The Iceman, aka Bob Segarini, is a celebrated musician, songwriter, voice-over talent and an iconoclastic radio broadcaster. His relentless quest for passionate radio and on-air individualism has not always been embraced by corporate Canada, hence we are naming Bob’s column after the Hugh’s Corporation’s best known hit–”Rock the Boat” (although tempted to name it after one of his own songs–”Don’t Believe A Word I Say.” Maybe we should leave the name to our readers. Bob can be reached at radioresurrected@gmail.com
Just some questions to get the ball rolling. My answers to them will follow in a future column.
Right now, I’m interested in your answers.
In the case of music radio…
Is anyone else sick and tired of all the rants on the web about how radio is sick/dying/dead because of greed, bad business, and consolidation?
Is anyone thinking it might be because of formatting, outmoded CRTC/FCC regulations, lame, cookie cutter content, and less than creative on-air types who are either just not creative, or hampered by consultants and/or management forcing them to sound like all their other stations?
Any thoughts on the fact that no one is playing artists and music unique to their market, no longer looking to ‘break’ new artists on their own?
Why don’t ‘Classic’ rock stations play new music by ‘classic’ artists, or new releases by new artists that create music that fits the classic mold?
If a radio station’s morning show is the best thing on the station, why don’t they make the effort to make ALL their shows as entertaining and lucrative?
Do you think stand alone stations with great music, knowledge, and talent, could win in a market dominated by clusters?
In the case of music…
Music, or the CD itself…what is it that record companies actually sell?
True or False: If the record industry would have monetized Napster back in 2000, instead of destroying it, they would be thriving today?
Does anyone remember what ‘A&R’ stands for?
True or False: All radio, terrestrial, satellite, and otherwise, will soon be listened to primarily over the Internet and rarely by any other means?
That’s enough for now. Email me at radioresurrected@gmail.com with your comments, complaints, and thoughts…and yes, David Farrell is nuts to give me a soapbox from which to speak.
Bob “The Iceman” Segarini was in the bands The Family Tree, Roxy, The Wackers, The Dudes, and The Segarini Band and nominated for a Juno for production in 1978. He also hosted “Late Great Movies” on CITY TV, was a producer of Much Music, and on-air personality on CHUM FM, Q107, SIRIUS Sat/Rad’s Iceberg 95, (now 85), and now provides www.radiothatdoesntsuck.com with RadioZombie, The Iceage, and PsychShack. Along with the love of his life, Jade (Pie) Dunlop, (who hosts and writes “I’ve Heard That Song Before” on RTDS), continues to write, make music, and record.
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Artists and Repertoire Bobby, thats what A and R means in the music bizzz that I cut my teeth on. Then it turned into Accounts and Recievables and fucked everything up. What happened to the Jock playing what he thought was hip> If the listeners did’nt like it they would call in and say so. In the day we walked into KSAN in Frisco and they played Swimmin the B side of our 1st “45″ rite there on the spot cause the Jock called the shot. It was his show. Then all the suits started laying down procedure and the personal touch went out the window. Put the Jocks back in charge of there own playlist and Radio will get Hip the way it was in the day. The suits have sucked the Soul out of it. Like my close friend and Frankie C. Band drummer the late Buck Kerkenes used to say. Fuck drum samples,without a real drummer they got no soul. Rock the Boat till it leaks Bobby. You know what I’m talkin about.
Frankie C.
Song writer,Singer. and guitar slinger.
Lodi,Ca. P.S. We valley boyz call it Frisco and they hate it when we do. Maybe its and old Italian thing from the heart from me to you.