Amazing Radio explains DAB disappearance

18/05/2012 - 07:07 | 4 Replies More

Amazing Radio has ceased broadcasting on the national Digital One multiplex this week, and has written an open letter to the radio industry to explain why.

It states transmissions ceased because they were unable to secure acceptable terms for a contract extension.

See the letter in full below:

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE RADIO AND INDIE MUSIC INDUSTRIES

Amazing Radio ceased broadcasting nationally on Digital 1 at midnight on Monday. This letter explains what happened, and why we think it is important for all of us who love radio and care about music.

Let’s be honest. Some of you will have said ‘Amazing Who?’ Others will go ‘serves them right, their model was crazy’. Others will be sad to see something new disappear from the airwaves, but assume it was never viable as a concept.

The truth is more complicated. Amazing Radio did not go off the air because our model failed. We have been growing very rapidly for two years and broke even in January. We have very supportive shareholders who understand that we have a long term, very audacious plan to reinvent the music industry. We are about to raise $30m in Silicon Valley to expand internationally and in the UK. Transmissions ceased because we were unable to secure acceptable terms for an extension of our contract.

We could not close a US funding round with uncertainty about our UK broadcasting licence. We remain grateful to Digital 1 for taking a risk with us when we launched in 2009, and we hope to resolve the dispute and get back on the air.

Certainly the astonishing reaction from listeners and musicians, erupting spontaneously within an hour of our announcement, confirms that people want us back on DAB.

Why should you care about this? Several reasons: -

The music industry is broken. The old model doesn’t work any more. Major labels have withdrawn from A&R. The industry needs help finding the new talent. That’s what we do.

Musicians need an outlet. The UK has an incredible live music scene, and technology allows bands to record to a higher standard and lower cost than at any time. But there’s no point having an MP3 nobody hears. We have given thousands of bands their first radio play and first revenues.

DAB has to work. It’s important for the whole radio ecosystem and the Government needs the cash from analogue switch-off. The incredible reaction to our departure shows people want to use DAB to find new things. (Not just simulcasts of FM).

It’s good for GDP. Creative industries are the fastest-growing part of the UK economy. The industry needs to work together to find the next Adele, the next Radiohead. We are (now) an important player at the start of that process. And our expansion will create even more jobs.

It’s good for young people. Music provides a creative outlet and focus for anyone. It’s democratic and (because of digital technology) accessible – if there’s a route map for talent to develop.

It’s good for radio. We don’t compete for your audiences – we only ever expect to be a niche, and we’ll never take advertising. But we will find the music you’ll be playing next year.

We hope you see merit in these arguments and will wish us well, as we continue to expand.

When we get back on the air, we hope you’ll find some new music you love. (Thousands have).

Paul Campbell
CEO & Founder

Written by: Roy Martin

Tags:

Category: Industry News

  • http://twitter.com/neilm831 neilm831

    Another two or three stations need to come of that multiplex…using mono is shocking.  No station playing music should be allowed to broadcast at less than 192k mp2 codec…Equivalent to most stations online at 128k mp3

    • christopher mockridge

      With every step up in quality comes a shocking price increase. 48k mono costs an arm and a leg. 

  • Radio Observer

    It’s just like 1964 all over again!

  • Radio Geordie

    Digital One should’ve had their licence revoked 10 years ago, especially when it was only broadcasting 4 services – The three analogues licences & Planet Rock.

    The loss of Amazing Radio yet again shows why the ‘gatekeeper’ system should not be allowed to continue as yet again, the gatekeeper wants more money.  It was the same reason that Primetime Radio disappeared.  Digital One (who were majority owned by GWR at the time) wanted more money.  In the end, Primetime closed – although Amazing is still broadcasting, just not on DAB.

    What the article above didn’t mention was that Amazing Radio is still broadasting.  It is available online either via the station’s website or the Radio Player.  It can also be accessed via smartphones using the Android app. as well as downloading the app. at the itunes site.

    Originally, Digital One was co-owned by Arqiva & GWR (GWR had the majority shareholding).  GWR then merged with Capital Radio Group to become GCap Media and within a year, started making massive cutbacks.  This also included selling the Digital One licence to Arqiva.  GCap was then bought by Global.

    Here’s a thought – if Global got their hands on GCap before they sold their shareholding in Digital One, the platform would be full of shit – Capital, Heart, Choice FM, Gold & LBC.

    Maybe it’s time for OFCOM to admit that the ‘gatekeeper’ system was wrong, rip it up and start again, this time, the right way with one platform covering the local area and the rest broadcasting nationally.

    Problem is, OFCOM are in the pockets of the big corporates and wouldn’t have the balls to do it.  Even the DCMS (who OFCOM answer to) wouldn’t have the balls either for the same reason.

    One thing I did find ironic is that Amazing are suggesting that DAB listeners should re-tune their radio’s to 6 Music.  What’s stopping the BBC from changing that service’s format to Radio 2′s specialist music service whilst Radio 2 chnages to a 24/7 gold format?

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