Live and direct: lessons for streamers from the appeal of online radio

In an era defined by the proliferation of algorithmic playlists and on-demand streaming, online music radio has quietly carved itself a future-proofed space in the audio ecosystem.

Stations like NTS, Do You Radio, and Balamii among others have emerged as hubs of music discovery and fandom, offering a blend of locality, dynamism, and humanity that streaming services have yet to emulate.

While streaming services have dominated the music landscape for years, the growing appeal of online radio (via Radiocentre) suggests there’s something intangible missing from streaming that many audiences are actively seeking elsewhere. The desire for something beyond the algorithm has not gone unnoticed. With UMG investing in NTS and Apple Music launching three online radio streams at the tail end of 2024, industry power players are taking note.

As online radio continues to thrive, streaming services have an opportunity to learn from its strengths and adapt to meet the evolving needs of listeners.

Locality: bridging the local and global through soundscapes

Online radio has a unique capacity to feel both hyper-local and globally connected. These stations feel deeply rooted in their communities, yet their reach transcends physical borders. This duality creates a unique sense of place – listeners can tune in from anywhere in the world yet feel the pulse of a specific city or scene. It is a reminder that music is not just about sound; it is about culture, identity, and shared experiences.

Streaming services, for all their convenience, often lack this sense of locality. Online radio fills that gap, offering something inexplicably personal. Whether it is Balamii taking me back to the clubs and venues of my South London youth, the niche cultural references on Do You, or the global reach of São Paulo beats on NTS, online music radio has the unique ability to both transport and ground. It roots you in what you know and opens you up to what you have yet to experience.

Just last week, I suddenly had the urge to visit one of my favourite Dalston bakeries after hearing a callout on NTS. AI can do a lot, but it’s not creating pastry cravings…yet.

Dynamism: the temporal power of live music curation

One of the most captivating aspects of online music radio is its unpredictability. Unlike algorithmically curated playlists, with similarities in song choices that wash over you, live radio can be a dynamic, active listening experience.

While algorithms excel at refining recommendations based on what you already like, they rarely push boundaries or challenge your tastes. Online radio, on the other hand, excels at risk-taking, and in turn, delivering serendipitous discoveries that fall outside of the algorithm’s norms. The music you hear reflects someone else’s perspective, not your own, exposing you to genres, artists, and sounds you might never encounter otherwise. This element of surprise is what makes online radio such a powerful tool for discovery.

Online radio highlights the want for temporal listening, something anchored in rhythms of daily life. Unlike streaming, it is appointment-to-listen entertainment, where tuning in live, whether to a morning show or an evening mix, feels tied to the shared cadence of human behaviour. While DJ sets can be replayed later, listening live creates a fleeting, collective experience. In an era of endless choice, these ephemeral moments are gaining value precisely because they are rare, reminding us that music is more than a product to be consumed; it is a shared, time-bound connection. In the asynchronous world, ubiquity dominates. Everyone can hear everything whenever they want. Moments in time are scarce commodities accessible only to those who participate.

Humanity: fostering belonging beyond playlists

At its core, online radio is a deeply human medium. DJs and hosts bring personality, passion, and authenticity to their shows, helping listeners choose favourites and build opinions fosters a sense of ownership over the listening experience. This personal touch nurtures communities and creates scenes, transforming passive listeners into active participants.

Listeners are not just consumers; they are part of a community. Features like live chat, jukebox shows, or call-ins remind audiences they are part of a collective. This sense of belonging stands in stark contrast to the passivity of streaming platforms, where interaction is often limited to skipping tracks or saving songs.

Bifurcation theory: how online radio taps into the desire to 'PLAY'

MIDiA’s bifurcation theory posits that the music industry has split into two distinct ecosystems: LISTEN (the old) and PLAY (the new). Here we see that ironically, online music radio – a derivative of the oldest form of audio consumption – has positioned itself at the forefront of the new.

Embodying the principles of PLAY, it is participatory, lean-in, and action-oriented. Listeners are not just tuning in; they are engaging, sharing, and melding the experience. Perhaps what has happened is that music’s ‘lean in’ bar has lowered. What was once a passive behaviour has spawned something that feels ‘lean in’ in comparison to the on-demand part, which is increasingly feeling ‘lean back’. It is a role reversal few would have predicted at streaming’s inception.

There is also a broader trend in media consumption that this fits into, where audiences are seeking more immersive, human-centric experiences, looking for the smaller more niche communities and moving away from the general.

The future sounds live

The growing appeal of online music radio is a testament to the power of live, human-curated experiences in an increasingly automated world.

This is not to say streaming will lose its dominance – it remains the status quo for good reason. However, online radio highlights a gap that streaming alone cannot fill. What model streamers use to adopt these trends remains to be seen, but offshoots such as curated freemium suggest potential pathways.

As the music industry continues to bifurcate, online radio offers a blueprint for how to stay relevant in the age of PLAY.