Topic: How do you think the cbs could have had more listeners?

I know I'm being sacrilegious and also hypocritical for not voicing this before the system shut down, but I was just wondering if anyone had some thoughts?

This might further infuriate people, but I was thinking more people might have listened more if the whole general formula of disco on weekends and decompression for the start of the week was reversed.  It seems like disco weekends cater to the robots (like me) who don't leave their house much on weekends/go to many parties.  Seems like the majority of people would prefer something more uplifting like disco during the drudgery of the workweek and then have some decompression/ost type stuff to come home to on the weekends and unwind with.  Of course electronix are fine whenever.

I realize that the summer modus we were in was almost like this, but not quite.

I also realize that this doesn't count for much, and a lot more would still need to be done to make a noticeable change (which only djx will know when he comes down from the mountain smile , that is if his next radio project will be through the internet at all sad )--just felt like sharing something that has been on my mind and was interested in hearing some other robots ideas/thoughts.

2 (edited by heifetz 2008-07-11 21:12:05)

Re: How do you think the cbs could have had more listeners?

edit: wrong thread

3 (edited by Vomatron 2008-07-11 22:57:22)

Re: How do you think the cbs could have had more listeners?

Its been discussed so much but i think the only way would be to confiscate peoples record collections, and/or close down p2p progs and blogs and suspend the mixes. Its not that people werent interested in tuning into the cbs, its just that you couldnt decide what was gonna play at what times, like you can when you yourself are in control. Many people want to listen to something new regularly, and to decide what that will be...being tuned into the cbs for long periods until maybe a tune that you like/get surprised about isnt the best way for that.

I hope that maybe cbs will return as not a 24 hour station, but maybe only braodcast a few hours a night, or a few times a week, running runfunkmuziek etc. Then it wouldnt take up as much time, and people would look at it as more of something you shoudnt be missing i.e. making it more attractive

"Luc-Ass deserves every flack he gets. In fact, I think he's getting off pretty easy. What he REALLY Deserves is to go broke and be forced to move into a dumpster behind Pizza Hut."

Re: How do you think the cbs could have had more listeners?

.......sorry, but I think there is one problem when theres a show only a few hours in the evening. There are robots all around the world........(galaxy

I

5

Re: How do you think the cbs could have had more listeners?

Vomatron wrote:

I hope that maybe cbs will return as not a 24 hour station, but maybe only braodcast a few hours a night, or a few times a week, running runfunkmuziek etc. Then it wouldnt take up as much time, and people would look at it as more of something you shoudnt be missing i.e. making it more attractive

I agree. I think part of the problem was that everything was too available. You can download every single show from volume 1 to volume 293327487324, so why tune in? Just minutes after the broadcast, things were ready to download. Sure, it's convenient and stuff, but I also think it made the CBS less "attractive". I for one wasn't listening to some shows, because I knew I could download all of them later on.

If something "new" was to be set up, I'd say strip things down. No robotdj.net, no 2387328472348 downloads etc. Make it more "exclusive".

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Re: How do you think the cbs could have had more listeners?

I think future CBS, will create shows and putting them online. And also multiple streams for more specific genres.

Listen to SEER Radio every Sunday at 21.00 hrs on The Dream Machine, previous SEER Radio shows

Re: How do you think the cbs could have had more listeners?

Right. 24 hours a day is okay.

btw (dream-modus on): i hope CBS will return (as ghost) for one show... x-mas party for example...

Robothek - radio for robettes and robots www.facebook.com/robothek

Re: How do you think the cbs could have had more listeners?

To be honest, I am not sure that the programming was the major factor in listener numbers. I don't think that changing the mix of 'decompression' with 'disco' would have upped the volumes significantly.

imo we are a very small niche, firstly for liking disco & obscure vintage electronica, and secondly for tuning in regularly and becoming part of the CBS community. I honestly don't think there was much that could be done to increase listener volumes significantly.

The CBS was very, very cool for 5 years, streaming 24/7. But I applaud rdjx for pulling the plug before it jumped the shark. I like the fact that we can look back on it as a thing of wonder, without it having turned crapola. That is how legends start.

I like Vomatrons idea for 'Son of CBS', for it not to be 24/7. High density disco injections for us to get our disco fix.

But I don't want us to be solely looking to rdjx to take on the responsibility of delivering us our music drugs. Maybe he's fatigued with all our expectant faces begging for more.

I always liked the sense of community - with robots providing mixes and non-stops, or headers for the pages. Whatever phoenix emerges from the ashes, I hope that community aspect remains

[pseudo-piffle-modus-OFF]

Re: How do you think the cbs could have had more listeners?

Interesting statement GM! Also, from my point of view radio isn't a suitable format anymore in this era. Not in the 'classic' format of one 'live' channel. I think a new definition of radio is needed. For example, if you would've measured downloads instead of listeners the succes of the cbs is enormous.

When there was no internet my hunger for unknown music could only be stilled by some radioshows (at that time, it was For Those Who Like To Groove, Dutch Masters, DJ Element and some pirates in the neighbourhood of The Hague).
the sparse broadcasting of really good music and the little information about it added to the magic.

With internet that kind of magic is gone. I never listened to the cbs, because i wanted to listen to and search for my 'own' music. The only times i listened to the cbs was with the christmas top 100, but only in downloaded format so i could listen at the moments i wanted. The top 100 had that special kind of magic to me though! Now I think of it, I listened more to radio in the form of 'podcasts' (stupid term) then to the cbs. Beats in Space for example.

How can you recreate the 'radio magic'?

Maybe the next step for the cbs could be a limited, select collection of (guest-) blogs combined with 'podcasts'.
Limited because I always loose my interest when there's too much too choose from.
A select group of bloggers, selected by those who know (Ferenc!) because we want quality.
Guests because then different people will be able to find something according to their different tastes. I think of the people who delivered regular non stops etc.
Blogs because it's always fun to read a bit more, discover links and/or relations to other kinds of art or news or whatever.
'Podcasts' because what should definitely stay is people talking through socks and playing music. Radio without any talking doesn't feel like radio but like a jukebox!

I think I might be listening more to the cbs in such a format. But in the end it's up to Herr Robot to know what radio should be to make him happy doing it. Otherwise it just will never work.

10 (edited by GM 2008-07-12 00:39:59)

Re: How do you think the cbs could have had more listeners?

@ Zip

Never limit a radio show (if I'm interpreted your post right)

For me the CBS as it was, worked perfect for me. I always knew what was going on. As a fan of of all genres, this was heaven. I've discovered music through cbs that was way beyond my own perception. Every day I was tuned in. Not all day, but at least 2-5 hours. The tracks you like to hear which you don't know, are always played on the cbs stream. Hundreds of people / Robots send Ferenc they're knowledge. From Italo to soundscape, techno to 70ies disco. It was al there. I love the show from Gabbo, Rude66, Legowelt, Moguh, and others. They all brought juicy selections. But could not beat the main Machine.

The database was satan herself.

When I'm good, I'm good. When I'm Bad I'm Better... (< quote: Method Man, Liquid Sword Messenger)

Listen to SEER Radio every Sunday at 21.00 hrs on The Dream Machine, previous SEER Radio shows

11

Re: How do you think the cbs could have had more listeners?

@gm: the only thing i think should be limited is the amount of blogs/podcasts, not the amount of genres or the radioshows themselves

I'm afraid that if there's no limit, you won't "see the forest through the trees" and there will be no difference between the cbs (or whatever it might be called in the possible future) and the rest of the internet.

12

Re: How do you think the cbs could have had more listeners?

Limit in blogs or podcast you mean?

I drowned in Robotdj.net, so many mixes, non-stops. Difficult to make a selection. I always try to keep an eye on the people wich I think made some little differences within the cbs community. I missed allot of cool mixes / non-stops because of that.

If you're a newbee on cbs planet, it's difficult to understand what is going on. That is a question. If you want to achieve more listeners, the cbs was a difficult stream. I love it, but it took me some time to diggest, and open myself.

Listen to SEER Radio every Sunday at 21.00 hrs on The Dream Machine, previous SEER Radio shows

Re: How do you think the cbs could have had more listeners?

I'm a long time C.B.S. listenner, since the beginning, and it has been a shock to me a few days ago... The only one electronic/score/80's/Italo/Disco/ambiant/underground  source that feed and filled my musical culture shut down... I did my best to promote this radio through the years, and I just feel sad right now... But I understand RDJX and all the crew, whatever they will do, I will support them in any way...

NEON LIGHT RULE THE NIGHT

www.myspace.com/sonnycrockett78

Re: How do you think the cbs could have had more listeners?

all I can say is that even though I've been enjoying the stream a lot and was tuning in most days of the week, I didn't realize that it was part of my mission to recruit others. I didn't realize that the success of the stream really depended on increasing numbers of listeners. I had setup a monthly donation and that was it. Making clear the needs and expectations of the people who run the show would have helped. I didn't participate in the forums a lot but I was on the stream regularly.

Re: How do you think the cbs could have had more listeners?

Sonny Crockett wrote:

I'm a long time C.B.S. listenner, since the beginning, and it has been a shock to me a few days ago... The only one electronic/score/80's/Italo/Disco/ambiant/underground  source that feed and filled my musical culture shut down... I did my best to promote this radio through the years, and I just feel sad right now... But I understand RDJX and all the crew, whatever they will do, I will support them in any way...

liar you have only internet for the last two years

Re: How do you think the cbs could have had more listeners?

I think it's hard for a "broadcast" type system to work these days, against sites like last fm....

I like radio in the car (which makes podcasts and downloaded sets awesome things IMO!!) I can passively absorb music, and I do hear cool stuff from time to time that amazes me. But when I'm actively doing things on my computer, I want to be able to go in whatever direction I feel like.. not get locked into someone else's idea of where I should go... and have my net bandwidth (australia sux for internet access) compromised to boot....

I think the future of music online is what last.fm is doing - use user tagging to make up links between songs based on what people who listen to them think, and then letting other people explore those tags....  now, imagine if the CBS database was hooked into an engine like that!

Re: How do you think the cbs could have had more listeners?

Radio in the car at work or a portable radio in the pocket would have undoubtedly atleast doubled the amount of listeners IMO.

The CBS playlist it was always ridiculously good but at some points I found the really long jingles coming on after every two or three tracks annoying.

More shows like Astrounicorn would have been welcome like something focusing on new electro/techno releases upcoming events and other music news. The cbs was more focused on 80s music (can't blame anyone for that) than following and contributing to the current "scene" - a bit fustrating now cos the so called revival of the late nineties is gone. Nevert-the-less I think 2008 has started off nicely and their surely is quite a lot of quality music out there even worth mentioning and playing on a radio.

<Pete> His life was programmed from the very start.
<MacGyver> He never had a chance.

Re: How do you think the cbs could have had more listeners?

Vomatron wrote:

Its been discussed so much but i think the only way would be to confiscate peoples record collections, and/or close down p2p progs and blogs and suspend the mixes. Its not that people werent interested in tuning into the cbs, its just that you couldnt decide what was gonna play at what times, like you can when you yourself are in control. Many people want to listen to something new regularly, and to decide what that will be...being tuned into the cbs for long periods until maybe a tune that you like/get surprised about isnt the best way for that.

I hope that maybe cbs will return as not a 24 hour station, but maybe only braodcast a few hours a night, or a few times a week, running runfunkmuziek etc. Then it wouldnt take up as much time, and people would look at it as more of something you shoudnt be missing i.e. making it more attractive

I had the same thoughts... -> http://www.cbs.nu/forum/viewtopic.php?id=23313&p=26

But I think, it doesn't fit with I-Fs idea how the cbs should be.

Kraftwerks achso graue Autobahn, Drexciyas achso blaue Aquabahn...
https://soundcloud.com/bender101-1

Re: How do you think the cbs could have had more listeners?

Autobass wrote:

The cbs was more focused on 80s

i dont think that it was really more focused on the 80s it was just that a lot of new styles of music were created then ( italo, electro, house, techno, synth pop, new wave ) and a lot of amazing music was produced so a lot of 80s  was played. the cbs to me was just about good variety of music, be it something from the 60s by joe meek to the latest bunker. i know the weekend was mostly all disco but the week days had a very rich variety of music especially new stuff.  having said all that i think one of the problems may have been the misconception that the cbs was an 80s italo and disco station. if you were some techno/house head checking the cbs for the first time especially at the weekend and hear something like homosexuality by modern rocketry you'll be a little puzzled. i think the weekends should have been more varied. i know that it had been changed slightly to include a lot of classics but it was still very disco orientated.

i think the home page should have stated the type of music played, it did in the early days but not in the more recent versions. it may have been a little confusing to some at first.

i remember reading a derrick may interview in the 90s and he said  '' the problem is that there is probably only about 300 thousand people in the world that like good music '' i though what a stupid statement, this is just mayday spouting off but when something as good as the cbs  fails to get many listeners i start to wonder, was mayday right!!!!!

20 (edited by mushaden 2008-07-12 18:43:36)

Re: How do you think the cbs could have had more listeners?

I think the problem is that good music was largely promoted until the 90s.  So there are a lot of people that like good music from back then, but maybe only 300 thousand people who are open minded enough to try something new and free themselves from sucking the clearchannel/mtv tit.  Maybe this could have been helped if cbs played more of the good music that everyone knows from back then.  More Cabaret Voltaire, New Order, Joy Division, Gary Numan, Human League, Depeche Mode, Eno, Bowie, etc etc.
This would bring some legal trickiness and might also be too much of a compromise... but it would certainly get more listeners if every 45 mins or so there was an artist everyone was guaranteed to recognize.  I guess I am making a pretty big blanket statement and that the vast majority of popular music has always been shitty, and I don't know what I would suggest to mix in with italo since all of the popular synth pop groups I know are pretty shitty (but italo sells itself smile ).  However, disco in general definitely could be incorporated--we all saw what a mega hit franki valli was

Re: How do you think the cbs could have had more listeners?

More non-electronic music, that's what I have always said \ asked, but then again I think it's just me sad

freakazoids, Robots, Please Report To The Dancefloor

Re: How do you think the cbs could have had more listeners?

well, i played led zeppelin, ac/dc and quo on the cosmpc space episodes, but it didn't help.. big_smile

23 (edited by fantomas 2008-07-13 23:52:28)

Re: How do you think the cbs could have had more listeners?

non electronic = ?   ethnic instruments? not power on chords? unplugged things? jazz? tribal percussions?

Larry Levan wrote:

More non-electronic music, that's what I have always said \ asked, but then again I think it's just me sad

It had everything for everybody...maybe the ears weren't enough in number to consume all the data.

Re: How do you think the cbs could have had more listeners?

rude66 wrote:

well, i played led zeppelin, ac/dc and quo on the cosmpc space episodes, but it didn't help.. big_smile

you also played the pogues and my bloody valentine
the radio shows were essential for this variety.

apart from showin porn its hard to imagine what else could be done to attract more punters.

well maybe how about as soon as you hit the home page the stream automatically kicks in and starts playing music?

keep hackney crap

25 (edited by mushaden 2008-07-14 03:02:18)

Re: How do you think the cbs could have had more listeners?

I wasn't discounting you rude

...just think that people would like glancing at their music player and actually seeing "led zepellin."  But again... this is all small talk =/

byron wrote:

well maybe how about as soon as you hit the home page the stream automatically kicks in and starts playing music?

sounds like those old geocities pages or something hehe
I do think that the first thing you see should be a bigass play button with a smaller link that says "enter" underneath it that would take you to the homepage.... whoever said this was getting pedantic was right