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Yes, the ability to record and share music has changed significantly in the last 40 years. In 1980 most artists would need to spend time in expensive recording studios to press vinyl albums. Now, in the comfort of a basement or living room, an artist can record a song at a fraction of the cost and time, and by doing their homework, the sound quality can be just as good.

In 1980 I would receive a few dozen quality LPs each year, now I receive dozens of home pressed CDs and files on a weekly basis. While this creates tremendous opportunity for artists, there is a downside. Getting their voice heard above the crowd becomes harder, and some people who are not yet ready to record are missing an important step in their growth. Back when there were fewer opportunities and it was more expensive to record, artists would spend more time honing their craft. Open mics and songwriter collectives were more popular, and songwriters would get more feedback about their music. Not to say that this important tool is being ignored. Organizations like the Folk Alliance creates opportunities for artists to work with established artists and receive critiques of their work. I notice a difference in quality from artists who utilize these opportunities as opposed to someone whose only feedback comes from their spouse and family members. Just because you CAN record your music does not always mean you are ready to do so.

On the positive side, the overwhelming number of recordings being issued DOES produce some real gems. I honestly feel that the folk community of 2015 is producing outstanding songs that surpasses the output and quality of recent decades. If you think back to the 1960s when the folk revival was at its peak, there are only a handful of artists from that era that stood out from the rest and are still being played regularly. Who knows what the future will tell, but I sincerely believe we are hearing some of the finest songs in decades, but the issue is – only our community seems to be listening. Mass media has placed “folk music” into a small box and shoved it in the corner.

In 1975, radio was filled with a variety of exciting sounds, particularly on the FM band. There were several radio stations in the NYC/Northern New Jersey area that offered traditional folk music shows, and singer-songwriters (think James Taylor, Harry Chapin, Joni Mitchell, etc.) were frequently heard across the radio dial. Public and non-commercial radio stations were able to serve diverse communities that commercial radio could not afford to reach. It was exciting to be part of the FM band in the New York City market at the time.

In the decades that followed, choosing a career as a radio DJ seems to be as lucrative as being a buggy whip salesman. It started with radio syndication when companies would produce canned programming with pre-recorded announcements that saved station owners from having to pay a local DJ. The Telecommunications Act of 1996, meant to promote competition and encourage new forms of communication, helped to alter the landscape through de-regulation. The act also allowed companies to own multiple stations in the same market and it ended up with a handful of large corporations owning most of the stations in this country.

Where once we had variety at the touch of a dial, we no longer even have the dials. The push buttons that operate most contemporary radio devices match the push button mentality of contemporary radio programmers. A handful of companies control the majority of radio stations, and a handful of contemporary artists are heard across the dial. Even public radio stations have changed, becoming formatted to reach the highest possible audience while maintaining a small mask of diversity. The space for artists like those in our folk community have become extremely limited.

The historic Armstrong Tower, the broadcast tower for WFDU-FM

While many public radio stations are going through changes, WFDU is an example of one of the stations that still maintain a respect for what public radio was meant to be. ( I urge you to check out other shows that offer great music by visiting the Sing Out! Radio Partners page.) Stations like WFDU continue to offer a variety of musical styles, and each time you tune in you will probably hear a different style. This flies in the face of contemporary program practices, but our audience has remained loyal – and some upcoming changes should enable us to grow our audience. In one of the most intelligent decisions in recent years, the FCC granted WFDU permission to raise our output power from 650 watts to 3000 watts. This upgrade will more than double our FCC licensed coverage area at 89.1MHz and increase our potential on-air audience from 3.8 million persons to 8.2 million persons in the NYC metro area. WFDU is also going to be broadcasting in HD (Hybrid Digital). This means that there will be 3 digital channels at 89.1MHz with new HD channels devoted to jazz and classical music. The power upgrade is scheduled to occur within the next two weeks, and the HD channels are already on line. With a variety of apps, WFDU can now be heard over multiple digital platforms in addition to old fashioned over the air broadcasting.

Back in 2001 I was interviewing Pete Seeger at his home in Beacon, New York. WFDU had just begun streaming on the Internet – allowing our “signal” to be heard live across the globe. I was telling Pete that I had just received an e-mail from a listener in Spain. Pete smiled and remarked how radio was once such a local entity but now had the power to reach across borders to share thoughts and ideas. Until he mentioned it, I was only thinking it was cool that someone could hear me in Spain, I had not grasped the potential that Pete was seeing. At the time, the notion that we would soon be able to get these programs on our cell phones and other devices was not yet in our dreams. Through our archives, people can listen at times of their choosing, making the potential audience even larger.

Pete also expressed a fear that we might lose something without the local aspect of radio, and I’m afraid he was right. At WFDU, we make a conscious effort to USE these tools to share our programs with a potentially global audience, but we also remember our roots. The goal is to bring everyone into our “community” and show how we relate. The definition of what makes up this “community” needs to be considered. The live streaming, iTunes access, show archives, phone aps and all the rest give our audience options, but if we want them to use these options we need to create compelling programs that reach and serve all.

Another local public station recently made programming changes, moving long running Irish programs to a different day and switching a popular contemporary acoustic show from a morning slot to an evening. Their audience howled at these changes. People do get into routines, and switches like this are difficult for some to accept. With proper guidance, people will hopefully realize the new opportunities that are presented and radio will survive, adapting to the times.

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