Early results of the 2023 Jamaican All Media Survey conducted by Market Research Limited (MRSL) is showing that radio listenership is down by 10% or a total loss of 89,000 listeners between the periods 2020 and 2023.
The total radio audience in Jamaica is 796,000 in 2023 compared to 885,000 in 2020.
Since 2012 radio in Jamaica has become more competitive with over 42 radio stations up and down the frequency. However, music and culture based radio station Irie FM continues to triumph above its peers with a whopping 23.4% market share.
Suffice it to say, the top ten radio stations command 87% of Toal listenership leaving 13% for more than 30 radio stations to share according to the latest annual survey report.
The latest report of radio is not unique to Jamaica as since 2020 radio in the US has experienced a declined in listenership.
In 2020 83% of Americans ages 12 and older listened to terrestrial radio in a given week, down slightly from 89% in 2019, according to Nielsen Media Research data published by the Radio Advertising Bureau.
Since then record labels have decided to cut back on radio airplay campaigns as streaming becomes more integrated around the world.
Feb. 13 is recognized but UNESCO as World Radio Day, which celebrates the form of mass media that has the widest audience in the world, according to the United Nations agency.
Radio and the music industry
It is customary in the music industry for labels to use third party promoters to pump interest in the top songs which usually cost between USD$100,000 to $300,000 on major hip hop/R&B radio stations according to a Billboard report.
As new technologies emerge the discussions are ongoing as to the value of radio plays in the ever evolving music ecosystem.
Although Irie FM, focuses of reggae music and culture, more Gen Z’s are finding their music on YouTube and TikTok. Joey Carvello, who has worked as a third party promoter for record labels told Billboard that radio is now lesser relevant for new music for the Universal Music Group, the USA’s biggest record label. “It’s common knowledge Universal has drawn back from spending as much on radio promotion, ” he said.
Globally, streaming accounted for more than 67% of music consumption according to IFPI, and in music countries like Jamaica, new acts emerged without the help of radio last year due like Valiant, due to the full integration and proper use of digital streaming platforms like Apple Music, TikTok Spotify and YouTube. Valiant and Biggs Don got their first break from TikTok posts in August and November respectively. The former lead the Jamaican Apple Music charts for the last six months. He is the first artist in the history to have 12 songs in the top 20 on any streaming platform in Jamaica.
Miami’s 103.5 DJ Papa Keith in a conversation at the Island Music Conference in February, stated that, “Radio should be the last place artists come with their music.” He added that, “the last few artists in reggae and dancehall basically flopped and that’s because they didn’t do grass roots promotions” and that “social media works for newer artist than for older artists.”
Some artist have also cut back on the amount of radio interviews they do and DJs are taking notice.
BBC Radio personality Seani B added, “the new generation doesn’t understand radio because radio is not their primary medium.” He sites the unavailability of some of dancehall’s biggest stars to him for interviews even though he hosts one of the more popular programs in the U.K.
“There is a lot of our stars that refused to do interviews, it’s a learned behavior – I haven’t interviewed Shenseea , PopCaan, in how long. I haven’t interviewed Masicka” he said.
Both Shenseea and Masicka are signed to Universal Music Group via Interscope and Def Jam Records and their debut albums (Alpha and 438) finished 2022 as the top streaming male and female dancehall projects released during the 12 month period.
Hot 97 DJ Shani Kulture said the way to solve radio’s listener gap is for radio to go digital. Shani explains that there is a digital department at Hot 97 and said Power 105’s Breakfast Club was ahead with the video complement of the radio and now Hot 97 have teams dedicated to promoting tweets and high points of interviews.
Shaggy, whose 2000 smash hit Wasn’t Me broke first on a small Hawaiian radio station, said “you don’t have to buss in Jamaica, the first buss in Jamaica for me was Boombastic.” He also said sometimes artists can focus on ‘Regional radio i.e. radio stations on the outskirts of U.K.” where it cost less to promote.
In the US YoungBoy Never Broke Again (YBNA) is the third most streamed artist behind Drake and Taylor Swift and Billboard reported that “YoungBoy has only ever cracked Billboard‘s all-genre Radio Songs chart once — as a featured act.”
