Beats on Airwaves
Radio, Electronic Dance Music Selection and Meanings
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12801/1947-5403.2025.17.01.04Abstract
This article investigates electronic dance music on German radio stations. How is this music selected by editors? Which terminology is employed and presented on-air? What are the implications of this for audiences and researchers? What types of electronic dance music and related music are currently featured on German radio? What are their characteristics? In order to address these questions, a multi-method approach is employed, encompassing playlist and musicological analyses, as well as interviews with radio editors. Electronic dance music on German radio is characterised by heterogeneity of variants and trends, with fluid transitions to other popular music. Distinguishing between different types of this music can often be a challenging task. Editors' expertise in genres is evident in their work, but this is only apparent at certain times, as genres are not mentioned on-air most of the time, which adds to the confusion surrounding electronic dance music and its contested meanings.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g. post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal. Such derivate works or subsequent publications must happen no less than one calendar year after the initial publication date in Dancecult.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g. in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
