ABC Dig Music

LOVE ABC Dig!!! Only 'discovered' you a couple of weeks ago when I got my new digital telly. Needless to say, I now have REAL Music 24 x 7, just the way I like it - great variety, superb quality and YES unpredictable.

Well done!

I have only recently started experiencing the joys of Digital ABC radio so I can't really comment fairly, though I know what I like. So, what follows is not really aimed at Dig Music.

It's great that there is a Digital ABC presence in jazz and pop/alternate pop (or whatever DIG music is). Though I think it would be great if there was also a contemporary/alternate 'classical' music station (i.e featuring music from 1850 - 2010 and a great proportion of Australian composers), to compliment the rather lovely but narrow ABC Classic FM. And an alternate jazz/funk/soul/jazz fusion station which features music other than the over-intellectualised American fare e.g. Jan Garbarek, Brad Mehldau, Sylvain Luc, Biréli Lagrène, etc. (as well as the over-intellectualised American fare - of course).

Thanks for listening, or reading - that's if you did of course. :-))

Hi! Have been a fan of Dig since Sept 08 and love the mix of blues, quirky country and retro rock. Am listening today 3rd May from 8.30 till now 9.45 and have enjoyed most of the selection. I don't like tribal music at all, nothing personal I also dislike some of the mod/rock/experimental type stuff that's jarring to the ears. My preference is for mellow harmonious music, specially blues/soul etc, easy listening but very definitely Dig, not mainstream. Programming has changed since I first found you and loved what I heard, I now often have to turn you off for longer periods even days when you seem to be moving too far from the Digh I know and love. surprise me by all means but pleese, pleese keep it smooth, bluesy and edgy most of the time cause I can't get that mix anywhere else only from you!! It's a format that works, please don't change direction I don't want to lose you!! My constructive criticism aside you're still the only station that plays my type of music (not as much as you used to) Keep it going pleeese!!

Regards Cleo

Hi Cleo, Edward and MusicAndWords,

Thanks for your comments, but please make sure you fill in the actual Survey so we can include your feedback in the results. Click on the big link above (where it says CLICK HERE) to start the Survey.

I've completed the survey, but found that I had a lot to say in the final comments which was a little disappointing. My thoughts below can be added to those "other" comments.

I've been listening to ABC Dig for some time and agree that there should be Classical music and often wondered why there was not. I've begun to get a little better appreciation for Jazz, thanks to ABC Dig Jazz but there are times when I feel lost and unable to recognise music within the jangle of tones - I suppose that might grow on me :)

I highlighted some of the following in my survey, but wondered if others might share their view in public.

I have to confess that I've been listening to ABC Dig less because the announcements during the day are getting longer and repeating themselves. There seems to be a trend that is attempting to make ABC Dig like other radio stations. Until now Dig has been different, which I was eternally grateful for - if I wanted to listen to the radio, I would - Dig was offering me an alternative.

I feel that there is less and less to differentiate Dig from other stations. The announcements are repeated and if you're listening to it all day, it's not unusual to hear the same announcement many times during the week.

Finally, is there a way that the ABC can approach BigPond and get this content, the audio stream to be unmetered, if it were, I'd listen online.

I think I first heard DIG in around '05 or '06 while living in Townsville. I wasn't sure, at first, what I had found. First thoughts were James Cook Uni had gone mad and fired up a station, though I soon found out otherwise. Now I'm in Ballarat and being inside a fair bit means DIG gets a work out. The format is spot on. Here is to many more decades of DIG.

I have completed the survey and thank-you for the opportunity to provide feedback. I have commented similarly to Onno Benschop, the only irritating part of the format is the announcement voice over. Everything else is great and I love the music mix. Well done ABC, you may me happy to pay my taxes! Well, a bit of them anyway ;-)

What ever your doing don't change!
I always get nervous when I see online surveys like this......

I have completed the survey and look forward to receiving the newsletter.

Keep up the good work!

GREAT music, I work from home and listen to ABC dig music all day, but that boring voice of the girl with the same boring corny messages is driving me MAD!!
Please get some variety in regard to presenters, someone a bit more genuine (hopefully a male with a warm voice)

I've completed the survey and I hope my response is of some use to you (it was all good). I didn't mention but I ahve now read other commentaters here and I agree with about the irritating presenter. I listen at work and she pops up far to often with the same tid-bit, like watching ads on tv. I wouldn't mind so much if she was saying some thing different each time, or some thing useful.But with a different voice. Latly it just all sounds very amateur and very unnecessary.
Thanks for listening (I AM enjoying the music!)
Martin

I would have to agree with Onno, Annonymous & Dutchwood by saying the announcements/promos become totally nauseating after the first listen.They have me reaching for the off button quick smart-but I generally hit the on button within five minutes.Aside from that I love 99% of the music. Warm regards

I'm with Cleo on the changes in the playlist in recent years. I used to listen to DiG and nothing else for great stuff you used to only hear live at folk festivals (Waifs, Bluehouse, Deborah Conway, Jodi Martin, Bluehouse etc), but find myself turning off if things get to loud, tribal, or just grating. I still love DiG and will always support it, but getting back to your roots (literally) would be sensational.

Love the variety of music. Don't become an easy listening folk/adult oriented pop music station. I think the strength is that you have some people who don't like all of the music. Some of the stuff isn't my cup of tea - possibly the tribal music actually (although I'm really not sure what tribal music is - African? urban tribal doof doof?) Anyway I like my listening habits being challenged occasionally.

I must admit that I haven't listened for a while due to personal circumstances, so I'm not sure if the 'quirky' station IDs are still happening - the faux funny ones about Schoppenhauer etc., but if they aren't, I'm a happy man. They were one of the few things that really aggravated me about your fine station. Yeah, ok. The announcements of the album of the week with the strange emphases on seemingly random words bugs me a bit too.

Keep up the good work

Brilliant playlist. Soundtrack to my life. Please drop the very crap music news. Let the music play. Gawd bless the ABC.

I'm not entirely sure what's meant by "tribal music". Personaly I love the mix EXACTLY as it is at the moment, and the odd raucous/reggae/gentle hip-hop moments make for the olives in the salad. Most songs are of the well crafted variety so even if a genre is not my cup of tea I still enjoy them.
The announcements, yeah I could do without them but they don't bother me as much as it seems some people, it doesn't happen that often folks, c'mon.
I can understand a bit of self promotion, I guess some people might hear the music at someone else's place, not knowing about Dig.

Thumbs up from me, this is a world-class music station!

Please keep playing more music ! I love this station so much I have trouble turning it off.

For a long time I never thought that I would find something to better radio national, but congratulations, you have achieved it.

Feel free to change the announcements, or turn them off all together, as they can be a bit jarring and annoying.

Just heard "Don't want to know" by the late John Martyn. Marvelous music and a tragic loss. Lucky enough to see him twice in the late '70's in Perth, super slick. One of those gigs was supposed to be with Burt Jansch but some how he apparently broke his hand on the plane. Brandy (aka lunatic soup) ruled in those days. Wonderful memories.