Arcade Fire
#1 Album.
Sold out Madison Square Garden.
It’s Indie. Indie is popular with people who hate the crap that’s on the radio. Indie fans know a lot more about music than average people but they often do not know the songs on the Top 40. Indie Fans download a lot of music and go to a lot of shows. Many read pitchfork.com .
It’s sorta a separate indie world.
The Decemberists were #1 a week or 2 ago. Iron & Wine was #2. If you do hear these bands on commercial radio, it would most likely be on AAA, maybe alternative.
These bands get popular without radio and really don’t care very much about reaching the radio audience. They can have the #1 album, sell out Madison Square Garden, and remain cool, keeping their fans happy. They don’t have to write music for the idiots who listen to the radio.
That’s the problem, everyone who is smart and cool can find their own music, the music they really want to listen to, and play it on their ipod.
Radio appeals to those who can’t figure out how to do that.
“Radio appeals to those who can’t figure out how to do that.”
Depends on the music genre itself. Ever since I had gotten for Christmas 2009 my Macmini, I listen on iTunes radio a number of good country and western music stations, including one in Pittsburgh, PA, one station, Y 108. Online radio helps country music thrive.
Online radio is what via iTunes it what I listen to for music because the music sounds so clear, for my country/bluegrass/americana, the regular radio I only use for talkradio and sports only.
Great post.
Yeah, indies are so different - just like all the other indies.