Can too much familiarity in a playlist cause tune-out?

[tall_guy1]

This is kind of a companion thread to another one of mine, but does playing too many familiar songs that the listeners have already heard a million times cause tune-out? For example, many iHeart alternative and even Cumulus do this, where they select songs that are "tried and true" for their playlist, but the station falters in the ratings, and sounds boring to the listener in comparison to other stations. I've seen this happen other times on other stations, usually playing a lot of songs that were big hits, but had a lot of wear. What are your thoughts?

 

[landtuna]

Yes, but only if you have a desirable alternative to listen to. For instance, in Phoenix we have KOOL-FM (oldies, although it is a stretch to use that term with their playlist any longer) and KSLX-FM (Classic Rock). KSLX has a tighter playlist than KOOL and it can get repetitive BUT if you like their playlist you won't find going back to KOOL satisfying so you stay with KSLX. In markets with two Oldies outlets you can switch between them. Here, I just give up the radio and plug in my thumbdrive and listen to my own music mix.

 

[davideduardo]

This is kind of a companion thread to another one of mine, but does playing too many familiar songs that the listeners have already heard a million times cause tune-out?

Stations do music testing periodically to see which songs have gone from "familiar favorites" to "burnt out". Each station that conducts research knows both the "familiarity" and the relative score on a scale. Songs that have high burn may be either slowed way down in rotation or removed from play.

For example, many iHeart alternative and even Cumulus do this, where they select songs that are "tried and true" for their playlist, but the station falters in the ratings, and sounds boring to the listener in comparison to other stations.

With alternative, you are talking about perhaps the most polarized mainstream format. I've been at alternative music tests, and a group that "likes alternative" or listens to the alternative station will subdivide into highly fragmented subsets. The songs one group loves are hated by another group and barely tolerated by another.

I've seen this happen other times on other stations, usually playing a lot of songs that were big hits, but had a lot of wear. What are your thoughts?

Stations that play mostly or all non-current music have to play familiar favorites. They can't play little known songs and "make" them hits as the chance to do that expired back when the song was a current. Secondary songs... ones that did OK but were not big... generally do worse over time (yeah, there are exceptions but they are very, very few).

On stations that play gold and currents, the purpose of playing older songs is to keep the station familiar enough to avoid playing too many very new, far less familiar songs.

 

[TheBigA]

A lot of this discussion revolves around the target audience and the format. We find that a typical current song is just starting to become familiar as it reaches the Top 10. Any currents-based station isn't playing music older than the last few years, and that includes CHR, country, or urban. One station can't serve every listener. Radio stations are programmed with the assumption that listeners will switch stations sometime during the listening period. My comment to anyone who's tired of certain songs on gold-based stations is to listen to a currents station for a week. You'll hear lots of songs and artists you've never heard before.

 

[b-turner]

Only one point I can add. Radio programs by consensus. In other words, to get as many as possible to stop and listen to your station. People listen to stations for several reasons. Many listen for a familiar background to their day. One small market owner summed it up this way: we want to be the favorite of a few but the best choice for as many as possible. So, you might be saying it's the same old tired songs but out of the choices on the dial, is it the better choice? If it is, they might have done their homework right.

 

[CTListener]

A lot of this discussion revolves around the target audience and the format. We find that a typical current song is just starting to become familiar as it reaches the Top 10. Any currents-based station isn't playing music older than the last few years, and that includes CHR, country, or urban. One station can't serve every listener. Radio stations are programmed with the assumption that listeners will switch stations sometime during the listening period. My comment to anyone who's tired of certain songs on gold-based stations is to listen to a currents station for a week. You'll hear lots of songs and artists you've never heard before.

Cue the grumbling about rap, lack of talent, Auto-Tune, "The Beatles were better," etc.

 

[Kent]

This is kind of a companion thread to another one of mine, but does playing too many familiar songs that the listeners have already heard a million times cause tune-out? For example, many iHeart alternative and even Cumulus do this, where they select songs that are "tried and true" for their playlist, but the station falters in the ratings, and sounds boring to the listener in comparison to other stations. I've seen this happen other times on other stations, usually playing a lot of songs that were big hits, but had a lot of wear. What are your thoughts?

As David points out, songs are typically tested so those that burn out or become too familiar get dropped.

I worked for Cumulus not quite 15 years ago, and it was very much programmed from the top-down. I understand that has been changing with new management, but, at the time, you did what your brand manager told you and didn't question it. The irony in programming, though, when I was there was that the formats that focused more on familiar music were the company's most successful. At the time, there were only 2 or 3 CHR's in the entire company that were beating their competition in their target demographic. Yes, you read that correctly. Out of the large number of CHR's it had that had competitors, you could literally count on one hand the number that were winning. The company had a much better success rate with country, AC and rock formats.

 

[landtuna]

Cue the grumbling about rap, lack of talent, Auto-Tune, "The Beatles were better," etc.

"Grumbling" is an evaluation you don't agree with.

You missed one though......Video DID kill the radio star.