The original iPods had fm receivers and thus they could tune into whatever station they wanted. Now that the internet can be restricted in more authoritative countries, is it still feasible to somehow broadcast “banned” things to the masses? I remember reading about during WW II the oppressed Germans would tune in to hear British songs and get exposed to some propaganda along with it. Maybe one day we’ll need to distribute into China some illegal K-Pop.
Are you sure it's free thought ? When a record label tells you what to listen to ( by paying the distributor) it does not look like free thought. More like paid thought.
Oh no, I'm sure it's purely by accident that all radio stations only play the same 10 songs (also miraculously whatever is being pushed).
This isn't some hidden secret, it's out in the open. It may not be cash, but more quid pro quo.
The FCC is also supposed to punish tv channels that raise the volume of ads to 2X+ the volume of the content. Every single tv station does this for ads.
If you are listening to a top 40 station, then of course they will keep playing the same songs over as they are confined to the Billboard top 40. Other stations will constantly play the newest songs from the biggest artists on repeat because that's typically what people want. I really don't think there has to be a conspiracy involved.
If a listener is "seeking" through stations and catch a song they love, they are more likely to stay on the station. The best chance of choosing a song people love is using the most popular songs as often as possible. It's the same exact reason why radio stations try to runs ads at the same time. If a radio station you like starts running ads, but you hear other stations are running ads too, you are more likely to end back at the original station and stay. It's all a numbers game to hook station surfers.
Every movie theater will want to play Disney movies, but that doesn't mean Disney is paying the theaters to play their movies -- in fact, Disney demands theaters to pay far more for their movies than any other movie, but theaters will pay it because they know it will drive people to come and pay for popcorn and other concessions. Same for radio but with ad space. They may pay a lot in marketing to hype people up over a song or movie, that doesn't mean they are paying the theater or the station.
Funny you mention Disney as they are suspected of faking showing numbers. People have taken pics during 'sold out' showings with empy theaters.
Artists will have their manager or people bid/buy on stuff to 'drive interest'. Authors and their managers will buy their books from bookstores, especially the ones that report to the NY Times best sellers list. This has been getting gamed forever. Comic books artists do it, recording artists with their CDs.
The list is endless, it's not new, and pretending it doesn't exist doesn't help stop the problems.
You mention the top 40 but it's far beyond that, there's a reason for many years radio djs were seen as gatekeepers. If they didn't play your song you wouldn't get noticed. They either got kickbacks or more power/control,but your explanation does makse sense for current day and does help ease my pain a bit so thanks for the knowledge!
