Chris Price

An ocean may separate the two countries, yet both American and British radio faces the same challenges in the digital world - namely, the growing use of streaming services ... both audio (Spotify, Apple Music) and visual (YouTube). BBC Radio 1, as well as its sister 1Xtra, have formulated a strategy to compete, as well as complement, their digital rivals. But unlike their American counterparts, BBC Radio 1 continues to focus on a relatively young demo and believes the best way to attract them is to be aggressive in music discovery and engagement. Here, Head of Music Chris Price offers details into what makes BBC Radio 1 unique.

You previously worked with BBC Radio 1 as a music programmer. What was it like coming back as back as head of music, and how has Radio 1 changed?

When I left the BBC to head up music for MTV in 2006, I could see that youth radio was becoming a more visual medium; these days young people consume music content on small screens in their pockets. Later, streaming became the dominant mode of music consumption, and I had the tremendous good fortune, as Head of Music at Last.fm, to receive a crash course in a new medium that found itself on a collision course with traditional radio.

So in many respects, and almost without knowing it, the jobs I did in between tenures at the BBC were about preparing myself to come back and do this role more effectively. Ten years later, Radio 1 has transformed itself into a multi-platform youth brand, having adopted the strategy "Listen, Watch, Share." At Radio 1 we're just as focused on our 3.5 mllion YouTube subscribers and 8.5 million social followers as we are on our 10 million linear listeners.

How do you view the relationship between Radio 1 and the streaming services?

I've described the relationship between radio and streaming as being like two groups of nervous teens, anxiously eyeing one another across the dance floor at the high school prom. Neither side understands the other very well, but they want to get into bed with each other. I feel like the relationship between radio and streaming can -- and should -- turn into a long-lasting marriage, and that matchmaker role is one of the things I'm very focused on helping the BBC step into.

You may have heard that we have a proposal for a music discovery service aimed at bringing new streamers into the commercial space and driving scale to premium. It's a more personalized version of BBC radio - a natural and necessary evolution of the linear listen. The BBC is one of the most trusted music curators in the world; a bridge between our platforms and those of the tech companies can really help grow the streaming market.

Despite all the headlines about the booming streaming market, only about 14% of people stream music in the U.K., so it's still a fairly young market. The BBC can grow the streaming pie overall, as well as help place British artists on a level pegging with the emerging breed of international streaming megastars. The BBC kept the tills ringing at bricks-and-mortar record stores for years, despite the very obvious disconnect between discovery on traditional media and in-store purchase. A BBC music discovery service that directly harnesses the power of Top of the Pops or the Radio 1 playlist would really take the streaming market in this country to the next level.

Is what you're trying to accomplish mainly a British thing, or can it work in America?

Well, in America you have Pandora, which in some respects has already stepped into that space, albeit without the bridge back to linear radio. I think American radio is so tightly formatted compared to Europe that American listeners were crying out for something a bit more diverse and unexpected, whereas the radio market in U.K. is already very diverse. The short answer is that a music discovery service of the kind we're proposing would probably be more difficult to do in the U.S. because public service radio is less powerful than it is here, at least from a music perspective.

What's Radio 1's target demo?

It's 15 to 29, and that target hasn't changed. Radio 1 has always been about bringing young, diverse audiences to the BBC.

With such a plethora of new music out there - not just from the labels - how does that impact your programming?

We don't think too much about where the music comes from; we just play music that sounds amazing on the radio. Whether that comes to us from a major label, an indie, or an artist doing everything on their own, our job is to reflect the full panoply of youth culture in the U.K. and take it to the world.

Is there much dayparting on Radio 1?

We do daypart a little bit. A typical Radio 1 playlist has some very challenging music on it. One minute you might be listening to Taylor Swift; the next it might be Stormzy or Sampha - that's just what we do. But we probably wouldn't start the more out-there stuff off in the Breakfast show; it takes a while for those kinds of songs to bed in.

Has the influence of DJs changed over the years?

Yes. They're much more important now. These days we compete as much with the tech companies as we do with Kiss and Capital, and the beauty of radio is human connection, that trusted guide to make music recommendations. Whether it's Nick Grimshaw raving about Christine & The Queens, or MistaJam playing an entire Drake album front to back on the radio, that passion, expertise, intimacy and authenticity offered by our DJs is what sets us apart from new competitors.

Who are your biggest rivals these days, radio rivals like Kiss and Capital, or the streamers?

They're all competitors, and in some respects all partners as well. When you're a youth brand as big as Radio 1, delivering content on as many different platforms as we do - FM, DAB, online, social, YouTube - offering audio and visual content, you're competing as much with Facebook and Spotify for share of attention as you are with Capital. Yet the content we produce and distribute on those platforms also grows the pie for them, too, so it's a mixed economy. We both compete and partner with virtually every player in the space.

What's the more fertile ground to grow -- podcasts? Concert promotion?

We're very active in the live music arena already. Our flagship live event is Radio 1's Big Weekend, which is Europe's largest free ticketed event. We move the event around the country every year, taking live music to areas that typically are underserved. This year we have Kings of Leon, Katy Perry, Stormzy, Little Mix and a ton of other established and emerging acts coming to Hull. On top of that we have 1Xtra Live, the Teen Awards, countless sessions every week, while the Live Lounge is arguably the most famous media-owned live music brand in the world. So we're very active in live space.

What about podcasting ... are they primarily Radio 1's property or the personalities who do them?

Many of our presenters do their own podcasts, and some, such as Scott Mills Daily and Greg James, have been very successful. But they remain BBC properties. The major challenge with podcasts on music radio is around licensing. As you can imagine, the music industry is reluctant to license music that can be downloaded in perpetuity; which is why podcasting tends to be far more speech-based than music-based.

But the iPlayer Radio app is the primary means of catching up with Radio 1's programmes - and those of other BBC Radio - on demand. Listeners can stream and download shows for 30 days after broadcast, and as you can imagine - being a youth station - we're seeing phone-based listening growing fast.

And what do you see are the future challenges? Can you afford to strategize five years head, or are you more concerned with the here and now?

Our five-year strategy up to this point has been "Listen, Watch, Share." That's evolving now, following several months of research into how our listeners engage with the content we make and the platforms we distribute on. Up to now, the 'Listen' part of the strategy has been in service to 'Watch' and' Share', which are now established enough to stand on their own. The next phase is about closing the circle and driving back to the listen. Ben Cooper (Controller, Radio 1) and I will be expanding on that at the Worldwide Radio Summit - you'll have to come along to the session to hear more!