The Power of Letting Go

Todd Chanko | September 22, 2006, 03:05 PM

Not a week goes by without several stories worshipping the centrality of a consumer "in control," who seeks to have content "on demand." Certainly the focus of much of my research relates to this topic, whether I'm evaluating the impact of DVRs on advertising or the role of the web for the broadcast networks.

Yet, this morning, as I was engaged in my ablutions, I had the radio atypically not on NPR or Radio France Internationale bur rather New York's local classic rock station. The first blast of solid rock was something I hadn't heard in years, and which had moved me greatly in my salad days: "I'm Your Captain," by Grand Funk Railroad. It's a sweeping paean to wanderlust and still holds up today. This was followed by Edgar Winters' "Frankenstein," a funk rock instrumental with one of the great rock drum solos of the day. Lastly, the segment was followed by Queen's "Crazy Little Thing Called Love," an homage to rockabilly.

What does this have to do with "on demand?" Everything. I had no specific aims this morning beyond getting dressed appropriately for work and certainly wasn't fixated on a particular artist. My reward for letting go of my prerogative to program my environment was the serendipitous splendor of hearing three songs that I hadn't heard in a while. I felt energized and connected to whoever was responsible for programming the songs and the thousands of other folks who were grooving anonymously to them at that same time. Good for me. Good for the station. Good for the advertisers.

There’s much talk of "community" and "control" and "on demand." There’s also still much room for programmers to tap into zeitgeists old and new to create communities that don't depend on the effort that so much of this newish on-demand requires.

Tune in. Turn on. The rest is up to you.