Episode Details
Back to Episodes
Is music radio making a comeback? Or did it never go away? And what is different about music radio in 2026? We find out...
Description
With Stuart under the weather and taking a well-earned rest to recover his lost voice, Joe wrangles full control of the podcast for one week only, and gets stuck into a question that will resonate with most TPOM fans: what's going on with music radio?
You'd think that, with music streaming booming, and personalised algorithmic feeds promising to dominate music discovery, music radio would be fading. But it's not - the opposite, in fact. And, it's changing into something more interesting – the centre of discovery and community around genres, niches and scenes.
Joe is joined by Laura Fisher, an analyst at MIDiA Research, to speak about its recent report on radio's evolving role in the music ecosystem. Their research shows a growing shift back toward human-curated audio and community stations.
(Note: our Patreon Superfans get the full, unedited, 50% longer interview!)
Joe and Laura discuss:
The rise of independent & community stations: How platforms like NTS, Balamii, Rinse FM – and even big stations like BBC 6 Music – have created thriving cultural hubs around niche genres and scenes.
Why a smaller, highly engaged radio audience can carry significantly more value for artists - and listeners – than algorithmic playlists.
Context vs. algorithms: Why avid music fans are craving the story behind the music (labels, producers, and scene context) that streaming algorithms often leave out.
Screen fatigue: How younger demographics (Gen Z & Millennials) are turning to radio as a screen-free antidote to endless feeds.
Other stuff mentioned in the show:
MIDiA Research: midiaresearch.com
Album Recommendation: Exile on Main St. – The Rolling Stones
Companion Album Recommendation: Exile on Cold Harbour Lane – Alabama 3
===================================
As ever, we welcome your feedback, emails and – in particular – any questions you might have about how the music biz works!
Email us: thepriceofmusicpodcast@gmail.com
See you next week!
Stuart and Joe
======
TPOM online: http://tpom.uk/
Support The Price of Music on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/ThePriceofMusic
Follow Stuart on X - @stuartdredge
Follow The Price of Music on X - @PriceofMusicpod
For sponsorship opportunities, please email - joe@musically.com