only choice for broadcast music in general.

 

[51PRI]

Now, probably not, the scene has changed.....

Exactly!

...Pentatonic wankery is a problem. It was, and should still be, a singers medium.

Yes, a singers and song medium.

Back when I saw Freddie King in the 1970's I became aware that blues artists stretch songs out and play long solos and jam in live concert situations. That awareness made it legitimate for all of us to do the same thing in bars and clubs and it worked for quite a while. Then SRV came along and made that even more, MUCH more, of a thing. In one band I was in we were messing around and I started playing Little Wing. When it was time for the vocals to come in our singer didn't sing. Turns out he wasn't familiar with the Hendrix version, with vocals, but just the SRV version with all out wankery.

And I'm not slamming SRV. I think he's great. But he gave us all a license to think we're good enough to jam out all night in a bar, too, and most of us aren't.

 

[legalbass]

Yeah, me too, but this is 5 year old data; R&B/hip hop has probably eaten into that since then. And if you combine pop with R&B/hip hop, it's a combined 43% market share to rock's 24% in 2017.

If rock music as a genre had made even the slightest effort to keep itself relevant in the last fifteen years, this trend might not be so stark.

Instead, we have Machine Gun Kelly. Sigh.

 

[5StringBlues]

Now, probably not, the scene has changed..

Let me clarify this:



10 to 15 years ago, the European promoters booked full bands for their festivals.

Within that time, European musicians have mastered the form.


Now European promoters book the front person, singer, guitarist, what have you, to come play with their local musicians.



I've got 3 artists here in town that I could play with, but the real money comes from the festival circuit.

 

[legalbass]

And I'm not slamming SRV. I think he's great. But he gave us all a license to think we're good enough to jam out all night in a bar, too, and most of us aren't.

Amen. I wish more guitar players took the advice "keep 'em hungry for more" to heart, rather than always serving up a smorgasbord.

 

[TomB]

Let me clarify this:



10 to 15 years ago, the European promoters booked full bands for their festivals.

Within that time, European musicians have mastered the form.


Now European promoters book the front person, singer, guitarist, what have you, to come play with their local musicians.



I've got 3 artists here in town that I could play with, but the real money comes from the festival circuit.

Exactly right. Except that European promoters were approaching it the same way back in the ‘70’s. You’re right though that the quality of backing bands has increased exponentially since then. Why fly a backing band?
US blues festivals are alive and well, or at least recovering.

 

[51PRI]

If rock music as a genre had made even the slightest effort to keep itself relevant in the last fifteen years, this trend might not be so stark.

Instead, we have Machine Gun Kelly. Sigh.

I like Machine Gun Kelly. Rock music in Top 40 radio has changed. We see Maroon 5 and Panic at the Disco in Top 40, but not Rival Sons or Blackberry Smoke, because their music is what is selling.

 

[5StringBlues]

Exactly right.

There are artists that have pushed back against this, but their bookings have gone down.



What also happens , in my mind, is that the music gets watered down.


Very few blues bands that I know of play their songs EXACTLY like their recordings. The songs constantly evolve onstage.

 

[Pings Bass]

If rock music as a genre had made even the slightest effort to keep itself relevant in the last fifteen years, this trend might not be so stark.

Instead, we have Machine Gun Kelly. Sigh.

Commercial music markets are fickle, and rock has had a remarkable run, considering it arguably peaked in the late 60s/early 70s. Not sure how many ways you can reinvent a guitar-centric genre half a century past its prime and stay relevant in the contemporary pop music marketplace.

 

[sxaxsx]

Seriously? Have you listened to Top 40 lately?

There's plenty of variety in blues, too.

Maybe it's just where I live, I swear if I turn on either of the rock stations its either ACDC or Guns and Roses 90% of the time. If I turn on the pop station it's either Taylor Swift or Olivia Rodrigo. I would love a blues station!

 

[Rolling Thunder]

TL DR, (even the title of the thread): "Why no blues radio stations", not "where can I find blues on the web, pandora, sirius, or an hour blues radio show"

So it HAS to be on the radio. I get it. Since that doesn't appear to be an option, others have listed where you CAN listen to all-blues.

 

[wysiwyg248]

Hey 248, original Michigander here. I went to CMU as an undergrad, and I well remember WCMU! Man, you've brought back the memory bank with these stations!

CMU????? Go blue! LOL

 

[wysiwyg248]

As a lifelong Michigan resident, who grew up in Grand Rapids, went to school in Kalamazoo (WMU Grad), and now lives near Michigan's West Coast, I am familiar with a bunch of these stations. I still tune into WGVU 88.5 occasionally on Friday and Saturday nights. It is fun to hear the station plug upcoming shows for our local Blues Band.

For the Intraweb, besides Sirius XM (paid), also check out Pandora, they have some blues stations.

My daughter is a Bronco, so we visited Kalamazoo quite often. I remember going there to see her and some of the pawn shops LOL. If I am not mistaken, Geddy Lee has his Fender is some shop there.

 

[Alkali Ike]

Maybe it's just where I live, I swear if I turn on either of the rock stations its either ACDC or Guns and Roses 90% of the time. If I turn on the pop station it's either Taylor Swift or Olivia Rodrigo. I would love a blues station!

I know a former Program Director for a huge national media conglomerate. Talked to him about playlists for their far-flung stations, many in podunk towns. A “classic rock” station generally has about 500 active songs in their computer library, and the station is not allowed to deviate from that very much if at all. The library is maintained by someone who may be 2000 miles from the station. Five hundred songs isn’t very diverse.

Since the introduction of low-power LPFM stations and repeaters, the FM dial is more crowded with stations now than it’s ever been.

 

[51PRI]

Maybe it's just where I live, I swear if I turn on either of the rock stations its either ACDC or Guns and Roses 90% of the time. If I turn on the pop station it's either Taylor Swift or Olivia Rodrigo. I would love a blues station!

Choices are good.

 

[Polish Thunder]

My daughter is a Bronco, so we visited Kalamazoo quite often. I remember going there to see her and some of the pawn shops LOL. If I am not mistaken, Geddy Lee has his Fender is some shop there.

 

[mongo2]

I did a search for "streaming blues radio stations" and found a bunch.

I'm currently listening to WBLZ (it's right there in the name) out of Buffalo NY. Lightnin' Hopkins is on now.