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Wednesday, September 16, 2026

RADIO CULTURE & MUSIC DISCOVERY

Author

Deshawn Carter

Lead Writer

Deshawn Carter covers Music News, Artists and Culture.

Articles by Deshawn Carter

How radio station formats are built and maintained

How radio station formats are built and maintained

Deshawn Carter

Vintage radio receiver beside worn record sleeves

Why college radio still breaks artists first

Deshawn Carter

Open reel tape machine with scattered blank sleeves

Freeform radio, explained: the format without a format

Deshawn Carter

Dense record wall with one sleeve pulled out

Catalog streams dominate as 100,000 tracks arrive daily

Deshawn Carter

Why new albums come out on Friday everywhere

Why new albums come out on Friday everywhere

Deshawn Carter

How does a song get added to college radio rotation?

How does a song get added to college radio rotation?

Deshawn Carter

A college radio station's on-air studio at night, seen from behind a DJ's shoulder toward a crate of vinyl and a glowing laptop playlist screen — the quiet, unglamoro.

How does a song actually get added to college radio rotation?

Deshawn Carter

How does a song actually get into college radio rotation?

How does a song actually get into college radio rotation?

Deshawn Carter

How much do college and public radio stations pay to stream online?

How much do college and public radio stations pay to stream online?

Deshawn Carter

Infographic of a rising catalog acquisition market

Britney Spears' catalog sale leads a new wave of music rights deals

Deshawn Carter

Contract and pen beside master tape reels in studio

The label signings defining 2026, from legacy bands to new capital

Deshawn Carter

Freshly pressed black vinyl LP held toward studio light

Vinyl's growth slows in 2026, but the format's cultural hold tightens

Deshawn Carter

Bar chart of streaming royalty payouts rising year over year

Spotify's record $11 billion payout year reshapes streaming royalties in 2026

Deshawn Carter

Bass guitar leaning against a drum kit in a rehearsal room

When artists switched instruments — and defined an era instead

Deshawn Carter

Infographic of three mentorship lineages in music

The mentorships that shaped music history

Deshawn Carter

Musicians packing an amplifier into a van at night

Artists who reinvented their sound mid-career — and what it cost

Deshawn Carter

Close-up of a well-worn cassette single in a studio

The songwriters behind the hooks you know by heart

Deshawn Carter

Volunteers answering phones during a pledge drive

How community radio stations fund themselves without ads

Deshawn Carter

Empty radio studio control room before the morning show

How a radio program director builds a weekly schedule

Deshawn Carter

Close-up of streaming rack equipment in a radio station

The future of internet simulcasting for terrestrial stations

Deshawn Carter

Diagram of a low-power FM station's coverage radius

How low-power FM stations reach the towns big radio forgot

Deshawn Carter

Students selecting records in a campus radio studio

Why college radio still breaks new artists first

Deshawn Carter