Songs that don't fit format on local radio

[tblanks]

I was listening to Alternative Cleveland WNWV/107.3 FM this morning and heard "Insane In The Brain" by Cypress Hill, a hip-hop song from 1993. I checked and it never charted on the alternative or rock music charts.
This brought to mind the question if anyone has heard a song that didn't seem to match the format on a local radio station? This could be contemporary or in the past.

 

[TheBigA]

It seems to be pretty common. This past summer, a number of country songs received airplay on CHR stations:

Is Country's Presence On CHR Here To Stay, Or Just A One-'Night' Stand?

Morgan Wallen's “Last Night” is No. 5 on Mediabase's Top 40 airplay chart, with Luke Combs' remake of Tracy Chapman's “Fast Car” at 14. Nielsen's June 2023 PPM trends tell

www.countryinsider.com

My view has been that radio formats should be careful not to get too tied to a particular musical genre. If that genre becomes less popular, it will hurt or even kill the radio station. When you look at the Billboard Hot 100, it's pretty obvious that listeners today don't restrict their music taste to a specific genre.

 

[tblanks]

It seems to be pretty common. This past summer, a number of country songs received airplay on CHR stations:

Is Country's Presence On CHR Here To Stay, Or Just A One-'Night' Stand?

Morgan Wallen's “Last Night” is No. 5 on Mediabase's Top 40 airplay chart, with Luke Combs' remake of Tracy Chapman's “Fast Car” at 14. Nielsen's June 2023 PPM trends tell

www.countryinsider.com

My view has been that radio formats should be careful not to get too tied to a particular musical genre. If that genre becomes less popular, it will hurt or even kill the radio station. When you look at the Billboard Hot 100, it's pretty obvious that listeners today don't restrict their music taste to a specific genre.

2023 has been an unusual year for country crossover high on the pop charts (Hot AC, top 40/CHR, etc). Not sure if this is because of a "strong" country product or "weak" pop product? Music also goes in cycles as fads come and go.

 

[TheBigA]

2023 has been an unusual year for country crossover high on the pop charts (Hot AC, top 40/CHR, etc). Not sure if this is because of a "strong" country product or "weak" pop product?

Or both. The fact is that the country format has become popular because it's been open to playing music that might not be seen as traditional country. Jelly Roll is a great example. There are some artists on country radio who began as alternative or hip-hop acts, but shifted their focus to country in order to get currents-based radio airplay, something that's hard to get in other formats. The strength of country radio makes it easier for new artists to get attention.

 

[Delete My Account]

It wasn't uncommon on alternative radio in some markets in the 90s to hear that Cypress Hill track, House of Pain's "Jump Around" or other outlying hip-hop. Some stations even played "99 Problems" by Jay Z for a minute. Byron Cooke's "X 103-9" experiment in Santa Cruz and a few others tried to lean into it as part of an alt/modern rock format, but it didn't really grow into a broader trend.

 

[CleveRadioInsider]

I was listening to Alternative Cleveland WNWV/107.3 FM this morning and heard "Insane In The Brain" by Cypress Hill, a hip-hop song from 1993. I checked and it never charted on the alternative or rock music charts.
This brought to mind the question if anyone has heard a song that didn't seem to match the format on a local radio station? This could be contemporary or in the past.

In the early 90s didn't Amy Grant and Michael W Smith who are both Christian artists chart a bunch of songs on AC stations?

 

[JackindaBox]

Yes.

 

[johnbasalla]

In the early 90s didn't Amy Grant and Michael W Smith who are both Christian artists chart a bunch of songs on AC stations?

Amy Grant was on a Christian label, and then started a secular music career on A&M records. Her first Billboard Top 40 hit being "Find A Way in 1985. She enjoyed four Top 10 hits in a row beginning with the chart-topping Pop hit "Baby Baby" in 1991. She continued to have hit single success through 1995 with her remake of "Big Yellow Taxi".

Michael W. Smith also made it into the "Hot 100" Top 10 in 1991 with "Place In This World". The song was co-written by Amy Grant and appeared on the Christian based label, Reunion (probably distributed by a major label). "For You" was the follow-up single and in 1992, "I Will Be Here For You" was a #1 Adult Contemporary hit and a #27 "Hot 100" hit.

 

[radiocph]

In the early 90s didn't Amy Grant and Michael W Smith who are both Christian artists chart a bunch of songs on AC stations?

Michael W Smith, had one crossover song: "A Place In This World" in 1991.

Amy Grant "went secular" around that same year with her "Heart in Motion" album (though certain of her earlier songs such as "Everywhere I Go" and "Find A Way" did get some secular airplay). She moved back towards CCM/Gospel in the early 2000s

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

Yikes.. i looked up the lyrics to insane in the brain. it has an objectionable word or two in it.

I play it conservative, programming wise..... and i would not play that song on KSKO, despite the fact we play a whole ton of other stuff

 

[MediaLover]

Insane In The Brain was also played on 92.3 Xtreme Radio when it was launched.

 

[kevtronics]

Amy Grant "went secular" around that same year with her "Heart in Motion" album (though certain of her earlier songs such as "Everywhere I Go" and "Find A Way" did get some secular airplay).

They were pushing her as the wholesome, God-fearing alternative to Madonna.

 

[tblanks]

Insane In The Brain was also played on 92.3 Xtreme Radio when it was launched.

Should some older hip-hop tracks from the 90's be included on today's alternative rock stations?

 

[TheBigA]

Should some older hip-hop tracks from the 90's be included on today's alternative rock stations?

That's up to the research. But my casual anecdotal answer is that the demo for those two formats is very similar, and they aren't always exclusive. It's not unusual for a an alternative artist to have an interest in hip hop, or vice versa. In other words, genres aren't as formal as they used to be. A radio station can hurt itself if it stays too provincial. That applies to any format. I was amazed at how many country fans know L'il Naz X.