News From Asia: Leading FM Embraces Spotify

We all heard it before, iTunes is gonna kill radio, then the streaming apps. But radio is still here. In fact, Apple Music even have its in house radio station.

But today we’re gonna be talking about a station in the Philippines that has gone Spotify.

DZMB FM 90.7 in Metro Manila is the leading FM station in the city and happens to be the flagship of its country wide network of stations branded Love Radio. Their current jingle package is produced by Reelworld.com.

So recently they launched their own Spotify account.  And with it comes a bunch of playlist which is a curarion of the songs they actually play on the air.

It’s like they are actually giving away their top rotation playlists. Pretty much giving their competitors a window to the songs they play and the listeners to get a hold of that list.

And with active Spotify users in the country, it could potentially keep listeners away. I mean, why listen to the music with babbling people and commercials. 

It should be scary but this is actually a smart move. 

Stations clearly recognize the power of streaming. Brands like Coca-Cola have their presence on Spotify, with their own Playlists and original content. So it is but wise to follow where customers are spending their eyeballs and for this matter eardrums on.

Love Radio has podcasts on iTunes so they will be making this available on Spotify. And those podcasts are actually recordings of their live programs. It is a win win approach.  They still earn money if people listen to them on Spotify.  Plus, Love Radio is also a recording album producer, with their DJs singing hit songs too. That’s another avenue for making cash.

At the end of the day really, it’s all about connecting to the audience. People who listen to the radio know that they listen to not just because of the music but because of what’s in between the music. 

And when they are not tuned in on the air, they might as well listen to their Spotify content where their brand is stamped on.

And as with the songs, it shouldn’t bother Love Radio that they are giving away their playlist. After all it is not the songs they play that make them number one, it’s the format. 

So this is a welcome change or adaptation so to speak from a market that is really in love with terrestrial radio. 

Internet usage in the Philippines is huge but not as wide as radio. But the country is heading there. Might as well establish your presence now while it’s not yet too late.

So what do you think about stations having their accounts or playlists on Spotify? What other benefits can stations get from it?