[TheOtherHobbes]

How much airplay will unsigned artists get on the 24/7?

This isn't snark, it's a serious question - inspired by the influence 70s and 80s DJs like John Peel had.

They literally made entire careers by playing non-mainstream music no one else would touch. Some of it got a first airing as a demo cassette. Hundreds of bands recorded special sessions for those shows. Some of those sessions became legendary recordings in their own right.

Will this Apple product do anything like that? Or will it be the usual suspects playing the Official Industry Approved Top Downloads list, with no risks of any kind?

[tjl]

Bands like Arcade Fire got big because of radio DJs. Zane Lowe at least tries to discover new artists. I'm sure the other DJs will be similar.

[TheOtherHobbes]

I don't think Zane Lowe's discovery list - which includes a short list of middle-of-the-roaders like Adele and Ed Sheeran - is in quite the same league as John Peel's.

[BruceM]

I still miss John Peel, both for his shows on Radio 1 and, I must admit, Home Truths on Radio 4.