WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.580 Hello, I'm James Cridland, the radio futurologist, 00:00:02.580 --> 00:00:06.400 and this is Radioland, my radio trends newsletter 00:00:06.400 --> 00:00:10.900 for August the 31st, 2025. Apple radio stations 00:00:10.900 --> 00:00:15.169 are now everywhere. Apple's radio stations caused 00:00:15.169 --> 00:00:18.690 a stir when the first was launched in 2015, not 00:00:18.690 --> 00:00:20.969 least because one of the broadcasters to make 00:00:20.969 --> 00:00:24.649 the leap over to Apple was Zane Lowe, a well 00:00:24.649 --> 00:00:28.809 -regarded host on BBC Radio 1. I listened and 00:00:28.809 --> 00:00:30.989 I didn't think much of it at the time. You'll 00:00:30.989 --> 00:00:34.369 find a link to my initial review in the show 00:00:34.369 --> 00:00:38.939 notes today. Back in 2020, I noticed that Apple 00:00:38.939 --> 00:00:41.280 had launched a set more, including a rather more 00:00:41.280 --> 00:00:44.420 accessible station called Apple Music Hits, as 00:00:44.420 --> 00:00:46.960 well as a country station. They now have six 00:00:46.960 --> 00:00:50.320 of them. Until now, you've needed an Apple Music 00:00:50.320 --> 00:00:53.280 subscription to listen, but as of this week, 00:00:53.299 --> 00:00:56.200 you can now listen to all of them for free, because 00:00:56.200 --> 00:00:59.179 they're all now available in TuneIn. And this 00:00:59.179 --> 00:01:01.500 is the first time anyone has been able to listen, 00:01:01.600 --> 00:01:04.280 I reckon, and TuneIn, for all its flaws, powers 00:01:04.280 --> 00:01:07.319 almost every... radio -connected device out there, 00:01:07.400 --> 00:01:10.120 so it means that the stations are now available 00:01:10.120 --> 00:01:13.579 on smart speakers and everything else. I tried 00:01:13.579 --> 00:01:16.280 using Apple Music for a little bit, and one of 00:01:16.280 --> 00:01:18.439 the differentiators of the service is in fact 00:01:18.439 --> 00:01:21.439 these radio stations. I enjoyed a great documentary 00:01:21.439 --> 00:01:24.599 with Paul McCartney talking about his songwriting 00:01:24.599 --> 00:01:28.000 process, when all I had really searched for was 00:01:28.000 --> 00:01:31.209 Paul McCartney. I also heard a great hour of 00:01:31.209 --> 00:01:34.409 rare cuts from The Beatles. It's a service that 00:01:34.409 --> 00:01:37.329 adds significantly to the benefit of Apple Music. 00:01:37.530 --> 00:01:40.409 But as a radio station you'd listen to, well, 00:01:40.469 --> 00:01:43.030 it doesn't sound live. 12 hours of it isn't, 00:01:43.030 --> 00:01:45.890 I believe, just a rerun of the previous 12. It 00:01:45.890 --> 00:01:47.670 also doesn't sound as if it's been built for 00:01:47.670 --> 00:01:50.170 listener feedback either. But it's interesting 00:01:50.170 --> 00:01:52.489 that Apple, of all companies, has realised that 00:01:52.489 --> 00:01:55.349 it needs to make its radio services as open as 00:01:55.349 --> 00:01:58.620 possible. Someone, somewhere, has worked out 00:01:58.620 --> 00:02:01.040 how the music licensing works for this. Apple 00:02:01.040 --> 00:02:03.700 Music is a paid -for streaming service and these 00:02:03.700 --> 00:02:06.459 stations have no ads. So presumably this has 00:02:06.459 --> 00:02:08.879 required a brand new license for TuneIn. And 00:02:08.879 --> 00:02:11.500 since this is global, presumably there are specific 00:02:11.500 --> 00:02:13.919 licenses in each territory. I mean, you wouldn't 00:02:13.919 --> 00:02:16.479 want to be like the BBC and have to remove these 00:02:16.479 --> 00:02:20.389 services now, would you? Elsewhere, I noticed 00:02:20.389 --> 00:02:22.930 with delight that ACMA is consulting on a move 00:02:22.930 --> 00:02:26.810 for ABC Radio Perth, ABC Radio National and ABC 00:02:26.810 --> 00:02:30.569 News Radio to all be moved to FM in the city. 00:02:30.689 --> 00:02:33.469 My plan is to write a response agreeing with 00:02:33.469 --> 00:02:36.009 the proposals and to call for two things. Firstly, 00:02:36.110 --> 00:02:38.090 the same to happen in other capital cities. And 00:02:38.090 --> 00:02:41.830 B, an amendment to the Parliamentary Proceedings 00:02:41.830 --> 00:02:45.909 Broadcast Act 1946 that allows the ABC to broadcast 00:02:45.909 --> 00:02:49.379 parliamentary proceedings online. than force 00:02:49.379 --> 00:02:52.099 them to be specifically on AM, which I appreciate 00:02:52.099 --> 00:02:54.319 has nothing to do with ACMA, but still there 00:02:54.319 --> 00:02:57.400 we are. I was interviewed by Alice Matthews on 00:02:57.400 --> 00:02:59.979 ABC Radio Canberra on what the station calls 00:02:59.979 --> 00:03:04.840 666 on AM, talking about the CRA's call for radio 00:03:04.840 --> 00:03:06.819 to be prominently available in cars. You can 00:03:06.819 --> 00:03:11.360 hear the full interview on that on my website. 00:03:11.479 --> 00:03:14.680 You can find a link to that in the show notes. 00:03:14.860 --> 00:03:16.979 I enjoyed particularly talking about the benefits 00:03:16.979 --> 00:03:19.319 of DAB Plus for listeners to the station, for 00:03:19.319 --> 00:03:22.060 the presenter to then reset by telling listeners 00:03:22.060 --> 00:03:24.840 that this was ABC Radio Canberra on 666. Listen 00:03:24.840 --> 00:03:29.280 app and on DAB+. I interjected. You'll note that 00:03:29.280 --> 00:03:31.280 I also called for the radio station to get an 00:03:31.280 --> 00:03:33.960 FM frequency in Canberra. It's not easy to tell 00:03:33.960 --> 00:03:37.419 an AM broadcaster that AM is dying, but I'm afraid 00:03:37.419 --> 00:03:39.860 I may just have done that. It was though an enjoyable 00:03:39.860 --> 00:03:43.379 20 minute interview. And I'm off to Radio Days 00:03:43.379 --> 00:03:46.479 Asia in Jakarta, always one of the highlights 00:03:46.479 --> 00:03:52.069 of my conference year. Thank you to many supporters. 00:03:52.349 --> 00:03:54.389 Who shall we mention? Radio .co. We'll mention 00:03:54.389 --> 00:03:57.469 Broadcast Radio and we'll mention Wayne Kingsley. 00:03:57.569 --> 00:04:01.819 Wayne Kingsley, the creative coach. Plus, let's 00:04:01.819 --> 00:04:03.919 thank Greg Strassel and Sam Phelps and Richard 00:04:03.919 --> 00:04:06.039 Hilton and Emma Gibbs, Jocelyn Abbey and James 00:04:06.039 --> 00:04:08.139 Masterton for being regular supporters as well. 00:04:08.219 --> 00:04:10.919 If you would like to support my work in any way, 00:04:10.960 --> 00:04:12.520 then you can buy me a coffee. You can become 00:04:12.520 --> 00:04:14.840 a member to give regularly or just give a one 00:04:14.840 --> 00:04:17.939 -off coffee or five. You can do that very easily 00:04:17.939 --> 00:04:21.699 by visiting buymeacoffee .com slash James Cridland. 00:04:22.579 --> 00:04:24.480 I'm on Mastodon. If you want to follow me there, 00:04:24.560 --> 00:04:27.600 james at bne .social. And my website has more 00:04:27.600 --> 00:04:29.600 detail about who I am and what I do and whether 00:04:29.600 --> 00:04:32.139 I... I can help you further. Maybe I can. Who 00:04:32.139 --> 00:04:34.560 knows? Anyway, you'll find that at james .cridland 00:04:34.560 --> 00:04:37.220 .net. And until next time, keep listening.