By Max:
Evolution 101.7 FM is disrupting the
Boston EDM FM radio community/market, as Clear Channel media launches one of their riskiest plans to date in our community. As we all know in the EDMBoston community, EDM has made quite the ruckus over the last two years in the mainstream. After such commercial success and viability in tv commercials, comes Clear Channel with an EDM station in the Boston radio market. Whether it's good or bad is entirely another debate, albeit something big is going to happen. That got us thinking.
What are the possibilities for this radio station and what does it mean for the Boston area? Below are our 5 biggest things 101.7 Radio will do to Boston.
1. Enlarged Music Festival
Having a clear channel radio station in town, testing a brand new market means many things for Bostonians. Among them are new methods of marketing, and a more aggressive effort on behalf of the station to spread its name to household status. That means we believe some sort of music festival will come about in the Boston market sponsored by Evolution radio. Clear channel has taken the risk to tap into the electronic market and while there maybe some money to be made from local and national advertisers trying to reach the EDM market, the money still lies within live events. That being said, we can easily see Evolution radio getting involved in a Music Festival or mega club event near the bay state.
The alternative is the radio station will feed into last years iHeart Radio Festival, to make it larger. Deadmau5 and Swedish House Mafia, all formative bookings, will no longer be the only ones at this festival as a side stage would be added if Clear Channel desides not to go the dedicated EDM festival route.
2.
Expedition of Electronic Music Knowledge
One of the fantastic things Evolution radio has been able to achieve upfront is a solid lineup of resident dj's and dj programs. Pete Tong, Wolfgang Gartner, Roger Sanchez, Paul Van Dyk, and Diplo are nothing to bat an eye at. In fact we believe the radio stations pursuit of such talent will immerse the Evolution fan base and newcomers into a wider depth of house music, then newcomers had formerly been exposed to, especially on the radio platform. As anyone can tell you from the last year, the newbie EDM fans were insensitive to the depth of electronic music and also lacked the palette for anything but big room progressive house. We believe the diverse mix of Evolution radio will enlighten the Boston fan base and bring expanded talent to the bay state!
3.
PLUR Deviation
As many have seen PLUR has become this watered down notion in which newcomers hide behind neon and Kandi with little regard to what the founding pillars are all about. It's a sad realization but how much longer are we going to breath life into a notion that fails to exist? For one, watching 16 year olds rolling out of their minds as they push their way to the front rail is anything but fun. The electronic community has taken notice and we believe as time elapse a divide will occur.
Boston is in the mist of this divide. If you examine the night clubs and settings in the city, the Charles River will become more famous then the Mason-Dixon line (ok maybe not in an absolute history sense). Nevertheless, Cambridge has pushed away as the underground scene lead by the MMMMaven group. Whereas downtown Boston and the clubbing area has catered to the mainstream progressive house heads. The two outliers being club Rise(the heart of the underground in Boston) and the Middle East(a Cambridge big room artist home).
While we're not sure what exactly happens in the two deviating scenes, we do believe there will be a deviation from the PLUR lifestyle. A new school scene will emerge to house the graduating high school class of electronic fans. Despite this long time fans will sway to a potential new pneumonic but don’t be fooled if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck.
4.
Boston is on the MAP
Most likely the biggest thing to come from the radio station, Boston is on the map whether the station fails or succeeds. Boston may only be the 10th largest radio market in the United States, we represent a strong socio-economic community that has shown to slowly shift into new phases. Hip-hop is a prime example of the adaption of a new genre in the city. While other areas have been harder hit by the recession, Boston has weathered the storm a lot better (ie house values and the strong medical industry). Not only is the area ripe with money but with recognition from new big name artists, we will no longer be a city off the grid in electronic music.
We now have Pete FUCKING Tong on
Evolution 101.7 Boston
5.
A bubble
American has not only developed a boom-bust economy but also a boom-bust music industry. Grunge gave way to Hip-Hop which has gave way to dance music.
There's a reason why Deadmau5 goes off on diatribe rant that “dance music is as commercially viable as coca-cola”. In addition his input on how house music is a scene that will quicly diappear. For those that disagree, I ask you then what's happening at Prime Boston (especially the upstairs)? Let's face it house music is finally swinging back into equilibrium in the social world. After suffering for years being the outcast, Mother Nature decided to make us the cool kids. Along with that has come the "followers" that want to be cool. They fill the Boston venues in posh VIP tables and squander on the outskirts of the dance floor unless they can be lured onto the dancefloor by a “hot chick”. After a while theyll be burnt out (or rolled out) and move onto another scene. First it was jam bands in the 90’s, then hip-hop, and now its EDM.
The new money of clear channel will inflate the market to its breaking point and burst. The only question that remains is just how quickly?
Check out the 1st week of
Evolution 101.7 Radio Lineup
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