But first (as they say in radio) a little perspective on the whole thing. The BBC’s first FM radio station opened on 2nd May 1955 at Wrotham in Kent, broadcasting their three networks to London and the South East of England. After this, development of the FM radio network came quick and fast as most transmitters shared common masts with BBC television. Seven more transmitters opened in 1956 and by 1961 there were 27 VHF-FM transmitters on air covering most regions. Stereo broadcasting, which is what really marks the FM band apart, although first tested in January 1958 was rolled out more slowly with many stations not converting until the 1980s, around the same time I started to get caught up in it all.

My access to music when I was growing up was through pirate radio, you know, radio under the pillow, listening to one more and then ‘just one more’ - Robert Palmer

In the 1980s, FM radio expansion continued at pace with both the BBC and commercial sector opening new stations. Nine BBC and 26 commercial stations started between 1980 and 1984 with near universal coverage achieved by the end of the decade. FM was by now standard on portable radios and a common option for cars. However, there were two major problems that plagued FM radio in the UK from the start, poor reception and lack of spectrum. Despite continued improvements over the years, these problems still affect the band. In London today, every inch of the dial is occupied with broadcasting stations. Pirate stations have been squeezed onto impossibly tight frequencies just to be able to exist, often causing interference with commercial stations and each other. This is one of the principal reasons currently cited by the authorities against pirate stations but is born from the inadequacies of the FM spectrum itself. Competition for pirate frequencies is consequently huge and they are guarded jealously and sometimes violently.

Until the early 1980s, the FM broadcast band in the UK extended only from 88.1 to 97.6 MHz, providing room for just three national networks and some local radio. Consequently, Radio 1 was only broadcast on FM for 23 hours a week, and there was insufficient space for both BBC and independent local radio to broadcast on FM in all towns and cities. To resolve these problems, the FM band was expanded from 87.6 to 107.9 MHz. This spectrum was phased into use in 1983 with new commercial stations coming on stream and the BBC expanding some of its city stations into county stations. The top end of the FM band was finally released for broadcasting in 1995. This was originally intended to be used to provide extra transmitters for the national networks, but was allocated to local and regional commercial radio instead. The lower part of the FM band, 87.6-88.0, was released for broadcasting in 1987, but not used until the 1990s when it was allocated to temporary low power stations. All these ‘fascinating’ developments meant that by the late 1980s FM had become the dominant medium for radio listening in the UK and as always, the new breed of ‘onshore’ pirate stations were quick to take advantage.

The Great FM Switch On

All this was happening in the heart of the Thatcherite mid 80s, when I was barely out of shorts and certainly too young to appreciate why the government was suddenly so keen to expand commercial radio (cash and nice cosy positions on the boards of large media organisations as it turned out). At the time, commercial radio was still a relatively unfamiliar phenomenon. In 1989, the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) licensed 20 new stations, known as ‘Incrementals’ in areas already served by independent local radio. Originally intended as community radio, these quickly evolved into commercial stations. This all culminated in September 1988 with ‘The Great FM Switch On’. In the 1970s and early 1980s, Radio 1 had been allowed to take over Radio 2’s FM transmitters for a few hours per week, most notably for the Top 40 Singles Chart on Sunday afternoons. It was not until September 1988 when the 97–99 MHz frequencies became available that Radio 1 acquired its own national FM network. There were suitably wild celebrations all around as Bros travelled the length and breadth of the UK in a helicopter ‘switching on’ the new stereo transmitters. 65% of the population were now able to receive Radio 1 FM.

Despite these ‘wild’ celebrations, as so often has been the case with Radio 1, the move to national FM broadcasting was prompted at least in part by the huge popularity of the pirate radio stations that were thriving during the 80s. The new commercial environment brought to radio, combined with the superior sound quality of FM stereo meant that as with the ‘old’ offshore pirates based on ships in the North Sea, success was almost guaranteed to the new generation who were simply playing the music the ‘kids’ wanted to hear, a defining characteristic of pirate radio. Broadcasting mainly from tower blocks, these onshore pirates were the pioneers of the pirate scene that exists to this day. These stations played mainly reggae and soul music and at their height numbered more than 50 with Invicta, Horizon, LWR and Solar becoming some of the better-known names. Of all these stations it was one in particular that became a household name, Kiss FM. The station, which claimed a massive half a million listeners with it’s mix of soul, house and hip hop, eventually closed down its pirate operations in 1988 after years of illicit broadcasting with the goal of obtaining an official licence. In September 1990 it succeeded on its second attempt, becoming the only pirate station to ever successfully transfer to the mainstream.

Pirate FM radio in the UK has played a massive part both in my life and in the lives of hundreds of thousands of people over the last quarter of a century. It has kept the British music scene vibrant and provided inspiration and opportunity for many of today’s artists, yet is still tarred with the brush of ill repute, blamed for causing interference with the emergency services, castigated for providing a medium for drug dealers. Stations are hounded by the authorities, criminal charges, huge fines and jail sentences handed out to those that operate them, but even in these twilight years of the FM band, pirate stations continue to be more popular, prevalent and relevant than ever. I count myself fortunate to have been involved with some of these stations for the best part of my adult life, even including an experience that almost cost me my own life. The myth and mystique of the radio pirate is part of their continuing allure. When the FM band finally goes dead and the last pirate station crackles off air, I know I won’t be the only one shedding a quiet tear, I hope you will be too.

These pirate kids are early adopters and they’re trendsetters…if a brand can tap into that, it could be worth millions - Rooney Carruthers, partner at advertising agency VCC

Commercial Experiments

The new generation of ‘onshore’, land-based pirate stations began to establish a real foothold in London during the 1980s, one they would never really lose. Carrying on where their forbears on the ‘offshore’ radio ships left off, they continued to fill a huge musical void that the BBC and fledgling commercial stations did not support. One of the true originals was Radio Invicta. Broadcasting every Sunday from 12 - 3pm, Invicta was notable not only as the first pirate with a format based predominantly on soul music (’Soul Over London’), but also for their use of FM, rather than the crackly AM stations that had gone before. As the 80s progressed, this new generation of land-based pirates also abandoned their idiosyncratic transmissions and moved towards 24-hour broadcasting. Soul remained a staple and stations like JFM rose to prominence when, after years of irregular Sunday afternoon broadcasting, they decided to go ‘full time’. A boom in pirate radio activity followed, especially in London. Stations like LWR, Solar, Horizon, Skyline, Lightning and many others all broadcast on and off from various locations and suffered the inevitable raids at the hands of the radio authorities. But the biggest of them all and the undisputed pirate radio phenomenon of the 80s was Kiss FM.

In it’s early days, Kiss FM was British black music radio personified as one of it’s founders Jazzie B - who won a Grammy in 1989 with the band, Soul II Soul – stated at the station’s inception:

“We switch on and we hear the nucleus of what black Britain has to offer. And it will remain that way until we are properly included. It will end when the BBC has black people in positions of power and when record companies and mainstream organisations have enough black people in place. Until then, there will always be pirate radio.”

Broadcasting on 94.0 FM, Kiss became the most talked about pirate station in UK history, pulling in a massive half a million listeners whilst still illegal. The station started broadcasting in late 1985, run by charismatic London club DJs George Eracleous and Gordon McNamee (the latter became it’s managing director) from London’s N19 postcode. As a pirate from 85-88 it attracted acclaim for its upfront music and mixing and became notorious for the close attention it received from the authorities. In 1988, at almost the same time Radio 1 went national, it closed down in the hope of becoming legal and on it’s second attempt in September 1990 finally rolled up the skull and crossbones for good having won a licence to broadcast to London legally.

Many involved with the station at the time believed that by becoming a commercial entity Kiss would be forced to surrender much of the freedom it had enjoyed as a pirate. It was therefore with a certain inevitability that the station became increasingly influenced by it’s backers EMAP and by the mid 1990s had abandoned it’s traditional emphasis on the best black and dance music in favour of a more mainstream sound. It’s original DJ line-up seemed no longer to fit the station’s image and little by little it’s finest talent (Steve Jackson, Norman Jay, Mannasseh, Bob Jones, Trevor Nelson, Danny Rampling, Judge Jules) ebbed away, either moving on or being fired. By the end of the 1990s many of those who remembered the original station before it attained legal status could barely recognise ‘their’ station. But whatever your view of the Kiss FM story, there can be no doubt that as a pirate they set the standard for all others to follow and remain the only unlicensed station to successfully cross into the mainstream. As a teenager, locking on to shows from the likes of Fabio and Grooverider, the station certainly started something in me that survives to this day and like many others I prefer to remember them coming through loud and clear on 94.0. To use an old cliché, in 1990 Kiss FM won a battle but lost the war.

Selling Out?

The way I saw it at the time, people were too quick to castigate Kiss for selling out. They were pretty much damned if they did and damned if they didn’t go legal, a dilemma that faces all pirate stations. The natural life cycle of a pirate is that a station will start out sounding fresh and exciting, offer something new or perhaps do something better than its rivals. This will attract popularity as word of mouth spreads and more and more listeners start to lock on. This creates more revenue as advertisers cash in on the popularity and the station starts riding high on a wave of popularity. This popularity brings with it the attentions of the authorities, keen to remind stations that they are still illegal. Even the most strongly resourced stations find it hard to weather constant raids on their studios and transmitters. There eventually comes a point, sooner or later, in the life of every pirate station where thoughts turn to the greener grass on the licensed side of the broadcasting fence. Why then does Kiss stand alone in having vaulted this legal fence?

A lot of people find it hard to understand the ongoing prevalence and popularity of FM pirates when modern radio is seemingly more diverse than ever. Yet OFCOM figures for 2004-5 show a huge growth in the number of pirate stations being raided, hardly a sign that pirates are packing up and going home, driven off by commercial stations. If you scan your FM dial today, you will find more stations than ever before but there is still a ludicrously restricted range of legal output. We are offered a great number of stations but this does not translate into diversity. If you actually listen to a lot of commercial stations they have a strange homogeneity. Is this a product of Of COM’s draconian broadcasting rules? Perhaps. Is it because many stations are owned by a single, larger parent media organisation? Without a doubt and whilst there are no simplistic reasons, many pirate stations have looked at the experiences of Kiss, watching their successes and failures closely, and have decided that their side of the fence, whilst not perfect, is certainly preferable to the commercial world. The grass, for the time being, is most certainly greener outside the local tower block.

Kiss FM deserve a huge amount of credit for having the courage of their convictions and fighting the system tooth and nail to force the authorities to grant them a license. Many people I speak to see the direction Kiss has taken as an unfortunate but inevitable consequence of venturing into the commercial world and a strong warning to other stations of the inherent dangers of going legal. In the word’s of Carl Brown, a loyal Kiss listener from day one:

“Kiss FM is one of those great should-have-beens. A station that promised so much has missed an opportunity to change the concept of how radio could have operated without the need for pirates. There was optimism that Kiss could change the attitudes of the moneymen towards underground dance music. One of the most exciting concepts that you had about Kiss FM was that, given the chance, they could have changed the way radio broadcasting was being delivered in this country, and maybe the world. A radio station which could show that musical freedom was marketable, giving us, the listener, the best commercial radio station in the world.”

It is ironic that lesson drawn from Kiss FM, the first and only pirate station to gain a full legal license is ‘stay pirate or sell your soul’. As anyone living in London will know, the airwaves are packed with dozens of pirates firing off all over the capital, a weekend collective of law defying broadcasting. Despite being the oldest 20th Century real-time mass communication medium, radio broadcasting still has immense power, a fact that radio authorities are well aware of. Kiss FM’s legal license was in every way a test of whether a pirate station could be moulded by the mainstream. Far from it being their choice to ‘go commercial’ they would not be broadcasting today if they had not done so, such are the commercial and political pressures exerted upon legal stations. Today’s pirates tell an important story about government policy towards radio. The continued success of pirate radio is due to the ability to show that DIY production values work. People respond to localised, eclectic, independent broadcasting which is why the pirates thrive. Musically, the stations are responsible for breaking many new genres and for supporting the constant organic development of underground music, free from corporate pressure.

Despite being the oldest 20th Century real-time mass communication medium, radio broadcasting still has immense power, a fact that radio authorities are well aware of - Rosko

Interference FM

The story of the ironically named Interference FM is indicative of the UK Government’s attitude to radio broadcasting and goes some way to explaining why no other stations have followed in Kiss FM’s footsteps. In June 1999 the station was launched as an accompaniment to the ‘Carnival against Capitalism’. On June 18th it broadcast over a large area of London from various locations preceding the carnival day.

The station promoted the carnival with adverts and jingles accompanied by an eclectic mix of music and spoken word pieces on issues such as the state of radio licensing and third world debt alongside pieces such as Gerard Stanley’s famous libertarian speech about capitalism. The station was a truly refreshing and revolutionary mix; counter-culture was available with a quick tune of the FM dial. The Radio Authority, a department of the DTI responsible at the time for monitoring the FM band, responded immediately by finding and seizing the station’s transmitters. Many within the pirate community were surprised at the speed with which the Radio Authority acted against Interference FM when other music-based pirates had been broadcasting with impunity for many months. It seemed that the station’s ‘political’ content was the key factor.

The lesson from Interference FM is that the Government is extremely reluctant to allow stations from an illegal background onto such a powerful mass broadcast medium as radio. Legislation is structured to make it as difficult as humanly (and financially) possible for stations to cross this divide. Kiss managed it, but over a decade ago and with the help of financial backers who eventually called in their pound of flesh and changed the nature of the station to suit their commercial needs. Small wonder that few pirates have been able or willing to consider going down the same road. The huge number of pirates operating today is a direct consequence of the onerous broadcast legislation in the UK. Although a major change in legislation is unlikely any time soon, there is clearly a case for making rules relating to small community orientated or niche music stations far more flexible. The will is there, and after years of perseverance the time has surely now arrived to fundamentally change broadcast legislation in the UK. Our vibrant pirate scene should be allowed to drive world leading excellence in radio, not be a dirty secret hidden away at the top of crumbling inner city tower blocks.

Interference FM briefly re-emerged later in 1999 at the Free Spirit Festival in Luton organised by the Exodus Collective. Along with thirty sound systems that filled up a triangle of land over a Bank Holiday weekend, the station broadcast over Luton from a telegraph pole at the top of the festival beaming out the good news that the festival was a ‘dance with a stance.’

Unlike many European countries, which have a far more flexible approach to licensing small radio stations (for example the Netherlands allows community stations lacking resources to broadcast at weekends only without the need for costly infrastructure) the avenues available for legal radio in the UK short of a full license are laughable. They pretty much start and finish with the aptly named Restricted Service Licence (RSL). These are generally for a 28-day period and are applied for by a wide range of users from university radio to charitable or religious organisations wishing to support specific events. They act as a short-term token peace gesture to those who will probably never get their hands on a full radio license and do little to address the problem of diversity in UK radio.

When the RSL was first introduced, some pirate stations explored it as a possible bridge towards a full license. They quickly abandoned the idea as it became clear that the RSL was in fact an expensive waste of time. Broadcasting restrictions meant output was overly formalised. Musical output was also restricted and the RSL limited transmission power to 30W, a pitiful broadcast range for pirates accustomed to chucking out 200W. No station could have more than two 28 day RSLs in the space of year, making it impossible to maintain any sort of listener base.

One of the most striking RSLs in recent years was Resonance FM. This broadcast from the Royal Festival Hall in central London, organised by the London Musicians Collective. During the weekdays it acted as an international gallery of radio art hosted by international artists programming a ‘greatest hits’ of radio from its long and rich history. During the night and at weekends a team of musicians and artists took over and defined a radically new sounding type of radio based around the pirate cornerstones of DIY values and anarchic fluidity. The results were often a mind-bending river of sound on a scale never before heard in the UK. Scheduling included real world music, poetry, field recordings, dinner parties in the studio, extended non-stop dj sets and other shows that defy description but inhabited twilight worlds of music, sound and speech. As with all RSLs, Resonance vanished after its allotted 28 day period, but serves as a striking reminder of the true potential of radio that is currently being stifled by red tape and legislation.

Community radio

One possible ray of light in the gloom is that Of COM is expecting about 50 community licences to be made available throughout the country over the next year, which may yet provide some badly needed diversity. Applications for uncontested places, such as rural areas, will be given priority over those in congested areas. However, Of COM has restricted licenses to stations that are not-for-profit, allowing only a maximum of 50 per cent of funding from advertising. This restriction will make it extremely difficult for stations to function effectively. Although the government has allocated a funding pot of £500,000 for community radio broadcasting in 2005-6, this will be administered by Of COM and will support few stations and it is unlikely that Of COM will look favourably on applications from pirate stations they have been chasing round the rooftops. Despite this, several pirate stations have approached Of COM about the new community radio licence. The best known of these is Station FM, warmly referred to as the ‘grand-daddy of all pirates’.

In the words of DJ Keithley, the station’s founder, “Pirate is a bad word. It’s a community radio station; we are about serving the community”. So will this herald a new era of respectable ex-pirate ‘community’ stations? It seems doubtful - with only 50 licenses nationally and funding difficulties, the new community licenses will suit pirates no better than the old RSLs. The chances of seeing legal, underground orientated stations on the FM dial with eclectic programming and a gleefully disrespectful attitude to commercial whims are therefore very slim. Where Kiss led the way, others held back suspicious that the station would not be allowed to keep to the standards and ideals they had established as a pirate. The cynics eventually won the day and pirate radio’s brief flirtation with the commercial world was over.

Pirate is a bad word. It’s a community radio station; we are about serving the community - DJ Keithly, Station FM

FM heads to its grave…

Although radio authorities and radio legislation have always been inherently biased towards the mainstream, as we strike out into the new millennium we are left with a bland, torpid output that seems strangely out of step with changing times. FM will not be with us for much longer and it seems fitting that in its dying days every last inch of its capacity is being used to push the boundaries of modern sound. As always it is the pirates, free from the strictures of advertising targets and listener focus groups that will send FM to its grave dancing wildly like the last person at a free party.

Rosko
Deft Recordings
http://www.deft-recordings.com/
http://www.myspace.com/deftrecordings

We have therefore decided to defer to the experts, and a fantastic profile of Robert Farnon appears on our full review page, a link to which appears at the foot of this post.  This was written by David Ades, secretary of the Robert Farnon Society and one of Radiocafe’s music legends. If you delve into Robert’s profile, you’ll see quite how much Farnon has contributed to music over the years.

If you are yet to experience the wonderful music which comes under the title ‘Light Music’, then we urge you to delve into some of the fabulous Robert Farnon CDs, many of which are available at very affordable prices.  Our few snippets here will serve to give you just the very smallest taster of the magical sound; if you put aside any prejudices, you will hear such music for what it is: delightful, melodic, hand-crafted masterpieces.

We mention musical prejudices, as for some reason there seem to be plenty against this kind of music.  For many years, light orchestral music was the mainstay of British Radio; wonderful light orchestras and the music of Farnon could be heard from the days of the BBC Light Programme, and then during the Seventies and Eighties on BBC Radio 2, until 1990 when management changes deemed such music unfashionable. You can read more about this is in Radiocafe’s profile of the BBC Radio Orchestra.

But great music has nothing to do with fashion.  When have Mozart and Beethoven ever been declared unfashionable?  While much of the music is over 50 years old, it completely deserves its place in musical heritage alongside the greats of classical music. 

We cannot understand how this kind of music is completely overlooked by those who control radio in the UK.  Until recently, an hour of light music was all the entire BBC network offered, with a paltry 55 minutes on Radio 3; now, they have decided that we do not even deserve that.

We believe that lovers of good music are too intelligent to be swayed by fashions or trends, and music as good as this will survive nonetheless.  But the decision of the BBC does cause one to wonder about what the motivations are.  How a master of his craft, who used to feature so extensively on many Radio 2 shows, and who is regarded as one of the finest musicians ever to have lived, can be treated by the BBC in such a manner is, quite frankly, despicable.

BBC local radio provides a few glimmers of hope, with a few Farnon items appearing every so often; the excellent David Jacobs also manages to fit a few Farnon items into his Collection every now and then.  But beyond that, you’ll probably have to resort to American commercial internet radio.

But if you have found this site, then we are confident you are the kind of person who will give this music the chance that its deserve, irrespective of the fact that a vast musical heritage is being overlooked.  If you feel the same way as we do, please join our Campaign and have your say by leaving a comment here.

>> CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL RADIOCAFE PROFILE OF THIS ARTIST 

Nestle were giving away a 30-day free trial of EJAY “Dance 4″– a software package that allowed you to create your own music from a library of 1000s of drum, bass, guitar and vocal samples.

Who could resist an offer like that? Even if the actual cereal in the packet was one of those crappy, tasteless, slimming cereals that simply don’t work.

Within a week, I’d lost half a stone, and had already created 10 stunning new dance tracks. I was ready to release my first album! I decided to call my “band” the Harcombe Boys in homage to Sonny Rollins’ classic “Harlem Boys”…and because I used to live in Harcombe Road in Cambridge.

I knew it would be difficult to get the album into HMV, so I searched the internet for somewhere to start promoting it, and maybe even build up an underground buzz. That’s when I found Soundclick.com – an Internet site chock-full of music from aspiring and unsigned bands.

I soon found that many of the “bands” on Soundclick also shopped at Tesco, and also ate the same crap breakfast cereal. Half of the tracks on Soundclick seemed to use the same EJAY samples as mine, albeit in a different order and a slightly different BPM.

But among all the rubbish tracks, I started to find the occasional gem, from real bands who, presumably, ate different breakfast cereal and didn’t need EJAY to create their music for them.

In those days, most of the tracks on Soundclick were free, so I started to download my favourites and began to create my own compilation albums. Over the next couple of years I built up quite a good collection of music from unsigned bands.
Fast forward to the summer of 2007, and I’d just driven to work playing one of my old Soundclick compilations. I was listening to Tony Monson’s morning show on Solar and I suddenly realised that much of the unsigned music I’d collected over the years would not be out of place on Solar Radio, or any other soul music station for that matter.

So I put together a new “best of” compilation of some of my favourite unsigned tracks and sent it off to Tony. I basically pitched the idea to him of what has since become the Soul Unsigned show.

The first show aired in November 2007 and the reaction was incredible. Clearly, there’s a huge interest among the soul community for music from new and exciting talent.

Six months later, and Soul Unsigned has now extended to being a record label as well as a radio show. The first EP has already featured on Solar’s sweet rhythms chart, and is enjoying airplay on other soul stations in the UK, Europe and USA.
MYSPACE has long since replaced Soundclick as my main hunting ground for new talent, but I still look around the Soundclick site from time to time.

Incredibly, some of the tracks that I downloaded several years ago are still up there, and still available as a free download. Check these out:

• Blacklover2000 – Step Song Pt. 1
• Thirdworldproject - Homage
• Raine – I love you

My old EJAY-inspired music is still up there too! Sadly, the Harcombe Boys will never make it into soul music folklore.

Maybe, one day, Soul Unsigned will.

Check out Phil Driver’s “Soul Unsigned” show.
2nd Sunday of every month.
14:00-16:00 GMT
www.solarradio.com

Know any good unsigned soul acts?
Send Phil your suggestions to: info@soulunsigned.com
www.soulunsigned.com

Mike Redway
April 2010

Here’s how home taping would ordinarily work.  You would buy a pack of TDK D90 cassettes from Woolies, load one up into your Amstrad twin cassette tower system, and tape your favourite show off of Radio 1 (or in my case, also Radio 2).  You would listen to the recording you made on your Sony Walkman and identify the tunes you needed to go out and buy.  You would then head off to Our Price and purchase the album. You might copy the album using your dad’s better quality separates system (with belt drive automatic turntable) and give the cassette of the album to your mate.  Your mate would then listen to the tape you did him on his Panasonic Way, and love the new music that you provided to him so much that he would go out and buy the 12 inch of the lead track, and probably the album too.  He’d then do you a tape of one of his records and you’d then need to go down to Our Price to get hold of some 12 inches and singles and albums of your own.  And so it goes on.

Taping off the radio was something that most of us who grew up in the 70s and 80s did.  I probably now have a thousand tapes from Radios 1 & 2, pirate radio and local radio and am still trying to hunt down many of the tracks featured on the shows I recorded.  I am very sad that the compact cassette has now come to the end of its life span - you won’t find a new, decent single cassette deck these days anywhere, nor for that matter a Woolworths in which to buy one. 

Most people will not lament the passing of the tape deck, but apart from the brilliant minidisc, nothing has since come along to replace the lowly cassette.  Who records off the radio nowadays?  And even if you plug a wire into your PC, how do you get your recording from your computer to your car in less than around five separate stages?  The cassette will be in your Blaupunkt long before you have saved and edited your MP3 file onto iTunes and your iPod and then plugged this in awkwardly to the ugly slot on the front of your Clio’s fascia.

And let’s put another myth to rest: “cassettes were terrible quality”.  Yes they were, if you bought a Kisho player from Argos and used the ferric tapes you bought up the market.  But take a classic tape deck like the Yamaha KX580 Special Edition (”Special Edition” meaning it was tuned especially for the British), use a decent TDK SA cassette, record your best Steely Dan LP from your Rega turntable, and you would be hard pushed to tell any difference in sound quality from a CD.  Pure analogue heaven.  Compare this to the best quality MP3 and when played through decent gear the “lowly” cassette will win the sonic battle hands down.

The iPod has its place, and does many things brilliantly.  It is convenient, amazingly well designed, has supermodel looks, and holds a British Library quantity of tracks.  But be honest, it doesn’t do some things all that well.  It looks silly when it is plugged in to one of those plastic speaker docks.  Podcasts are great, but will you really be playing your favourite podcasts in the car in 10 years or giving these to your mates to have a listen?  And who decides which podcasts you can get, you and the timer-record setting on your Pioneer Midi System, or the broadcaster?  And do you really want to have to plug your music into your car’s stereo with a wire every time you want to listen to your favourite collection of tunes?  Plus, no-one ever had trouble moving their entire cassette collection to their new Walkman.

Yes, cassettes wore out, snapped, the cases smashed violently when you dropped them, and those TDK engineers must have been football referees as for some strange reason the cassette world existed in two halves of 45 minutes.  But these failings aside, the little cassette is a wonderful thing that deserves more credit for what it actually did for the music industry.

Home taping was never killing the music industry, it was helping to keep it alive.  The real irony here is that it is the music industry that has in fact killed home taping. And it is the iPod that has in fact killed music.  Between the old, illegal version of Napster and other such file swapping sites, and Skydrive these days, so many of the iPod generation have acquired what seems to be just about every track in the world - for free. 

So where are the stickers on our CDs these days proclaiming “home MP3ing has killed music”?

Langers @ Radiocafe
March 2009

UPDATE - 26 February 2010:
The BBC is set to close the unpopular BBC 6 Music, as part of sweeping changes to TV and radio services which are to be announced next month.  The Times is also reporting that the BBC Trust has acknowledged that “it must pick up more listeners over the age of 65 and become more distinctive“, with the review ordering “Bob Shennan, the station controller, to air more jazz“. 

Our article from 2008 (below) highlighted some of the failings of 6 Music - we are not surprised this decision has been made.  It also seems that the message of supporters of the Campaign For Real Music is getting through at last, as we have been lobbying the BBC for several years regarding its music policy, which overlooks many of us entirely.  Hopefully this is set to change soon, and we will see more dance bands, light music and American popular song featured on BBC radio.

These are interesting times for those of us who care passionately about music and radio, and the cause of real music.  Now is the time to keep up the momentum and ensure that the BBC does what we know it can do better than any other - provide the very best quality music programming for a discerning audience.

We look forward to hearing your views on this important decision.

Radiocafe
February 26 2010
_____

ORIGINAL ARTICLE FROM 2008

According to RAJAR (the people who work out how many people are listening to what stations), BBC 6 Music forms a one fifth of one per cent share of the radio we listen to.  To put that in a bit more perspective, as of June ‘07, BBC Radio 2 is listened to about 63 times more than BBC 6 Music.

Why does BBC’s fellow digital-only station BBC7, which provides re-runs of old comedies, get almost twice as many listeners as 6 Music? 

What in fact does BBC 6 Music do? 

Okay, so the station has won a few awards, and this article is not here to knock the quality of its programming or presenters (although if you have any particular thoughts, do let us know).   As the first national music radio station to be launched by the BBC in 32 years, albeit only through digital sources, the question we ask is what does it provide that isn’t already catered for elsewhere? 

As Radio 2 goes from strength to strength, if you care about figures, which the BBC clearly does, there are many of us out here who are starting to suspect we may have been subject to a rather  sophisticated confidence trick.

You see, in the old days it was easy to work out what each of the stations did.  Radio 1 was clearly a pop music station, aimed towards the youth market.  The station gave us poptastic DJs, roadshows, a production line of presenters for Top of the Pops and a daily mix of the latest chart music, plus some more focused music shows in the evenings.  Radio 3 provided the classical music, Radio 4 all the talk, which left Radio 2 to serve up things such as comedy, easy listening, light music, big band, dance bands, country, folk and other specialist music.

But over the years, as listening figures became the priority, those who grew up listening to Radio 1 - and many of its presenters - have long since migrated to Radio 2.  The figures for Radio 1 may have declined, but the BBC’s statisticians are happy, since the figures for Radio 2 have gradually increased, as have the number of “pat on the back” awards from the industry to itself.

But here’s the trick.  If, say, I was 15 in 1985, and therefore likely to be one of the BBC’s Radio 1 demographic back then, the BBC now caters for me as I approach the age of 40, by serving up a Radio 2 which plays the kind of music which Peter Powell and DLT spun on Radio 1 back in the 80s.  But Radio 2 has gone further, to also try and attract today’s 20-somethings, and it has further increased the youth appeal.  This means disgruntled Radio 1 listeners can also join the new, younger, BBC Radio 2 big happy family.

So here is the problem. What if I was approaching 40 back in the 1980s, was a Radio 2 listener then, and am now entering my pension years?  What if I grew up with the Light Programme, and am now well into retirement?  Or what if I just happened to like easy listening, light music, big band, dance bands, country, folk and other specialist music, irrespective of my age?  What if I am a teenager who likes Vic Damone and Julie London and am not into the Sugababes and Atomic Kitten?

Let’s take a closer look, then, at what the BBC offers for this group of listeners.  Say I want to listen to some easy listening, perhaps the classic vocalists of the 1950s and 1960s.  Radio 2 has David Jacobs from 11-midnight on a Sunday and… is that it?  Light music - let’s take a look… where is it?  I won’t find any at all.  Big bands and dance bands?  About an hour a week across all stations.  And the same story for other specialist music too.  Even soul music gets only a handful of hours across the BBC networks.

I wonder if those who control the stations are perhaps fans of rock and pop?  Because BBC Radio 2 plays this genre for the vast majority of the time, and BBC 6 Music is clearly a rock and pop station with a couple of token gestures to other types of music.  Which seems strange, given that the majority of commercial stations out there, national and digital, all seem to play… rock and pop. 

What about those of us who do not want rock and pop all the time?  What about those of us who quite liked Radio 2 as it used to be, but accept and appreciate that times move on and the station needs to change, but in a digital age of plenty feel that we are being offered nothing?

If you try writing to the BBC to tell them this, as hundreds of us have done, they are delighted to receive your comments and then tell you about all the wonderful things that are coming up on BBC Radio 2 and the BBC’s new digital stations.  So when you ask them for more light music, classic vocalists and so on, the best you are likely to achieve is more rock and pop.

Come on, BBC, you can do better than this.  You are the broadcaster that created the BBC Radio Orchestra, the BBC Big Band and the BBC Concert Orchestra. You introduced us to fantastic presenters such as Alan Dell, Steve Race and Benny Green.  You gave us the likes of John Dunn and Ray Moore each and every day.  Plus you allowed those of us who don’t want to listen to rock and pop all the time a mix of light and easy music which is all but extinct from your current programming.

We are not saying you should replace BBC 6 Music with something for us, as we know what it is like to have something we enjoy taken away, and this would be unfair to others.  All we are asking for is to be given something to replace what we have lost. 

Just a small, simple digital station, playing a mix of light and easy music, with a smattering of vocalists such as Bennett and Sinatra, perhaps some dance bands and big bands, served up by proper broadcasters with years of experience in radio. We don’t even mind if you recycle some shows of old, as you have done so well with BBC 7.  The USA will show you how, too, just take a quick look at the immensely popular Music of Your Life network.

And, when you do, there are thousands of us out here with nothing to listen to who will be more than happy to help improve your listening statistics.

Radiocafe
January 2008

Is there some way, or some where that they could display their talent? Another reason for Radio 4 perhaps!

Mike Redway
February 2010

So what does the report say? As expected, the slant of the report is very much on the good things that respondents said about Radio 2 and 6 Music. We’ve extracted some of the items which the Campaign For Real Music has focused on in depth on this site.

First, it highlights that that:

“commercial radio stations have raised concerns that Radio 2 is targeting younger people at the expense of ‘older listeners’. The average age of a Radio 2 listener is 50 and Radio 2 has been instructed to ‘ensure that this does not fall’ ”.

Importantly, it recognises that there are very few stations that serve older audiences.  Angel Radio aside, can you think of any?

Of greater interest perhaps is that BBC management have also been asked to address the recent decline in listeners aged over 65. There are no indications how it intends to do this, but hopefully this will mean an increase in the sort of music which has been in steady decline over the past 20 years: light music, dance band music, the American popular song.

The recommendation indicates that as follows:

“Radio 2 should investigate reasons for the decline in audience among over 65 year olds and, in particular over 75 year olds, with the aim of addressing this decline. In doing so, the station should consider whether its range of music continues to meet this audience’s expectations.”

The implementation of this, however, involves management taking:

“corrective action if the average age of the station’s audience falls below 50 for a sustained period”.

The report does touch upon some specifics:

“Should the number of over 65 year old listeners continue to decline this will be a cause for concern. Our audience research and public consultation indicated that one of the most important factors which determines whether Radio 2 appeals to an individual is the station’s choice of music. Some respondents feel strongly that older music genres from the 40s, 50s and 60s are no longer sufficiently featured in Radio 2’s output. In particular, a number of respondents suggested that a lack of traditional jazz put Radio 2 in breach of its service licence. This is not the case as Radio 2 does not have a specific requirement to play traditional jazz. However, Radio 2 does have a requirement to play music which appeals to a wide range of age groups and as one of the few popular music stations catering for over 65 year olds Radio 2 has a particular responsibility to ensure that this age group are satisfied with its music selection.”

We think there is already a cause for concern. Those of us who feel disgruntled by Radio 2’s music policy should focus on this part of the report, in particular the acknowledgment that Radio 2 has a particular responsibility to ensure that this age group are satisfied with its music selection.

While we feel that age and music preference are not necessarily connected (many of us - me included - are in our 30s, but our music choice seems to accord with that of the over 65s), if this is the best angle for us to get Radio 2 to reconsider some of its decisions, then so be it.

What we now need to see/hear something tangible which is reflected in the regular Radio 2 schedule. If you want to see the return of dance bands, light music and some classic American popular song to the airwaves, now is the best time in ages to ramp up the pressure on BBC Radio 2 management to deliver.

The full report can be viewed here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/our_work/service_reviews/service_licences/reviews_r2_6music.shtml.

We look forward to hearing your views.  

Radiocafe
February 2010

While London radio schedules offered up portions of funk and soul fit for a musical anorexic, a Family Feast of re-releases, Big Mac portion of soulful grooves and exciting new menu of house music were all being devoured by a starving-hungry Joe Public. Following huge demand, all the classic Roy Ayers albums were being rush re-released; scarce vinyl from the likes of The Bar-Kays and Leroy Hutson was changing hands for over fifty quid a go; Jack Trax released album after album of the latest house and acid tracks; and there was a plethora of “new”, young soul artists such as Miles Jay, Surface and Juicy. But with little-to-no airplay by the mainstream radio schedulers, how could this be? The answer: “street-radio”.

Radio for the people, served by the people.

London radio schedules offered up portions of funk and soul fit for a musical anorexic

STREET-RADIO

“Street-radio”? Don’t we just mean “pirate radio”? The name “pirate radio”, so fitting for the pop music Captain Birdseyes of the 1960s out at sea, didn’t really reflect what was going on deep in the inner city without the safety buffer of a perilous ocean between the jocks and the authorities. What was happening in London was happening down on the streets, in the heart of the Capital, and its effect was nothing short of radical. In an era where “StreetSound” had a distinct meaning (so much so that it should have a place in the dictionary), street-radio sent a ripple through London that, for a short while, turned into a tidal wave of great music. It was a simple formula: music for the people, served by the people.

Today’s street-radio owes much to its 1980s cousin. In fact, listen to the sound clip here, and you’ll be treated to a young up-and-coming star of street-radio in the days before his dj voice broke and he became one of today’s true pioneers of the good music cause. Remember, these were the days before mobile phones and the internet; how many street-radio stations would dare to take calls live-to-air these days?

Many of yesteryear’s street-radio stars have gone on to celebrated careers in the music industry: Ron Tom, the main man behind the almighty and wonderful LWR (more on LWR to follow in future editions), the station which along with Kiss 94fm led the street-radio way in the 80s, has become one of the leading record producers in the business (he’s the man behind Don E, Sean Escoffrey and Omar, and he came up with the name “Sugar Babes”); Trevor Nelson needs little introduction, being one of the many success stories out of the huge Kiss 94fm pool of talent; Steve Edwards promoted the good jazz philosophy on LWR for years, then rapidly worked his way up the local radio ranks before ultimately presenting a soul show on BBC Radio 1; Ralph Tee (Solar Radio), virtually single-handedly pioneered the genre of New Classic Soul and now runs the incredible Expansions Records, responsible for the re-release of classic and new recordings from the likes of Leroy Burgess and Don Blackman. But arguably the man who stayed most true to his street-radio roots is Norman Jay - or rather, Norman Jay MBE - who is still pursuing the good music cause in earnest to this day (albeit courtesy of the BBC).

DOUBLE STANDARD

But here’s the irony, or even hypocrisy. The very man who achieved so much for good music, uncovering hidden musical treasures and promoting new gems to the masses did so predominantly through the medium of street-radio. The Government clearly agreed - after all, it recognised Norman’s supreme efforts by proclaiming him Member of the British Empire. Yet this is the same Government which (via the BBC) provides us with a dedicated house music station which plays virtually no house (1xtra); offers those who wish to selflessly follow the lead of Mr Jay with the prospect of heavy fines, or worse; and helps to perpetuate a system which provides nothing other than randomly PC-selected Atomic Kitten followed by G4 followed by Abba, intermingled with annoying competitions sponsored by the Wild Bean Cafe, interspersed with travel reports for streets you’ll never travel, all served up by a couple of loud mouthed teenagers with great hair and teeth but who wouldn’t know Roy Ayers from Pam Ayres. Were it not for the likes of Ron Tom, Norman Jay and Trevor C, the music we listen to today would undoubtedly be very different. Tracks such as Cool and the Gang’s “Summer Madness”, Aretha Franklin’s “Jump to it”, Donald Byrd’s “Think Twice” and Roy Ayers’ “Everybody Loves the Sunshine” gained unprecedented exposure on street-radio. Don’t know these tracks? Think again, as these have formed the underpinnings of numerous house and hip-hop tracks during the last decade, and many have been reworked by talented production companies such as Z Records and Candy Apple Productions.

Street-radio sent a ripple through London that turned into a tidal wave of great music

THE ROOTS OF STREET-RADIO

By 1986 street-radio had matured and covered a whole spectrum of musical styles. The main players on the FM dial tended to opt for a popular blend of soul, funk and reggae; but the electro sound which had morphed into acid house was also gaining airplay and by 1986 was featured extensively by such stations. Intermingled between the sounds of Glenn Jones, David Bendeth and Gwen McRae could be found Farley Jackmaster Funk, Scott Le Rock and Marshall Jefferson; but the mix simply represented what London wanted: real music. This was the music we wanted to listen to in our clubs, in our bedrooms, in our Escort XR3i’s. Whereas, if we check the Radio Times again, the BBC wanted us to listen to Gary Davies, followed by Steve Wright followed by Bruno Brooks, with a blend of Rick Astley, Bros, The Housemartins and Communards. It seemed the BBC censors would analyse a song to see if it contained any bass and if so, deem it unfit for public consumption.

TOP OF THE POPS - MAY ‘86
1. Living Doll - Cliff Richard
2. Different Corner George Michael
3. Rock Me Amadeus - Falco
4. Touch Me - Samantha Fox
5. A Kind of Magic - Queen

STREET TRACKS - MAY ‘86
1. Luther Vandross - See Me
2. Miles Jay - Let’s Start Over
3. Heart’s Desire - Don Blackman
4. Jim Silk - Jack Your Body
5. Bar-Kays - Open Up Your Heart

And so Londoners in the late 80s were spoiled for choice: beyond LWR and Kiss was a multitude of stations playing the sort of grooves the street wanted to hear: TKO, City Radio, Solar Radio, Studio FM, Laser 88.4fm, WLIB and Horizon all offered a breath of fresh air to a London which was choking on a force-fed diet of Sam Fox, Su Pollard and Shakin’ Stevens.

BBC censors would analyse a song to see if it contained any bass and if so, deem it unfit

HAS ANYTHING CHANGED?

Twenty years later, and the digital age is with us, the rigid non-commercial structures have been de-regulated and London has the radio it always wanted. Does it? If it does, then there is surely no place for street-radio? Quite the contrary, London needs street-radio now like Spurs need a decent manager - stations such as Unkown FM, Passion FM and Push FM serve to selflessly provide London with the music Londoners actually want to listen to. Yet those who seek to do nothing more than fill a gaping radio hole face the wrath of the authorities; while overpaid, musically retarded dick-jokeys fill our airwaves with low grade dross and idiotic drivel.

Twist the dial on your Pure Evoke-1 and surf through the long league of “new stations”: Arrow (rock/pop); Century (rock/pop); Chill (pop/chillout); Core (pop); Gaydar (gay/pop); Heat (pop); Kerrang (rock); Jackie (pop); Smash Hits (pop)… notice any trend here? Before listing the thirty or so other rock and pop stations, let’s take a listen to the funk and house stations: must be one there somewhere, but I can’t find it. What about the jazz station? Isn’t there a station called Jazz FM there somewhere? Hrmm… Or - let’s be generous to other tastes - how about a country and western station? Nope. Big band and forties music? Erm… Gospel? Ah… Sixties soul? Er…

In 1986, it seemed everyone was going crazy over the 1982 Don Blackman self-entitled classic, so much so that as a result of street-radio exposure four of its tracks were re-released on limited edition 12 inch ep. Twenty years later, the chances of hearing a track from this album - or anything like it - on mainstream radio are about as high as seeing Lord Lucan gallop home on Shergar to win the Grand National. It’s no surprise that Don himself is so frustrated by the current music industry that he’s talking of quitting (click here for Radiocafé’s interview with Don).

The point is a sharp but simple one: mainstream radio falls way short of the mark. In an era when every music taste should have a slice of the airwave cake, an influential minority seems to have all the radio gateaux for itself, and it sure ain’t made up of the vinyl junkies or rare groovers or the acid house trippers so well catered for by the much needed street-radio of 1986. It’s a fact, our radio is controlled by the music industry equivalent of Krispy Kreme, with no place for the small, local bakery which would, if given the chance, produce something exceedingly good.

Overpaid, musically retarded dick-jokeys fill our airwaves with idiotic drivel

We badly need to maintain and nurture the true, home-baked talent, which is why street-radio has a place now more than ever. Perhaps certain negative factors and characters have blurred the street-radio scene a little in recent times; but there are those who continue to give their time and effort to an utterly worthy cause, for listeners who simply have nowhere else to turn.

Radio for the people, by the people.

In the next edition of STREET RADIO: Back In The Days, we take a closer look at the street-radio stations and the music which influenced a generation of vinyl junkies - click here to visit

ALAN DELL
Broadcaster and producer

Vocal fans will remember Alan Dell’s wonderful Sounds Easy and Dance Band Days and Big Band Sounds shows, but Alan has done so much for the cause of good music. A superlative producer who worked with the biggest names.

RAY MOORE
Broadcaster

Mornings have never been the same without Ray Moore. His early show on Radio 2 had a huge following, Ray being one of the funniest, yet most professional, broadcasters of all time.  We miss Ray very much.

BENNY GREEN
Broadcaster and musician

Jazz man Benny presented one of the most entertaining shows on radio for many years, and had an encyclopedic knowledge of music. Sunday afternoon’s really are not the same without him.

DAVID JACOBS CBE DL
Broadcaster

One of the finest broadcasters of all time, who continues the good music cause with one of the most enjoyable shows on air.  He’s had an amazing career which has spanned decades. Surely the greatest living broadcaster?

HUBERT GREGG MBE
Broadcaster, singer, songwriter, actor & more!

Hubert Gregg: singer, songwriter, actor, broadcaster - so much talent!  He kept fantastic vintage music alive as he said Thanks for the Memory every week. Very much missed.

RUSSELL DAVIES
Broadcaster and journalist

Few people have the knowledge about popular song of Russell, one of our most talented broadcasters and a top music journalist too.  His Radio 2 show remains one of the “must listen to” programmes on air.

NEIL RICHARDSON
Composer and arranger

Neil Richardson is one of the country’s finest arrangers.  Working with the BBC Radio Orchestra for many years, he produced some of the all time great arrangements and compositions. 

FRANK WAPPAT
Broadcaster and producer

Frank has an encyclopedic knowledge of music, and continues to promote the good music cause with his weekly radio show - a real education in good music. Has a lifetime of great stories to share, too.

JOHN FOX
Composer and arranger

John Fox worked with the BBC Radio Orchestra for many years, having arranged for orchestras of over 100 musicians. A prolific composer/arranger, few have contributed so much to good music.  

MIKE DUTTON
Founder of Dutton Vocalion records

Mike Dutton should be commended for uncovering and remastering so many great recordings.  His efforts have resulted in the release of many Farnon and other light music CDs on his Vocalion label.  Light music owes much to Mike.

STEVE RACE OBE
Broadcaster and pianist

A fantastic pianist, who in the latter part of his career was one of THE voices of radio.  Presented for years the Radio Orchestra Show, his knowledge of music and relaxed manner are very much missed on the airwaves these days.

HUMPHREY LYTTLETON
Jazz man and broadcaster

Humphrey Lyttelton presented The Best of Jazz on Radio 2 for an incredible 40 years! A fine trumpeter, who pioneered the cause of traditional and contemporary jazz.  Very much missed.

MACLOLM LAYCOCK
Broadcaster

Malcolm took the baton on Radio 2’s Dance Band and Big Band shows when Alan Dell passed away, and has  made the slot his own.  He had the rare ability of making listeners feel he is talking to each one individually. Sadly passed away in November 2009. A huge loss.

SHEILA TRACEY
Musician and broadcaster

Sheila Tracey is a fine trombonist who became one of the country’s finest broadcasters. One of Radio 2’s favourites, sadly we no longer have the privilege to hear her lovely voice on the network, which is a great loss to lovers of good radio!

SIR ALAN KEITH
Broadcaster

Sir Alan presented “Your Hundred Best Tunes” on Radio 2 with style and panache for 44 years, broadcasting well into his nineties. In doing so, he did so much for the cause of great music. Sunday nights have never been the same.

BILL RENNELLS
Broadcaster and producer

Bill is one of the stalwarts of radio, and a familiar voice on both local and national radio. As well as his own shows, listeners will recall him as the presenter of shows featuring the BBC Radio Orchestra, in particular String Sound.

CHRIS STUART
Broadcaster and pianist

Chris was one of BBC Radio 2’s most talented and popular presenters yet for no good reason he was dropped by the station. What a loss to radio! Very few have Chris’s level of charm, professionalism and talent.

DESMOND CARRINGTON
Broadcaster and actor

Desmond represents everything a good broadcaster should be: charming, knowledgeable, entertaining and professional. We still cannot fathom why the BBC moved his Radio 2 show from a Sunday.

NIGEL OGDEN
Broadcaster and organist

Nigel is a fantastic organist, who has furthered the cause of the cinema/theatre organ genre for decades with his legendary show, The Organist Entertains, which continues weekly on BBC Radio 2.

MIKE REDWAY
Singer

One of our truly great vocalists who has appeared extensively on radio and TV - Mike’s voice is up there with the very best. Coupled with arranger Neil Richardson, music doesn’t get any better.

Radiocafé
November 2009