Ars Technica: Broadcast radio only relevant in movies; make way for Internet radio

"In the movies, radio is a mythic force: local, rebellious, life-changing. This hardly describes the reality at commercial radio stations today, but it does tell us something about how radio was—and about how we want it to be."

So begins a recent article by Ars Technica on radio and Hollywood. Towards the middle, it includes a very gracious mention of Future Perfect Radio. You can read it here.

"The days of the locally oriented, brick-and-mortar commercial radio station are long gone, replaced by automated playlists, centralized studios, and digitized personalities."

And while it's true Internet radio -- like Future Perfect Radio -- is mostly bereft of local live voices (for now...) it does offer more local, independent and unheard of artists. It can be changed and crafted to better fit the tastes of you -- the listener.

The article goes on to show how movies are a place, perhaps the only place, "where vibrant, daring, local radio lives; where you can walk right into the main studio and hang out with the gurus; where the music comes from down the block, and the on-air monologues touch your soul."

Broadcast radio simply isn't like that anymore. The article goes into many well-stated reasons why, but let me sum it up for you: it's because broadcast radio sucks. It's full of bloated, washed-up artists no one actually likes while the majority of listeners are people stuck in cars with nothing better to listen to.

"That's why an entire generation has turned to Internet sites like AccuRadio's Future Perfect Radio."

Indeed. Welcome to the future, my friends. You're part of something new, something exciting.

Yes, you may not be able to walk into Future Perfect Radio's studios and have a chat, but you can post a comment to me on Facebook. Or shoot me an email (mschmitt@futureperfectradio.com). Or catch me on Google Talk (mlschmitt23). Or send a DM my way on Twitter (@fpradio). I'll chat. I'll listen to your ideas about the station, about the best albums of 2009, about new channels, about the weather or even the Cubs' prospects for 2010.

So yes, Internet radio may not be there yet, but it's brand new. Give us time, help us grow, and we'll turn into the best place to hear music ever.