ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses transformations in the organisation of work and labour in music radio production that have come about due to technological change, the implementation of social network media in production and the push towards more interactivity and user-generated content. It discusses commercial music radio, which is often called 'format radio' due to the fact that the majority of commercial music stations produce 'programmes' according to a format. Work and production within the media industries share many traits with other forms of white-collar labour. In the early 2000s, the possibilities for control and automation were further advanced through the implementation of digital studio technologies and on-air systems for broadcasting. Management slowly moved away from centralised control and automation, the disc jockeys (DJs) and the audience got more direct influence over content and playlists, DJs were given expanded manoeuvring space for producing and distributing content and control through so-called 'temporal cueing' was loosened.
