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WSJ: Pop music falling flat

It's a mess right now. And you can tell things are getting desperate. For all the hype we see from some posters here the truth is highlighted in this article. People just aren't connecting with it. The style is all over the map right now and it just doesn't invigorate people.

My hope is for Rhythmic CHR to replace some of the CHR Mainstreams that aren't performing as well.
 
This is the kind of article you expect from Entertainment Tonight, not the Wall Street Journal.

But yes, we've been saying this since the pandemic. Not much excitement in pop. If radio is depending on pop music to deliver audience, they're in trouble.

The song of the summer is A Bar Song (Tipsy) by Shaboozey.
 
This caught my attention:

Making it worse, major stars aren’t doing full-fledged campaigns like they usually do.

For years, pop acts have thought of themselves in terms of “eras” or “chapters”—ambitious, meticulously crafted promotional cycles that helped them build narratives, demonstrate personal or artistic growth and (of course) sell albums and concert tickets. Ideally, these eras created a colorful imaginative universe for fans and, over time, helped radio turn successful hits into inescapable ones.

But lately, some artists’ promotional activities have seemed clipped.
Click to expand...

Where do we usually get these campaigns? In radio. We're the ones who provide some of that 'narrative' they're talking about. But the big stars don't use the media the way they used to. They just throw the spaghetti at the wall and wait for the audience to find it.

Of course that only applies to pop music, where the artists get pampered.

In country, the artists work harder, and integrate more with the fans and the media. For example, last week was CMA Fest in Nashville. Country music's biggest stars plus a few pop stars hung out with fans in the downtown bars until early morning. Post Malone and Blake Shelton made a surprise midnight appearance at Blake's Ole Red bar. Post never did anything like that for pop music. Now he had a cross-genre smash with Morgan Wallen. He can see the difference between just releasing music the way they do in pop, and all the fan integration that happens in country.

www.etonline.com

Blake Shelton Gives Surprise Performance With Post Malone at CMA Fest

Blake Shelton and Post Malone debuted their new song, 'Somebody Pour Me a Drink,' in Nashville.
www.etonline.com www.etonline.com
 
Are gold songs still large now on playlists? I notice more on the CHRs in the "home of the Chiefs" but don't know if the rest of the country is doing that.
 
Kelly A said:
Let's see, comparing pop music with a country song that (as usual) has the title and lyrics: "Somebody Pour Me A Drink"?
Somehow the two target demos just don't line up.
Click to expand...

Go to any current country star concert in any town. You'll see CHR demos.

The fans don't perceive a difference.
 
Theater of My Mind said:
We all know you're country music's biggest cheerleader but please stop trying to gaslight everyone here with this stuff.
Click to expand...

No gaslight or gas. Just go to a show. Tell me what you see. Morgan Wallen is a regular CHR artist.

I posted this here last year. It's still current now:

www.countryinsider.com

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 www.countryinsider.com
 
At the risk of sounding like a get off my lawn person, there needs to be a return of real musicians to pop music instead of what passes for talent being released today.
 
JJSPC said:
At the risk of sounding like a get off my lawn person, there needs to be a return of real musicians to pop music instead of what passes for talent being released today.
Click to expand...
You're asking for too much. The Internet and Social Media have created an environment where EVERYONE thinks they are worthy of fame. Real musicians are motivated by the craft of songwriting and performing. The Monkees were once scorned as being contrived, but they actually had real musical talent with Micky Dolenz and Mike Nesmith. The "Pop" music they released far outclasses anything being churned out today...
 
tbolt909 said:
You're asking for too much. The Internet and Social Media have created an environment where EVERYONE thinks they are worthy of fame. Real musicians are motivated by the craft of songwriting and performing. The Monkees were once scorned as being contrived, but they actually had real musical talent with Micky Dolenz and Mike Nesmith. The "Pop" music they released far outclasses anything being churned out today...
Click to expand...
The Monkees also had the advantage of the British Invasion dominating Pop music for a couple of years. A lot of American Songwriters were not having a lot of commercial success so the producers had a lot of talented writers' songs to choose from. Niel Diamond, Boyce & Hart, Etc. Just Google "who wrote the Monkees songs ". Very impressive list. The group members also wrote songs too which IMHO is a good thing.
 
JJSPC said:
At the risk of sounding like a get off my lawn person, there needs to be a return of real musicians to pop music instead of what passes for talent being released today.
Click to expand...

How do you do that? It sounds like you're trying to set guidelines on popular taste.

Consult PT Barnum on that.
 
Ironic timing on this article.

These two also came this week, talking about the strength of current pop music.

Catalog Hits Were Soaring on the Charts. Why Have They Fallen Off in 2024?


Last month, there was this:

www.billboard.com

This Is the Best Start to a Year We’ve Had in Pop This Decade (Essay)

Thanks to Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, Drake and a lot of new and rising artists, pop music in 2024 is in its best place so far this decade.
www.billboard.com www.billboard.com

On top of all of that press, much of it injected with opinion, the proof is in the pudding at radio. Multiple CHR's in PPM markets have had shares trending up so far in 2024, especially in the spring.
WHTZ. KDWB. KIIS. WKZL. KKRZ. KBFF. WDCG. WXKS. WLDI. KHKS. KBKS. KQMV. KUDD. WKST.

Quite frankly, this is the best CHR has been in over 4 years. Perhaps as far back as 2018.
A healthy pop music cycle is good for pop radio, which is good for radio as a whole. I, for one, am hoping to see it continue.
 
When your Country stations are playing Marshmello - Miles On It and A Bar Song, and Morgan Wallen releases songs with hip hop tracks instead of guitars, the line between pop and country is blurred more and more.

Post Malone is doing Country, same guy who was doing mumble rap a few years ago. Whatever he can be successful with.
 
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