FEATURE:
Sonic Boon
IMAGE CREDIT: BBC/Getty Images
Why BBC Sounds Is Long-Overdue and Could Provide Guidance for YouTube and Spotify
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IF you are a regular listener to BBC Radio…
you would have been aware of the idents/promotionals for their new BBC Sounds site/app. If you are not a listener of BBC Radio then you might have seen the advert playing on T.V. and YouTube. In it, we start out with Rita Ora and then are led through a ‘BBC universe’: scenes are cut close together in a device I am not fond of: someone starts a sentence and then someone else jumps in and there are those fast cuts (it is a bit overdone and can be a bit grating but, in the context of a radio app/site, it seems an appropriate device). I normally object to that overlap/cut style of filming but it perfect illustrates the radio dial and the variety one can get across the BBC. Although there are some objectionable parts of the clip (starting with Rita Ora and her music, even in a self-deprecating way is very commercial and not the artist I would promote in terms of recommendation; Idris Elba taking about The Dark Side of the Moon (not a man I would imagine loving the record, genuinely; he also says ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ when there is a ‘The’ at the start; Louis Theroux is under-used massively) but it is a nice and sharp way of assessing the new initiative and getting people interested.
IMAGE CREDIT: BBC/Getty Images
I am pleased there is that awareness of gender and race – not just men and male figures; there could have been more minority faces – and we get a nice spread of all sides of the BBC dial. If you needed a hook and a bait to get into BBC Sounds then you have it all there – you can never create something punchy and wide-ranging that will appeal to everyone so we can forgive a few blips. I will talk about the sides of BBC Sounds but it is timely this endeavour – not sure what to call it?! – because, to be fair, the BBC Music site was dreadful. There is still the issue when it comes to BBC stations, especially BBC Radio 6 Music. It is quite a simple design but so hard to navigate and find information; not user-friendly in any way and need a complete overhaul and redesign. I am not sure whether that will happen but I have often found it frustrating finding music news, features and music-related information and it is a baffling experience. How long it will take for all the sites to be redesigned and made better for the public I am not sure but BBC Sounds is a way of organising all the different angles, shows and contours so one does not have to navigate all of the day!
IN THIS PHOTO: IDLES (a more unifying face of the BBC Sounds project?!)/PHOTO CREDIT: Dan Kendall
Apart from a few overlooked elements to their T.V. spot – IDLES would have made a more popular, current and funny option than the musicians featured – the site/app is actually really good. As time progresses, it will go through phases and strengthen. Public suggestions will come in and, hopefully, more money will be set aside so BBC can bring more elements into play. Consider video and the type of features that can be built in. I know there is a lot of audio content in there but utilising video – visual podcasts and live performances for the BBC – gives BBC Sounds a more interactive and diverse outlook. In any case; it is a great new move that is overdue, I feel. Before, the website for Music was a bit disorganised and, even now, there are big flaws regarding their individual station pages – still too fiddly and not informative enough! Before I come to the nub of my argument; here is an article from The Guardian that spoke about the launch of BBC Sounds and what it would entail:
“The BBC’s director of radio is worried. Younger audiences are listening to more audio then ever before. They understand the captive quality of spoken-word stories. They’re more likely to listen to challenging, interesting podcasts on their commute to work or while in the car. They want to hear new music, tailored to their interests. The problem is they don’t necessarily need to go to the BBC to get what they want…
PHOTO CREDIT: @thefakebhogra/Unsplash
“If we don’t do anything over the next 10 years you’ll have a two-speed BBC radio audience,” says James Purnell, the man tasked with turning this around. “People who’d grown up with it and people who didn’t.”
On the face of it, BBC Radio is in rude health. It has half the national market, with dozens of stations reaching more than 34 million people a week. Radio 2 alone reaches 15 million listeners a week and for all the criticism of the Today programme (“editorially I think it’s in brilliant shape,” says Purnell), one in nine Britons still tune in to hear John Humphrys and his co-presenters harangue politicians every week.
“BBC Radio is still incredibly successful, but I don’t think it’s ever faced such competition,” says Bob Shennan, a lifelong BBC employee who oversees all its radio and music output, pointing towards the likes of Spotify and Apple’s podcast libraries. “People are listening to things the whole time but the competition for their ears is with a whole host of organisations beyond the commercial radio sector.”
Relying on pensioners to provide the audience is not sustainable for an organisation that relies on convincing the vast majority of the public to pay for its services. Although millions of young Britons continue to tune in to traditional BBC radio stations, Purnell says just 3% of under-35s use the iPlayer catch-up radio app, which will soon be axed.
IMAGE CREDIT: BBC/Getty Images
The man tasked with making this work is Jason Phipps, a former Guardian employee who joined as the corporation’s first commissioning editor for podcasts earlier this year. He says there is a need to reconsider the entire tone of how the BBC tells stories, shifting away from rigid formality if it wants to attract the precious under-35 audience: “It has to be a warmer, more story-led journey. You need to report the very personal experience of it.
“The very best stories are fundamentally anchored around the personal experience. You’re trying to find the human in the machine. Journalists have a process but younger audiences can find that very cold and want to access the actual response of human beings. They really want to understand the heart of the story.”
One of the UK’s most popular podcasts, My Dad Wrote a Porno, “wouldn’t have been commissioned anywhere in the past” because it is “too outlandish”, Phipps argues.
“We need more brash, funny, intelligent podcasts,” he says, saying the format’s intimacy is the reason why podcasts about “sex, relationships and erotic imaginations” have done so well. “It’s a perfect place to have uncomfortable conversations”
There is a lot of positivity and ambition in the BBC camp and not only will it benefit BBC listeners/viewers but will bring more people in. One of the reasons why I am interested in BBC Sounds is the choice and organisation you get. I have an idea – that is outstanding (in the sense it has yet to be realised) – that would work like YouTube and Spotify but be a lot more compartmentalised and organised.
PHOTO CREDIT: @maltewingen/Unsplash
The issue we have with sites as hefty and busy as YouTube is how hard it is to find order. Look on there now and you will have songs recommended for you and there will be videos trending – there are very few menus and other options. Before long, you have these videos recommend that you keep watching over and over, unable to break out of that cycle! You have a search option but, unless you know what you’re looking for, then it is limited. A lot of new songs pass you by and there are not menus/sub-menus so you can search songs by year, genre and other factors. There is so much material on the site and you need ways so you can discover more; a broader spectrum and something a lot slicker. The same problem comes with Spotify. Whilst there is more music on the site; there are playlists and mixes but it is still very hard when you want suggestions, rediscovering older sounds and finding the best and hottest new suggestions. I know there are a lot of great podcasts out there but it is so hard to find. The market is busy and competitive but I feel BBC have already taken a big step when it comes to organising material and making it easier to come across fresh discovery.
PHOTO CREDIT: @brunocervera/Unsplash
I have not got to grips with the app yet – I am going off the BBC Sounds website – but the design is great and modern and everything is in one place. There are things that can be added and menus that can be incorporated but I think it is in the easy stages and all of that will come. Regular music news, podcasts and features (incorporate the existing Music website into BBC Sounds) would be a good idea and the lack of dropdown menus is limiting at the moment. At some stage, there will need to be categories and sub-menus so more can be accessed and there is an opportunity for a lot more historic archive and music. I know the site is BBC-specific so it could not well incorporate all music and videos but who is to say there is legislation that limits that sort of endeavour? Although BBC Sounds is about promoting their own shows and stations; I think there is a way of broadening music-wise and not compromising their ideals. I am glad there is a way for new and existing BBC fans to experience all the work being put out there right now. Radio and the BBC stations are at the top but you get great podcasts and mixes. This is an area we might not be aware of.
IN THIS PHOTO: Rita Ora/PHOTO CREDIT: Rex Features
Most of the time, when we listen to BBC podcasts and documentaries; these are part of existing shows on radio and we often do not hear about them unless we go to that station’s website. Now, there is this central hub that makes it easier to see and hear what you want. In terms of the mixes; there are great female-led playlists and chats/documentaries with Rita Ora and Little Mix. One of my concerns is around the prominence of BBC Radio 1-themed mixes and the commercial nature of the artists. A lot of the cooler, less mainstream artists you might hear on BBC Radio 6 Music are not as high up the pecking order and there tends to be a distinct demographic/audience in that sense – for me, I want to discover something else and, when it comes to appealing to the BBC listener spectrum, more thought needs to be given to the range and diversity of the mixes. What is up there is good but, in time, more parity needs to come in that equally represents the stations across the BBC. In any case; I am pleased by what is there and I have discovered some great mixes. The podcasts are great and entertaining but, again, there seems to be a numerical bias regarding the ‘Hot Podcasts’.
IMAGE CREDIT: BBC/Getty Images
The ‘Categories’ is the biggest advantage and something I think YouTube and Spotify could learn from. You can subscribe to hear the latest shows but I wonder if there is an option to make your own BBC Sounds profile? By that, you can collect together all your favourite podcasts and videos together with mixes and news. The categorisation of sounds and genres is great and one can search more easily for the type of show/podcast that means the most to them. Maybe going further and expanding the search tool and menus could lend a bit more speed and efficiency. I feel the market is going through a lot of changes. YouTube is having to deal with Article 13 and its repercussions whilst Spotify is introducing new features and initiative – even though their share price has fallen and a slight dent has come in. BBC inhabits its own ground but is aware it needs to compete with the new and expanding market; able to provide something appealing and interesting to its audience and recruit new ears in. Make sure you investigate what is happening on BBC Sounds and make sure it is part of your travels; listen to it whilst at the laptop and dive in. Above all this great news and boon; I keep coming back to that promotional advert and wonder whether Idris Elba would ever stick Pink Floyd on…
IN THIS IMAGE: The cover for Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon/IMAGE CREDIT: Getty Images
AND chill to The Dark Side of the Moon!?