In Calgary, Canada there is AMP a Top 40 radio station which has decided on their own accord cut songs from their original length to run less than two minutes.

The songs will still sound professional and full but they won’t be. After reading the article, as a radio person, I have a few thoughts and questions.

"Studies show, so we must do," is the premise of why AMP is going with this interesting approach to radio. People want shorter songs or so the research shows.

Yes, people switch stations to find their favorite song or change songs on their iPod midway through because it isn’t what they want at the moment, but I think it’s because listeners are hunting in the same way people shop for deals. Another example would be how people drive around a parking lot looking for the best parking spot. It’s about “the find” more than attention span.

The only way hearing “half songs” makes sense to me is if the radio is being used as wallpaper by being on low volume at a workplace.

Remember ‘TRL’ (Total Request Live) on MTV? They did the same thing, although the show used the extra time to bring interviews and crowd hype, but at AMP they are just doing it to double the song titles in the hour.

Back in the day, we used to just speed up songs up 3 percent and go with radio edits, today, it seams times are changing at least with AMP.

A question I have is, wouldn’t AMP or any other station that follows suit have to pay double to ASCAP or in the case of Canada, SOCAN?

It will be interesting to see if this catches on throughout North America.

Canadian singer Jann Arden is a major opponent. Remember this song from 1995?

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