I’ve been listening to a Live365 online dixieland radio station for two and a half hours and have heard the same three ads — plus house ads for Live365’s premium service — for the whole time. (Needless to say, I minimized the player and so haven’t seen the banner ads.) I should probably say “Gawd bless you, Premier Inc., NAPA, and Colgate/Irish Spring,” but it’s a pretty sad state of online audio affairs. Goodness knows, I’m rooting for ya.

The promise of Internet radio:

– National, but target-able audience
– Potential for genres that couldn’t survive in terrestrial radio
– At-work audience who aren’t in their cars

The reality:

– Fragmented audiences
– Lack of interest from local advertisers (other than local simulcasts)
– Continuing knock-down, dragged-out fight between Webcasters (DiMA) and copyright board royalty mavens (and, of course, the record labels and music publishers)