@kkdumez @d_l_mayfield A confluence of things happened: Economic downturn hurt “listener supported” stations causing many to switch to “commercial.” Listening habits changed after 9/11 & during that downturn so… @kkdumez @d_l_mayfield The biggest commercial networks followed their mainstream peers and began testing songs before adding. Testing was flawed because of testing before slimming, testing GREATLY favors the familiar - you get more of what the audience is used to. Radio stopped breaking new artists…

🧵A story about the worst Chinese food and the best conversation I’ve ever had. Both were in Ethiopia in a restaurant that was once an underground gathering for persecuted Christians who had prayed, sung, learned, and shared together under communist rule. 1/ We gathered there to celebrate the communists had lost power, churches were open again, and GOD had grown the Ethiopian church 30x during communist rule. We sang & danced & listened to testimony after testimony while eating kung-pow-I’m-not-sure-what. 2/