Music media in Italy

There are an abundance of paper, on-line and broadcast media in Italy that cover all genres of music.

When most Italians were illiterate, well into early 20th century, villagers depended on live musicians, called cantastorie to learn about current events; that was their music media, but the tradition is dying in the 21st century.[1]

Many Italian magazines about music now maintain a presence on the Internet with on-line versions of their Italian music.

Broadcast media

Nationwide, the state-run broadcasting network, RAI (Radio audizioni italiane), provides three TV channels and three AM or FM radio channels. There are also three private TV networks, run by the Mediaset company, which has been criticized for its mindless and poor programming as Merdaset.[2] All provide live or recorded music many hours per week. At the height of his power, Silvio Berlusconi essentially controlled the media scene in Italy, which included music.[3] Berlusconi has been credited with boosting the careers of musicians such as Cristina D'Avena.[4] He has also been criticized by musicians.[1]

Many large cities in Italy have local TV stations, as well, which may provide live folk or dialect music often of interest only to the immediate area. Additionally, there are many hundreds of private FM radio stations broadcasting in Italy, with much of the programming devoted to music.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Ghiglione, Giorgio (8 March 2026). "Singing the news: the story of Italy's last 'cantastorie' – still performing in his 90s: Famous for combining true crime and political scandals into songs – and antagonising Silvio Berlusconi – Franco Trincale keeps the tradition alive in his nursing home". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
  2. ↑ Trafaglio, Marco (4 July 2020). "Merdaset". ilfattoquotidiano.it. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
  3. ↑ "Italy media guide". British Broadcasting Company (BBC). 3 July 2023. Retrieved 7 August 2026. Italy's heady blend of politics and media has sometimes led to concerns about the concentration of media ownership in the hands of former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi. Mr Berlusconi's Mediaset owns Italy's top private TV stations, and the public broadcaster, Rai, has traditionally been subject to political influence, so that when Mr Berlusconi was prime minister, he was able to exert tight control over both public and private broadcasting.
  4. ↑ "BEFORE HE WAS PRIME MINISTER, SILVIO BERLUSCONI HELPED LAUNCH THE CAREERS OF POPULAR ITALIAN MUSICIANS: The entrepreneur & Italian politician, who died Monday, is also remembered for his music career and helping artists like Cristina D'Avena". Billboard Italy. 12 June 2023. Retrieved 7 August 2026. But before his career in politics, record labels he formed in the 1980s and 1990s helped launch the careers of popular Italian artists like Cristina D'Avena, Sabrina Salerno, Ambra Angiolini and Francesco Salvi.
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