FEATURE:
Happy 6Mas
IN THIS PHOTO: The wonderful Tom Ravenscroft and Deb Grant host the Music Fix Daily show on BBC Radio 6 Music/PHOTO CREDIT: BBC
Looking Back on a Successful Year for BBC Radio 6 Music
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COMING up to the end of the year…
IN THIS PHOTO: Lauren Laverne with Antony Szmierek/PHOTO CREDIT: BBC
it is a good time to discuss, in my view, the best radio station in the world. I used to listen to BBC Radio 2 and Greatest Hits Radio in conjunction with BBC Radio 6 Music. Recently, I have forgone both of them and am exclusively with BBC Radio 6 Music. Not to slight the other two stations though, with their male-heavy playlists and lack of real variety, they are easy to let go. Too rigid and a little stale, BBC Radio 6 Music remains balanced, fresh and evolving. I shall come to some recent listenership success and highs. I also want to talk about some of the presenters across the station, plus the station’s Artists in Residence series. Earlier this year, the station announced a line-up change and new schedule. I am someone who has been critical of the station for its lack of mobility regarding introducing fresh blood and shaking things up. After ‘letting go’ of Shaun Keaveny in 2021. It was a shock and rather baffling move when they helped to force out one of their most beloved presenters. Keaveny has gone onto success since then with his Community Garden Radio and podcast, Shaun Keaveny’s Daily Grind (for Radio X). Even though long-term stalwart Steve Lamacq recently left his weekday show and is returning in a new slot in January, BBC Radio 6 Music has only made some minor changes. Not all of them were met with huge appreciation and acceptance. The BBC revealed the proposed changed when they were announced earlier in the year:
“On Monday 5 June, the UK’s most listened to digital radio station, with a weekly audience of 2.5m (RAJAR Q4 2022), will launch two brand new shows – New Music Fix Daily (Monday – Thursday, 7pm-9pm) and Riley & Coe, (Monday – Thursday, 10pm-12am) – with music and conversation at the core.
New Music Fix Daily will be dedicated entirely to new releases – the best of what is being made, performed and shared right now. Broadcast live from Salford, the programme will be presented by Tom Ravenscroft and Deb Grant, who will hand-pick and share their latest new music obsessions. Expect songs from any genre and from across the globe, as well as special guests, guest mixes and good company. Tom and Deb will be a familiar pairing to listeners, having previously presented Mercury Prize and 6 Music Festival specials together. Tom Ravenscroft has been a member of the 6 Music presenting family since 2010, and currently presents a weekly show on Fridays (9pm-12am) as well as his New Music Fix show (Fridays, 2am-3am). Deb has regularly deputised for Chris Hawkins, Gideon Coe and Now Playing on 6 Music.
Riley & Coe will see two of the station’s finest curators, Marc Riley and Gideon Coe, come together to play their music loves from every era and genre. Listeners will have the chance to get lost in their incredible record collections, recommendations and stories over the course of the week. On Mondays, Marc Riley will present his own show, featuring classic and cutting-edge tunes. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, the two presenters unite to share their treasured tracks and musical knowledge with the 6 Music listeners. On Thursdays, Gideon will present his own show, featuring as many records as he can manage. Across the week, expect artists in session, as well as recorded-live performances from the BBC Archive for listeners to enjoy too.
Tom Ravenscroft says: “Every day, thousands of new tracks are released, bands are formed in bedrooms and the search for the perfect beat continues. Deb and I will be inviting listeners and fellow music lovers to join our conversation about some of our favourites.”
Deb Grant says: “It’s a total honour to be joining the 6 Music family for New Music Fix Daily, even more so to be working alongside a station legend like Tom on a show that champions something so fundamental to the station’s ethos - new music! There are so many bands I’ve fallen in love with having first heard them on 6 Music and the idea of being able to make that happen for listeners, not to mention myself, every day is beyond exciting. Truly a dream gig!”
Marc Riley says: “I’ve been calling Gid ‘The Guv’nor’ for the last 16 years so this is my chance to learn from the best in the business! We’ll be joining forces to do what we’ve both always done on 6 Music - sharing music and sessions from the artists we love.”
IN THIS PHOTO: Head of BBC Radio 6 Music, Samantha Moy
Gideon Coe says: “Marc plays great records and hosts fantastic sessions. I very much look forward to doing that alongside him. I also look forward to continuing to provide late-night radio for the 6 Music listeners. They remain the most important part of any programme.”
Samantha Moy, Head of 6 Music, says: “A love of music unites all of our 6 Music presenters. And bringing Marc & Gid and Tom & Deb together means even more music will be found and shared with our audience, giving a new sound to 6 Music at night.”
At the heart of the evening schedule (9pm-10pm), will be the artists themselves, as 6 Music’s Artist in Residence moves to Monday-Thursday from 5th June. Each series is presented by a musician, who takes listeners on a journey into their musical soul, with each episode based around a different theme or mood. Since Artist in Residence launched in November 2020, hosts have included Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Phoebe Bridgers, Fontaines D.C., Loyle Carner, St. Vincent, Wolf Alice, Beabadoobee, IDLES, Jamie T, Perfume Genius and Father John Misty.
On Fridays, Tom Ravenscroft will continue to share his passion for the underground club scene in The Ravers Hour (11pm-12am). The Ravers Hour, broadcast from Salford, is Tom’s curation of the finest emerging DJs and producers from across the globe. The show features the freshest and most eclectic mixes from these DJs, as well as from Tom himself.
All of these new shows will be broadcast from Salford, where BBC Radio 6 Music is increasing its presence as part of the BBC’s Across the UK plans, allowing the BBC to better reflect, represent and serve all audiences.
6 Music’s weekly New Music Fix and New Album Fix shows (Fridays, 12am-5am), will also continue, with Jamz Supernova joining the New Music Fix family of Steve Lamacq and Mary Anne Hobbs, curating an hour of her favourite brand new tracks for listeners, from 2am-3am. Jamz currently presents Jamz Supernova on 6 on Saturdays (1pm-3pm).
Jamz Supernova says: “One of the things I love most about my Saturday show is being able to share my new musical discoveries with listeners. There’s always so much to be excited about, and I can’t wait to bring you a whole hour of favourite brand new tracks every week”.
IN THIS PHOTO: Jamz Supernova/PHOTO CREDIT: BBC
I hope the stations does more on their social media. Their Twitter/X page is not as updated as it once was. Their YouTube channel hasn’t seen much update in recent years (same with Facebook). Their Instagram is probably the best source for the most up to date happenings. I do hope they freshen up their other channels, as the station is growing in popularity. I like the fact that there were schedule changes. One of the best moves was making the excellent Deb Grant a permanent fixture (she now presents alongside Tom Ravenscroft on New Music Fix Daily). I hope that the station gives more airtime to presenters such as Emily Pilbeam. Music Week reported last month how BBC Radio 6 Music is going from strength to strength in terms of their listener numbers and demographic:
“BBC Radio 6 Music has seen ratings soar in the past three months, according to the latest Q3 audience figures from RAJAR (June 26 to September 17, 2023).
The digital-only alternative station has a weekly audience of 2.753 million, up 11.7% year-on-year and an increase of 3.1% on the prior quarter. It remains the biggest digital radio station.
The 6 Music Breakfast Show with Lauren Laverne had 1.4m listeners.
6 Music won the Radio Station category at the 2023 Music Week Awards.
An audience of 2.75m is not quite a record result – the station headed by Samantha Moy hit 2.85m in Q2 last year – but it’s impressive nonetheless at a time when other BBC networks are shedding listeners.
6 Music implemented a series of schedule changes in the quarter, including the launch of evening show New Music Fix with Deb Grant & Tom Ravenscroft in early June. 6 Music Artist In Residence (featuring acts such as Manic Street Preachers, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Idles) was moved to a more high-profile schedule time of 9pm, while Marc Riley and Gideon Coe were paired in the 10pm to midnight slot.
6 Music has also brought back Cillian Murphy to his late-night show, although that was not covered by this set of RAJAR figures. Veteran presenter Steve Lamacq stepped down from his weekly show on Friday (October 20) after 18 years”.
Before name-checking some of the wonderful talent on the station and looking ahead to Christmas and why BBC Radio 6 Music have been so essential this year, Music Week chatted with Deb Grant earlier in the year about her new show with Tom Ravensctoft:
“BBC Radio 6 Music's Deb Grant has told Music Week that the quality of new artists is "through the roof".
Grant's station triumphed at the Music Week Awards earlier this year and Samantha Moy is continuing to ring the changes, with supporting emerging talent front and centre in her plans.
New Music Fix Live, a four-day celebration of emerging artists and Glasgow’s music scene, will be broadcast from Monday, November 13 to Thursday, November 16 in extended editions from 7-10pm.
From Monday to Wednesday, Grant and Ravenscroft will broadcast from BBC Pacific Quay studios and their shows will feature sessions from post-punk band CG8, rapper and producer Miso Extra and genre-defying collective Corto.alto, as well as guest mixes from Scottish producers and DJs, Pub, Hudson Mohawke and Rebecca Vasmant. On the Thursday, the show will air from SWG3 in Glasgow, where Sofia Kourtesis will perform live and Sega Bodega will DJ in front of an audience of 6 Music listeners.
With Deb Grant's New Music Fix Daily show alongside co-presenter Tom Ravenscroft bedding into 6 Music's revamped schedule, the DJ sits down with Music Week to hold court on her favourite subject...
How is the new show going so far?
“It feels really cool to have the responsibility of being a conduit for new music on BBC Radio 6 Music. It’s such a new thing for the station and we’ve been given free reign, we’re able to bring in stuff from every genre. Myself and Tom are just getting used to that. We instantly got along and we have a similar sense of humour, our music taste isn’t necessarily always the same. He tends to favour dance music, which isn’t necessarily my area of expertise, so I’ve been learning a lot of new things from him, and I’m bringing in more guitar-based stuff. To be a conduit for new music coming on to the station feels amazing.”
Is there enough new music coming out for you to play?
“Oh my God yes, there’s too much! We get sent new music from artists directly, from pluggers and so does our production team, and it’s completely ramped up recently. There’s only a certain amount of time that we have [to play it] each week, and by the time that week ends, the tracks aren’t necessarily new anymore and you want to make sure the show is fresh and cutting edge, so it’s hard to leave things out. There’s so much amazing new music.”
What do you hope your show does for the industry?
“I’ve always found the system quite weird, because you have so many talented musicians making beautiful music, then you have this period where pluggers are promoting it. Obviously, to make a great show we need great music and we listen to absolutely everything, whether someone approaches us with a demo, or whether it comes from a plugger or a label or wherever, it’s egalitarian in that way. Myself and Tom go to a lot of gigs too, so much stuff that I’ve found or been introduced to has come from seeing support slots at gigs or wandering into shows myself and finding stuff. I hope our show makes the process more egalitarian, making sure that people know that they can send us music themselves. Someone sent Tom this amazing cover version of Heart Shaped Box and we featured it on the show for several nights in a row just because we loved it so much, and that was something that came in directly. My goal is for us to be something that’s accessible to everyone making music. Why shouldn’t it be?”
PHOTO CREDIT: BBC
Given your passion for emerging talent, what does it mean to you to be able to play new music in such a high profile slot?
“When they proposed the show, I was amazed at the amount of freedom. It’s nice to be trusted in that way. I’ve deputised in so many different slots and in some of those the music hasn’t been entirely my own choice. I’ve sat in for Gideon [Coe] where it was three hours of whatever I want, then I’ve done playlisted shows as well. So to have something with such free reign at this time is really unusual, it’s great. I guess they trust us!”
Have you tuned in to the reaction to the show much so far?
“I disengaged from social media when the show started because I didn’t want anything - bad or good - to distract me. It’s much easier to do it when you have a co-host because it just feels like a conversation and you’re not really thinking about what the response might be. It takes a while to find your feet, but there are already people messaging in to say it’s their favourite show on 6. I think they’ve probably needed a show like this on the station for a while.”
The industry has debated the issue of a lack of domestic breakthroughs a lot of late. Is new music in a healthy state?
“With mainstream stuff, it scares me that labels seem to have got the formula down to a fine art. I don’t like how constructed it sometimes is. It’s not a meritocracy a lot of the time, it’s about a combination of factors that labels think will make a good prospect. That’s in terms of the mainstream, in terms of new music that we’re interested in, I’d say it’s in a very healthy state. There are so many artists who in my mind deserve to be incredibly successful. And it’s so hard to be in a band these days. It feels so thankless, you have to do so much work to get your head above the parapet. We’re so saturated, there is almost a jadedness, because people have so much access to new music they take it for granted. I really admire anyone trying to create music that’s different because it’s fucking hard, expensive and all the rest of it, but the quality is through the roof”.
IN THIS PHOTO: Gilles Peterson/PHOTO CREDIT: BBC
I don’t think that the appointment of Tom Ravenscroft in that new slot is, as some have suggested, an attempt to reduce the average age of the station’s listeners. I know there are a load of people in their twenties and thirties that listen to 6. That said, they have a very wide demographic; much wider than sister stations like BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 2 I feel. A more diverse base in terms of musical tastes, sexuality, ethnicity and backgrounds. Their seems to be this community and family vibe one does not really get anywhere else. The schedule the station has now is incredible. Weekday early breakfast is covered by Chris Hawkins who is, possibly, the hardest-working human in broadcasting. Queen Lauren Laverne takes over before handing the baton to Mary Anne Hobbs. With Craig Charles and Huw Stephens broadcasting in the afternoon, we then get Deb Grant and Tom Ravenscroft and their essential New Music Fix. There is the BBC Introducing Mixtape alongside 6 Music Artist in Residence which, this year, has seen Mitski (the current host), The Last Dinner Party and Yeah Yeah Yeahs (among others) share their musical favourites. Riley & Coe ensure that the day ends with real passion and bang. The weekend features, among others, Radcliffe and Maconie and Jamz Supernova. It is a remarkable mix of shows and presenters that confidently sees BBC Radio 6 Music into 2024. Whilst I hope that one or two new names come to the station, the fact that the RAJAR figures keep showing a rise for them means things can’t be tampered with two much. The station announced their Artists of the Year fairly recently – which included everyone from Blur to The Last Dinner Party to boygenius to Say She She to Antony Szmierek (I am surprised that they did not include Iraina Mancini alongside them!). In spite of some minor improvements that one hopes will be addressed – social media stuff and going even further to freshen their schedules – there is plenty of scope. The station could even have their own award ceremony, so lauded and eclectic is their playlists!
Alongside the presenters, there is also that listener interaction and regular features, together with regular guests. You have The Chain on Radcliffe and Maconie’s show. Craig Charles has his Trunk of Punk. Lauren Laverne had weekly contributors such as Professor Hannah Fry and film critics Rhianna Dhillon. I hope Matt Everitt gets more airtime too. His The First Time with… is essential listening! I also loved his New Album Fix series, which I hope that gets more focus in 2024. It is this mix of variety and stability that means people keep tuning in. A station that has its finger on the pulse of new music, I guess it could broaden (artists one would think perfect for the station such as Charli XCX, Olivia Rodrigo are either never played or very infrequently), though they do mix deep cuts, rarer artists and some great new stuff. They are one of the few radio stations who have a balanced playlist in terms of gender. BBC Radio 6 Music is naturally very cool and credible, yet there is never that feeling they alienate anyone and stuff is off limits. So inclusive and all-encompassing, it is a station even more people will be discovering in 2024. Rather than send the presenters each a Christmas present (what kind of budget to you think I work with?!), I thought I would write this feature and more personally – and cheaply and lazily! – nod to the station and its wonderful presenters. I know that they have provided so much comfort to listeners throughout the year. With Christmas (or ‘6Mas’) fast approaching, there will be more cheer, warmth (and maybe some Christmas classics) radiated from one of radio’s jewels! Growing success, new talent, a changed schedule and expanding fanbase, I wanted to offer huge thanks and love…
TO the mighty BBC Radio 6 Music.