Music

Comparing musical differences in Toronto's alternative radio stations

by Mark Teo

As a city, Toronto’s lucky to have two different alternative-radio stations: Edge 102, the station descended from the legendary CFNY, and Indie88, the upstart launched in 2013. While both stations have their differences in programming, for many listeners, their chosen alt-radio channel boils down to a series of choices: Do you identify with the established heavy hitter, or the new kid? Whose on-air hosts do you prefer? Dean Blundell: Yes or no?

But ultimately, supporters of Edge 102 and Indie88 will likely argue that their choice boils down to one thing: The music. An infographic assembled by Completely Ignored—via Cam Gordon—shows that the playlists might not be all that dissimilar.

Gordon’s sampling, taken from the first week of January 2015, found a few differences between the stations: Edge 102’s top-played artist, Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker, didn’t rank in Indie88’s top 25. Indie 88’s sixth-most played artist, the New Pornographers, similarly didn’t chart on the Edge’s most-played. Each station championed different Canadian acts: CFNY placed City and Colour, Death From Above 1979, Billy Talent, K-OS (???), and July Talk in their top 25; CIND, meanwhile, chose Tokyo Police Club, Alvvays, Sam Roberts, Stars, and the Rural Alberta Advantage.

Those are the differences. But here are the similarities: eight of Indie88’s top 10 artists appeared in the Edge’s top 25. Meanwhile, nearly half of both stations’ top 25 were the same: They both regularly play Foo Fighters, Arcade Fire, Mother Mother, the Black Keys, Lorde, and so on.

Check out Gordon’s infographic below.

Check out Completely Ignored here for more hilarious, informative, and insightful infographics. Which Toronto radio station is your go-to?