Their work means that 6 is now well established as a discovery tool, and has been instrumental in breaking many acts, from the esoteric likes of Jockstrap to the mainstream adjacent Idles and Fontaines DC.
For the industry, getting featured on the 6 Music playlist is a direct route into a dedicated audience of music obsessives. “Mary Anne seeks stuff out on SoundCloud – she
always has, actively finding our new artists,” says Moy. “[Pre-pandemic], people like Steve would go out to shows and think, ‘There’s something in this.’ That’s always been a yardstick for him. Right now, we’re all relying on our gut a bit more.” While the daytime roster has remained largely the same, Moy has been quick to recognise the role that on-demand radio has to play in 2021, shaking up the overnight schedule with Artist In Residence shows hosted by the likes of Arlo Parks, Loyle Carner, Robyn and Cillian Murphy. Listeners can dip in and out via the BBC Sounds app, a ploy that’s already bearing fruit. Ratings recently revealed that Murphy’s show was in the Top 5 on BBC Sounds in 2020’s final quarter, helping the platform reach a record 4.3 million music plays.
Moy hints that the star actor will be back. “Cillian is part of the 6 Music family and he always has a home here,” she says. “He is a gifted storyteller and passionate music fan and so to be able to share his wonderful programmes is a privilege. To see his programme as one of the most popular on BBC Sounds is immensely gratifying because it demonstrates that what Cillian has put together connects.”
They also trialled a new way of listening for it. “Where traditionally a show like Cillian’s would be broadcast on a Sunday and you’d wait a whole week for the next episode, we enabled the audience to enjoy the next week’s episode via BBC Sounds when they wanted,” Moy beams.
adapted – and we’ve done it quickly, and safely.”
Have you been able to think about how you want to evolve 6?
“Yes, I have – that’s why I got the job. I’ve been thinking about these things for a very, very long time. I do want to develop 6 Music. I want it to have meaning for more music lovers in this nation. There’s no RAJARs, but that’s great. It gives a period of experimentation, all within the confines of, ‘This is how we have to make radio now, it can’t be the same.’ Our last [recorded] listener base is 2.5 million. That’s fantastic really, when you think about it, and I’m very proud of that figure. There are a lot of people who like what we do, but we have the opportunity to say, ‘There could be more people that really like what we do, but how do we engage them? How do we get them to know about us?’”
How big can you go? Is three million realistic? “RAJARS go up and down along the way. As long as we stay true to who we are, we keep making new friends and building relevance, I’m happy.”
Moy is no stranger to cross-platform work within the BBC, and has spearheaded the annual 6 Music Festival since its launch in 2014. For its first virtual incarnation this month, she’s focusing on reaching new listeners. The 2020 festival was one of the last live music events in a pre-pandemic world, taking over Camden with a line-up that included Jehnny Beth, Brittany Howard, Squid and Kae Tempest.
Like everything else at 6, it was a group effort. Talking to Moy, she’s modest, keen to sing the praises of her team (“The hard work is the logistics, I don’t do it on my own. I really don’t”). Her passion is clear, and you get the impression her era will be one of quiet excellence. Rather than a bolshy, rip it up and start again strategy, this is a natural evolution for someone who has been embedded in the station for a decade. The future may still be uncertain, but not at 6 Music, where Moy intends to ensure only positive evolution, as we discover when we discuss her ambitions for the station and why change is key...
What were your priorities on taking on your new role? “My priority was to keep us on air. The pandemic changed the way we make radio overnight. Usually, production teams are in with the DJs – Shaun Keaveny calls it the goldfish bowl – and you create your own little environment. But now, everyone is on rotation. It’s quite isolating. You’ve got to preserve people’s wellbeing and also think, ‘If presenters have to isolate, who is going to step in? Can they drive the desk? Are they local? Can they get here without travelling through various tiers?’ It’s giving me the fear just talking about it. But we have
musicweek.com
changed radio overnight” SAMANTHA MOY
“When I got the job, my priority was to keep us on air. The pandemic
6 of the trade: Brittany Howard and Steve Lamacq (top) and Lauren Laverne with Paul Weller at last year’s 6 Music Festival in London
But you’re currently the No.1 digital radio station. Is maintaining that spot important? “It’s almost like, ‘Oh, look, we’re No.1. How did that happen?!’ Honestly, it’s about increasing how many music lovers listen to our radio station. I don’t mean so much like [showing off], ‘Oh, we’re No.1!’ It is a great radio station, and the people that know it, love it. But some people don’t know that we exist – awareness is a challenge for us. When you speak to some people, and they hear the name 6 Music, it’s like, ‘Well, that’s far away from the number one. Does that mean you’re not as good?’ Well, no, it doesn’t mean that.”
So, what can you do to increase awareness?
“You’re seeing the shoots of what we’re doing with our overnight schedule. We just had Cillian’s brilliant 12-part series. We have such a strong linear proposition with Lauren and Mary Anne, Shaun and Steve in daytime. Brilliant weekend shows – Cerys [Matthews], Iggy [Pop] on Friday night – but with the on-demand proposition, listeners can have a cut of 6 exactly as [and when] they want. As well as that, we’ve launched Artists In Residence. We ask an artist that we feel is very us to come and be with us for a short amount of time – six weeks, 10 weeks. They come and play the music they want to play. Our next one will be Phoebe Bridgers. The idea is that these artists bring their fans into 6.”
Can you sum up the part 6 Music plays in launching the careers of emerging artists?
“Well, the clue for me is the fact that – and it’s a staggering statistic – 82% of our playlist in a week is from independent labels. That’s part of our core, so we want to give those artists a platform and be part of their development. And not just with Arlo. If you take an artist like Idles, it goes from Lammo seeing them in Bristol, playing lots of their early music and then the progression through to studio sessions and the festival. One of the first sessions that we had back in Maida Vale, when lockdown eased a little last September, was for their No.1 album, Ultra Mono. It’s lovely to see those journeys happen. You know you’ve been a part of what they’ve achieved.”
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PHOTOS: BBC
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