Music News

Freeform radio, explained: the format without a format

No playlists, no genre lanes, one long-standing Jersey City example — and a philosophy that predates every streaming shuffle.

Catalog streams dominate as 100,000 tracks arrive daily

Luminate's year-end data shows old music out-streaming new by a widening margin — and the discovery crunch is the story for listeners.

Why new albums come out on Friday everywhere

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

Behind every add is a music director's judgment call, a spin logged in software like Spinitron, and — for stations that opt in — a line in an industry chart.

How does a song actually get into college radio rotation?

From a submitted single to a station's weekly chart, here is the real mechanism behind airplay at noncommercial radio — and why the data trail still matters for discovery.

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

A federal rate schedule, not a station's own budget, decides what noncommercial webcasters owe for every internet play — and the number starts smaller than most program directors expect.