... there are a lot of pretty average radio stations out there that play music which most musicians find uninspiring.
Well, that assumes that most musicians need more esoteric music in order to enjoy it or to be inspired. Perhaps I'm an exception, but I find just as much joy listening to The Monkees as I do Steely Dan. I'm just as excited and inspired by Ringo as I am Buddy Rich. I listen to and can appreciate everything from ABBA to Zappa. I know musicians and non-musos who just can't open their ears - or mind - to certain music. It's kinda too bad for them. I have my preferences, but I don't absolutely hate anything. People flip when they learn the ridiculous variety of music in my 3,000+ CD collection.
But I'll agree that most stations play a consistent type or genre of music, and that's really just about having an appealing format. Not so much appealing to the listener, but appealing to the advertisers who target the kind of audience that listens to certain types and genres of music.
So on a mainstream station with a demographic of young people, you would hear ads for the a show on the CW network, or the upcoming Twilight movie, or the KIA Soul. But on a jazz station for example, you'd be more likely to hear an ad for Austin City Limits or maybe Guitar Center.
Basically, if a station's format brings in ad dollars, they stick with it. If it doesn't work, they change formats - it happens all the time.
Ad dollars drive pretty much everything. You don't think Facebook is there to simply facilitate connecting with friends, do you? They want to attract as many people - and their friends - to the site to be bombarded with ads from advertisers hoping those people will click on them and buy something. Same with MySpace. YouTube, Google, magazines, etc etc.
Anyway, if music on the radio is trash, or great, or somewhere in-between, it exists that way simply because that station is making money by playing those songs.
Bermuda