The Future of Listening is Here
by Brad “Martini” Chambers
When we started Martini in the Morning back in 2006, it was to be a demo of what we might sound like on another radio station, or a network of stations. But as more and more people started tuning in, enjoying the music, the presentation and the concept in general, being on the Internet started looking more and more like it could be a real business. That didn’t come as a surprise. I’ve long believed that Internet radio would eventually equal broadcast radio, if not surpass it. Back in the 90’s, I programmed one of the first Country radio stations to have a station website and stream its signal on the Internet.
We are approaching the moment when Internet radio will be on a virtually even playing field, alongside AM/FM radio, satellite radio and music delivered via cable, satellite TV and other devices that bring audio entertainment into our homes and cars. I was so impressed when friends and Martini in the Morning listeners John and Annie Gibson came to L.A. for a visit from their home in Lemoore, CA. Their new Tesla had the most modernistic dashboard I’d ever seen, and to my delight, with the punch of a button, John switched back and forth effortlessly between over-the-air radio and Martini in the Morning, pre-set using the TuneIn Radio app pre-installed in the car. THAT is the future, or perhaps, the present. I saw a note on our Facebook page from Lynn Westergaard-Wright in Oklahoma City saying how happy she was, able to use Bluetooth to connect her smartphone to her car radio, listening as she went about her day.
Longtime Martini in the Morning supporter and listener (and perhaps Michael Buble’s biggest guy fan) Frank Krasner drives for Classic Limousine and Sedan Company based in Frederick, MD. On his frequent runs to the 3 Baltimore/DC area airports, Frank always has MITM on when he picks up his passengers and MITM Listener Invitation Cards at the ready. So it’s clear that MITM is available in places once dominated by traditional broadcast radio, and that availability is opening up expanded opportunities to listen AND to “Share the Martini.”
While broadcast radio has “Invaded” the streaming space, there are places where Internet stations like Martini in the Morning are on equal footing. In a note last week, Lesley Graham in Hampden, ME, was gleeful having discovered MITM on her new Blue Ray player, and now had her favorite radio station blasting out of her TV!
There’s no doubt Internet radio, Internet media for that matter, is here to stay. However, it is relatively new technology and issues remain that are as frustrating for us as they are for you. I’m going to cover the various ways to listen to MITM, issues we face and why certain means of listening are so critical to our survival. If you’d like to skip ahead to the items of most interest, don’t hesitate.
Miracle Martini Player from RadioLoyalty.com. Unlike broadcast radio, in the Internet world, there are so many people between us and you. There are people (and their technology) like RadioLoyalty.com, our partners in the “Miracle Martini Player.” They are one of a handful of streaming companies inserting TV commercials into our stream when we go to break. (BTW, the typical AM/FM music station breaks for commercials 2 to 4 times each hour, usually for a total of 15 to 20 minutes of commercials. We break twice each hour for a MAXIMUM of 6 minutes of commercials.)
While there have been myriad issues with our Radio Loyalty player, there are an ever increasing number of positives as we hear more and more people are leaving that player on all day (and it’s STAYING on!). Mother Miriam leads the way, leaving the “Miracle Martini Player” from Radio Loyalty on at home for her cat JC when she leaves for work. Same is true with Vinnie Imbier at Vince’s 300 Pro Shop in Waterford, MI. Vince’s cat Kozmo is a happy cat while Dad is away at work, having Martini in the Morning playing throughout the house to keep him company. Oh, and did I mention we get paid for that “Listening…?” We rally around Radio Loyalty and root for them to conquer the technology that is sometimes a blessing and a curse, in part, because the commercials they insert into our programming pay 5 to 10 times as much as the traditional audio-only radio commercials inserted in other streams like the TuneIn Radio app on mobile devices and iTunes. The repetition issue that drives so many of us bonkers is one we won’t overcome immediately, but soon. The way Radio Loyalty, and by extension, Martini in the Morning, is paid, incentivizes bundling up as many commercials as possible from the same advertiser. It basically means the faster you run the commercials, even if it is 5 or 6 at a time, the more of that advertiser’s online budget you control. It’s stupid! It flies in the face of everything over the course of my 40+ years in radio that I’ve learned about not only serving, but pleasing an audience. I also believe it’s a disservice to the advertiser. But in the infant Internet media business, it’s the way things are done and if we want to continue to have our Radio Loyalty ad revenue cover nearly 25% of our monthly operating expenses, we grit our teeth and go on. I know it’s a lot to ask you to put up with, but for the time being, I’ll ask. Or beg.
iTunes: I need to share a couple of issues with you regarding iTunes; many people have discovered Martini in the Morning from the iTunes Internet Radio directory. It has been a great source of discovery, but one that was costly for us because until recently, it did not carry any commercials. Now, like most of our audio only streams, there are two breaks per hour of 2-minutes each. But, the iTunes issue has been complicated by their relatively new Internet music service, the so-called “iTunes Radio.” Now, if you click Radio from the main menu bar, you get their music service, not the list of Internet Radio genres you’re accustomed to. We’re still there, but you have to dig a little deeper, clicking on the 3-dot menu button on the left side of the menu bar, then click Internet Radio. From there you’ll get the familiar old directory, and will find Martini in the Morning under Golden Oldies. Last note on iTunes concerns recent technical problems that appear to be in the iTunes directory. Many of us are experiencing an annoying static-like sound when we access MITM on iTunes. The theory is that in the latest release of their software, there is an issue with the higher quality streaming format (AAC versus MP3) that we and some of the better Internet Radio stations use. We’ve been told the folks at Apple are working on a fix that will be in the next software update. In the meantime, as much of a pain as this is, start up MITM and if you get the static sound, switch it off, then back on. It might take two or three attempts to get a clean feed. I’m sorry for this, but again, there are so many people who handle our signal from the time it leaves our little Studio City location and reaches you.
TuneIn Radio App: People often ask which streams pay us – and we’re reaching a point where finally, after 8 ½ years online, we will be able to say all of them. Radio Loyalty and the Miracle Martini player far and away provides the most revenue for each hour listened. On the mobile side, if you’re listening on ANY tablet, smartphone, Roku, Sonos and myriad other devices that include TuneIn Radio, turn it on and search Martini in the Morning. But here’s the bottom line on the bottom line – as important as it is for us to monetize our product, our first concern is that everyone who wants to be able to listen, is able to.
Bottom Line – LISTEN! I’d love for you to keep the Miracle Martini Player from Radio Loyalty on in your home and business 24/7 – that’s a lot of revenue for us. But maybe between the computer issues some people have with it and the repetitive commercials, you just can’t handle it – then don’t. There are plenty of other ways to listen and our whole point here is for you to have an enjoyable listening experience. There are plenty of other listening choices, and while we think we offer something special, from the music to the presentation to the family that we’ve become at MITM, loyalty can only go so far if things aren’t working right. Thank you as always, for making Martini in the Morning your station for the coolest, swingin’est, most romantic, and some people say, “Healing” music on the radio. Thank you for “Sharing the Martini!” We still haven’t figured out how to put together an advertising budget, so for now, you’re it! You are our marketing department. As we grow, we become more capable to keep your music available, never more than a mouse click away.