Jacqueline Quici
Music Diversity Comparison between the United States and the United Kingdom
With the rapid expanse of music outlets - satellite radio, internet streaming, digital downloading, Myspace and personal blogs - a new music forum is emerging. Although these outlets allow artists a much greater chance of being heard, who is listening? Unfortunately, the United States is not. This expansive forum is certainly not being reflected in the one of the main sources of music, radio. Instead, since the Telecommunications Act of 1996, commercial radio stations have proven to be considerably less diverse after consolidation. It seems, however, that our musical counterparts in the United Kingdom are embracing the growing music scene with voracious ears. Drawing on a comparison of radio playlists, this essay demonstrates that the United Kingdom has a more diverse music culture than the United States. The paper also explores the possible explanations for the gap between two countries with overlapping music interests, and what can be done to change it.
