The 14 Million Song Playlist

More isn’t always better…

There’s another new music service.

This one’s called raditaz and its purpose for being, evidently, is that it has 14,000,000 songs you can choose from.

Pandora has 1,000,000.

Your iPod may have a couple of thousand.

Your station probably has less than 400.

Here’s the thing: Is there any evidence that consumers are aching for more choice?

We, in broadcast radio, hear occasional complaints about playing the same songs over and over, but it’s the very repetition of hits that brings mass success to most stations.

Yes, many people, perhaps most, like being introduced to new songs and artists they end up loving, and broadcast radio must make music discovery more prominent.

But, I think the issue that drives listeners to these music services is not choice but control, and the extreme over-commercialization of broadcast radio.

decide

I don’t need 13,500,000 more songs; I need 8 fewer minutes of spots every hour, and more strong emotional interaction with a live human being every time I listen.

Anyone thinking about that?