Houston, we have a problem!

Being the number 1 search engine result for ’SmoothJazz’, it’s not surprising that SmoothJazz.com has been deluged with email and phone calls from very unhappy and concerned listeners in New York, Washington, D.C. and Denver… and now operators are standing by for KHJZ fans in Houston and their impending loss. We’ve been swamped attending to what appears to be a crisis in the world of Smooth Jazz in the FM arena.

First, I would like to welcome our new listeners from New York, D.C., Denver and Houston. You have discovered what over 2 million people each month are enjoying on SmoothJazz.com Radio, a crystal clear digital broadcast available for free on all popular media players including iTunes, Windows Media, RealPlayer, Winamp and others at rich 128k and 192k bitrates. For those seeking an economy of bandwidth with the same robust sound, check out our 64k AAC+ stream.

In addition, we’re also available as a Pre-set Station on the Roku Soundbridge (a computer-independent audio device that plugs directly into your sound system) as well as the Soundbridge Radio, a stand-alone radio that receives AM, FM and Internet radio stations around the world with amazing audio quality.

We’re also readily available on mobile phones through our technology partners SelectRadio, UpSnap and SmartPhone. And for those who might not be aware, SmoothJazz.com Radio is currently simulcasting on two international FM frequencies: Radio Padova in Northern Italy and The Flea in Auckland, New Zealand.

I’ve actually sat down and written this open letter several times over the past week and as it was ’marinating’ I’d receive calls and letters from artists, long time industry friends and acquaintances that got me rethinking my response to these recent significant events in FM radio.

There’s a lot of blaming going on and it’s a little frustrating for us here at SmoothJazz.com because we’re not sharing the same experience on the Internet as our FM friends are experiencing. Smooth Jazz is one of the most listened to genres on-line. To me, that alone is very revealing. In a world that is under-consulted and under-estimated, the format is blooming and growing and remains very appealing to a wide audience of listeners all over the globe.

Frankly we find ourselves a bit surprised at the finger pointing that’s going on right now… I suppose it fits the current climate of our country to some degree. Radio is blaming the recording labels for putting out music that is not compelling. The labels are blaming radio for not playing the music. The artists are blaming radio consultants for narrowing the playlists, while radio consultants are spinning reality to avoid responsibility. (I’ve found over the years that the latter is just par for the course.)

Everyone’s right by the way. Everyone’s to blame. Everyone’s part of the success and the failure.

I’ve never been a fan of consultants and research… I think it sucks the art out of radio. I gravitated to this medium and this format in particular because we used to be a group of radio artists who listened to everything and considered all genres of music to find an emotional connection to pass along to our listeners in a lifestyle presentation.

Homogenization equals death… cookie cutter radio formats that you can hear in every city, in every state is going to have an expiration date. This is just common sense… and I didn’t need to research it to figure it out. We all know that this is what has been chipping away at Smooth Jazz and if you want to look at radio holistically, it’s what’s been chipping away at radio in general for a very long time.

Worse yet, is this unfortunate trend that radio started a few decades ago of flipping formats when ratings slide and abandoning loyalty in their communities. It’s been going on long enough now that there are entire generations of listeners who do not place a value on radio like those of us who grew up with radio stations that meant a whole lot more than just a frequency.

I worry about this co-dependency between programmers and consultants. I think this dynamic creates a safe, boring environment that doesn’t cultivate unique expression when that is precisely what every city in every state deserves. Something unique to their location, to their community… of course there are national hits and favorites, but a programmer who’s truly in touch with the people in their neighborhoods are going to find that certain sound that mixes in a distinguishable difference to capture the essence of their city and in my opinion, then and only then, will the spirit of radio flourish and in turn be successful in all measures.

We encourage FM radio to embrace the opportunity to serve their communities in this beautiful country of ours. Be grateful that you have a region to be inspired by and reflect that in your music programming and not just in your local commercials and promotions.

Growing this and any format of music requires adapting and improvising when necessary. Oh, and it’s pretty much always necessary because everything changes. So consider new trends and incorporate them when they make sense for your station and market. Don’t dabble, just do it… Don’t over think it, don’t research it to death, commit to it… and then prove to your community that you are committed to it by broadening the format.

There is an art to reading the current of the water… incorporating trends and knowing when to move on. Those who are doing this are very successful! Seattle and San Diego come to mind. Two very different parts of the West Coast and two very different radio stations both airing their versions of Smooth Jazz… both succeeding.

So it can be done. But some overly-consulted, Smooth Jazz FMs have come perilously close to becoming the pleated Dockers of radio by relying too heavily on decades-old, recycled hits rather than reaching into the bounty of exciting new music from either core format artists or new artists. My desk is over-flowing with brilliant new music. If as many claim, Smooth Jazz is an aging format, why then are there so many exceptional new artists inspired to create this music?

The state of the music industry is a reflection of our new world. As radio programmers we need to pay attention to this. People are not waiting around for radio to tell them what they want to hear nor are they going to absorb the excessive salaries of the major labels by being forced to buy entire albums that they don’t want. Hence the popularity of download sales fueled by user-friendly, new media distribution platforms such as SmoothJazz.com. After all, "necessity... is the mother of invention."

We receive positive email from fans all over the world… many sharing photos with us of their audio set up showing how they have created the ultimate listening environments in their work places and at home using readily available technology to stream. In fact, I just got this email today from a designer in the Netherlands who is on his 3rd year of listening to our newest boutique format, SmoothLounge.com:

"I feel so chill, and thanks to your team, I now have almost 500 albums that I purchased from iTunes!!! Everyday/ night I sit behind my iMac, working as a designer, and I tune into Smoothlounge.com, it’s my lifestyle, and it’s very good inspiration! Please, go on like this for the next 50 years!"

SmoothJazz.com and SmoothLounge.com -- Providing two distinctive, deep mixes of smooth music that we believe are compelling to our worldwide audience. Our stations embrace independence and our websites nurture this sophisticated genre by introducing quality new music and new artists with the intention of creating an emotional connection with our listeners.

For every Smooth Jazz lover in New York, Washington, D.C., Denver, Houston and every city whose on-air light has been turned off, there’s a candle burning bright in the window of the SmoothJazz.com studio in our little coastal village in California where we’ll continue to broadcast our unique blend of music for a growing, global community.


Sandy Shore - Founder
SmoothJazz.com, Inc.