There are radio stations that are content to play the same hits over and over again, and then there’s FIP. A unique station, a haven for music lovers looking for variety and musical surprises.
A few months ago, Sofres, the polling company, called me to do a survey on radio. I discovered that I was a FIP maniac. This is the only radio station I listen to, at all times, as background music for my teleworking days or meetings at home. FIP, France Inter Paris, part of the Radio France group. The only radio station in the world to explore and revisit all musical genres from all eras, FIP’s programming aims to be “the most musical and eclectic on the FM band”. (1).
In 2013, the Observatoire de la Musique reported that the FIP pulverised all French radio stations with 30,000 different titles per year, compared to a maximum of 2,000 for commercial music stations (2). The consumer association Quechoisir complained that the stations had become launching pads for new releases pre-selected by the record companies: “If you look at the concentration per artist and per song, it’s even worse. In 2011 (2012 figures are not yet available), 2% of tracks accounted for two-thirds (73.9% to be precise) of the music played by the 42 radio stations on the panel. The Black Eyed Peas were played 55,000 times on radio in 2011. Virgin Radio played the same Adèle song, Rolling in the deep, 1,600 times in one year. More than four times a day!
I’ve never been convinced by the music algorithms of Deezer, Spotify or Youtube. Like artificial intelligence, these algorithms analyse data at a finite point in time and can’t predict the evolution of behaviour. Fortunately, humans are evolutionary animals whose intelligence can only cope with redundancy to a limited extent. For my part, I don’t want to be offered something to my taste, a pale copy of what I’ve discovered for myself; I want to progress, to be surprised. And fortunately, FIP is a station that guarantees algorithm-free programming (3) and that has a very loyal, cross-border community of listeners.
Twitter Boss…. the ancient one, the talented, innovative Jack Dorsey (not far-right financier Elon Musk) declared his love for the public broadcaster in 2017.
I’ve discovered many songs from today and yesterday. And I recommend it to my couchsurfers, especially after the arrival of thematic radio: FIP French songs, Rock, Jazz, Groove, Reggae, Pop, Electro, Monde, Nouveauté, Metal, Hip Hop. A radical fight against conformism.
Music is an exchange of sensibilities. Here I take what I can no longer get. And I miss the time when I could share little melodies that you said were “not crazy” but that reflected your jealously guarded sensibility.
Anyway… I’ve started my random playlist and I’m proud of it.
France inter Paris website: https://www.radiofrance.fr/fip
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