Songl - Australia showing the UK the way?

Thirty years ago, if I wanted to hear lots of my favourite music, I had to either spend a lot of money on records and cassettes, or I had to tune in to the radio. I was at school then. I didn't have a lot of money. So I chose the radio. The radio DJs (on Signal Radio in Stoke) played me brand new songs from my favourite artists. They were in touch with them, and told me what they were doing. As a fan, the best way for me to connect with the music artists that I liked was through the radio.

Now, as a music fan, things have changed. If I want to hear brand new songs from my favourite artists, I can simply look at their YouTube page, for free. Artists can send me an email when they release anything. And if I really want to find out what Lady Gaga is doing today: I can simply follow her on Twitter: and I'll be connected to her, 24 hours a day, learning exactly what she is doing and where she is going.

But, as young audiences turn to the internet to find new music, radio stations have changed what we do. We rely more on automation and playout systems. We play a mix of non-stop music and promote ourselves exclusively on our music proposition - today's best music mix, the number one hit music station, more music variety. We promote "ten great songs in a row".

Yet, music is no longer radio's unique thing. Sure, we're still close to artists and record companies. There are still a few radio presenters who really know their music. But, PowerGold or Selector have taken that choice away from most. If we are close to the music in the radio business, we shouldn't forget that the audience is capable of that too now. And when they listen to their own ten great songs in a row from YouTube, or Pandora, or Spotify, they get a better, more relevant, choice - and something that radio can't compete with: a skip button.

In Australia, the largest commercial radio company there, Southern Cross Austereo, has invested in Songl, a service like Spotify (on desktop and mobile), but with playlists and video content from the company's biggest stars, and the company's digital brands (like Buddha, their version of Chill). The best of both worlds - unlimited music choice, and music discovery from well-known presenters who know their music. As the promotional stuff says: "More songs, more stars - that's Songl". The company has also, this week, announced a partnership with Australian TV channel Nine.

There's little doubt that music services like Apple's iRadio, Spotify, Rdio and Blinkbox Music pose a threat to intensive music radio. iHeart in the US, Songl in Australia, Karnival in Turkey, or Kronehit Select in Austria are all attempts by the radio industry to remain relevant and future-facing. They might not earn a bunch of revenue yet - but it's a good and relatively cheap bet for what the future might bring to 'more music' radio.

The UK radio industry appears not to wish to take that bet. The question is whether that's a wise choice, or a missed opportunity.