Another class act and program - Nick Francis/QuietMusic

[majaman78]

Nick Francis is kind of a pioneer of the NAC/Smooth Jazz format for over the past 20 years.

We lost his QuietMusic program here in Jacksonville when they switched formats, but I loved listening to QuietMusic every Sunday night.

I've conversed with Nick during the past few years about how the format has been dumbed down over the past 10 years or so. He agreed with all of my prior points that SJ was going AC, but that's what radio in general was going through...more convoluted and a general "sameness" no matter what format you listen to.

Nick has a pretty esoteric playlist which I really enjoy...http://www.quietmusic.com/playlist.asp

You can still hear QuietMusic Sunday morning @ 8:00 a.m. streaming here...http://www.1075wjzz.com/home.asp (click on listen live).

These conglomerates like Clear Channel basically ruined any creativity, but I blame the public here as well. With the exception of most of the posters on this board, I believe the general population likes hearing the same 50 tunes played over and over and over.

So the internet is our only salvation, like AC Tones programming which is exceptional and getting better by the day. Can't wait for the day we can get a mobile internet connection for our autos...then we can get the programming we always wanted and screw terrestrial radio.

 

[ihEARDtHAT]

I too am a big fan of Quiet Music. It plays on KYOT/Phoenix from 7-10am on Sunday morning. A cup of coffee on the patio, reading the Sunday paper and listening to Quiet Music.

Nick does provide a very diverse playlist (as mentioned in the original post. You can also see the playlist for a few weeks back) though he does have his favorite artists that appear almost every week.

 

[AC Tones]

I'll definitely check it out, Mark. An interesting playlist for sure. Nice stuff for a Sunday morning. And thanks again for your kind words and continued support of "The .wav"

Chris

 

[Bill Harmonic]

Quiet Music is a very unique, eclectic and top quality program (very NPRish) but you better have a lot of music geeks in your audience to really benefit from it. I had it on my station since 2000 (its still there) and the ratings have been and will remain only so-so. Very hard for sales weazels to get their hands around because they have enough trouble selling the regular format. Most listeners I've talked (over 450 one on ones in the last 3 years) to say it's too hip for the room. It's also not attractive to the urban audience and if that's 30%-40% of your base then you've got trouble. By the way, there hasn't been a new program in quite some time so you won't hear any current music. The Earl Klugh CD "Naked Guitar" which came out in late 2005 (and gets played almost every week) is still being touted as "new". Great stuff for the people who comment on this board but only the most intelligent and knowledgeable who listen to you on a regular basis will be back week after week.

 

[majaman78]

Quiet Music is a very unique, eclectic and top quality program (very NPRish) but you better have a lot of music geeks in your audience to really benefit from it. I had it on my station since 2000 (its still there) and the ratings have been and will remain only so-so. Very hard for sales weazels to get their hands around because they have enough trouble selling the regular format. Most listeners I've talked (over 450 one on ones in the last 3 years) to say it's too hip for the room. It's also not attractive to the urban audience and if that's 30%-40% of your base then you've got trouble. By the way, there hasn't been a new program in quite some time so you won't hear any current music. The Earl Klugh CD "Naked Guitar" which came out in late 2005 (and gets played almost every week) is still being touted as "new". Great stuff for the people who comment on this board but only the most intelligent and knowledgeable who listen to you on a regular basis will be back week after week.

What program does great ratings on a Sunday morning or evening? I like chill With Mindi Abair but that's another show that gets pigeon-holed in some unforsaken time slot. But I have read it does well....against exactly what, I don't know, but more than likely some public affairs programming.

No new Quietmusic programming? I'm not a regular listener so I didn't pick that up. Since this type of music isn't played anywhere else it's tough to keep up with new releases.

Unfortunately it's a program that more than likely has run its course. Maybe Nick should repackage it to NPR since it does have that type appeal.

 

[AnotherCat]

Nick has a new adventure doing all these really creative remixes and mashups but with a lot of context and using adult oriente material. Yeah, I should go find the link before I posted this. I'll do that tomorrow.

 

[Bill Harmonic]

Nick's blog is called "Musicina Blender," as in "music in a blender." http://musicinablender.tumblr.com/

 

[billengguy]

Got the word on Friday, Oct 31, that Quiet Music will cease as of the last weekend in January. Nick is apparently doing other things, but Quiet Music will not be one of them. This is an excellent show and I hate to see it go.

 

[Bill Harmonic]

Nick said he intends to resurrect the show in February 2009 on quietmusic.com. I would guess that it will be like Musical Starstreams (on RadioIo) in that it's everything that's already in the can but without the spots.

 

[AnotherCat]

I'm with Bill H on this one. I think you could do a show that provided a musical escape - created a mood that is kind of a meditative yoga music vibe - but with music that is not quite as "out there." I did something like that as a lark on Live365.com back when it was affordable. It was basically to turn instructors who were teaching Body-mind type classes (Yoga, Pilates, and hybrids) on to some music so they would quit using Enya all the time, and for some clients I had who wanted something different to listen to in their offices. It took off, I was always maxed out for listeners and got tons of e-mails..much more response than for my trad SJ show. But then I have about 8 live music test opps a week with this stuff-my classes.

Nick is great and I love what he does but again it comes back to melody..a lot of the QM songs are really abstract and improv-y but if you're not a music geek it's hard to wrap around it.

 

[JakeLongwell]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread. I've been away from the board for a while. I wanted to echo the sentiments about QM. It's a great show. I listen on KNIK. Hopefully, Nick will allow radio stations to carry the new version of the show.

If not, a similar show that is well worth listening to is called Landscapes, heard Sundays starting at 6:30 a.m. on WLOQ and www.wloq.com

By the way, not trying to toot my own horn here, but I will soon be launching a new show I call Lake Air, named after the old WLKA-FM which was the station that got me into this music in the first place. It won't be a "smmoth Jazz" show in the modern sense. Rather, it will have the sound and feel of the NAC format of the late 80s/early 90s with some contemporary music thrown in for good measure. Initially, it will air locally on WHWS-LP in Geneva, NY. When the show gets off the ground, I'll be sure and let this board know. I'd love everyone's feedback.

 

[majaman78]

Quiet Music is a very unique, eclectic and top quality program (very NPRish) but you better have a lot of music geeks in your audience to really benefit from it. I had it on my station since 2000 (its still there) and the ratings have been and will remain only so-so. Very hard for sales weazels to get their hands around because they have enough trouble selling the regular format. Most listeners I've talked (over 450 one on ones in the last 3 years) to say it's too hip for the room. It's also not attractive to the urban audience and if that's 30%-40% of your base then you've got trouble. By the way, there hasn't been a new program in quite some time so you won't hear any current music. The Earl Klugh CD "Naked Guitar" which came out in late 2005 (and gets played almost every week) is still being touted as "new". Great stuff for the people who comment on this board but only the most intelligent and knowledgeable who listen to you on a regular basis will be back week after week.

Gee Bill I just noticed your Harmonic Lounge show replaced Quietmusic in a few outlets.

Your playlists look quite similar, so I'm surprised at some your quotes above.

Good luck with it, I'll check it out this coming Sunday on WXJZ.

 

[Bill Harmonic]

Hey Majaman 78...Thanks for the shout out. I stand by what I said about Quiet Music because those were just the facts but also believe me when I say I was a HUGE fan because I'm one of those music geeks. I have a great deal of respect for Nick and what he did but I also see an opportunity to do my own thing. I have come full circle in that I started out doing a highly successful smooth jazz show in the early 80's (and in Gainesville of all places) so I'm back where I work best. Yes, there are some similarities in what QM played and what I'm doing with tempo and texture but after a period of time, I think you hear the difference. The Lounge has a different goal than QM and the foundation is different. I'm putting together three hours that are commerically eclectic and even though the show if perfect for smooth jazz stations, I'm also after AC's and that will be the difference between QM and the HL. I feel the best show so far will be the one for March 1st and that should give you a better idea of what I'm trying to achieve. It's always a work in progress and I'll look forward to any comments you might have.

 

[ihEARDtHAT]

Guess I am lucky here in Phoenix. KYOT shelled out some money to Nick Francis and he has continued to produce Quiet Music. If interested, you can catch the internet stream at http://www.kyot.com on Sunday mornings from 7:00 to 10:00am MST.