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Artists that seem to "drop off."
- Thread starter tall_guy1
- Start date
That's exactly what happened to Hootie & The Blowfish. Their first album was HUGE. Their second one was a rush-job trainwreck.
I know about one hit wonders. I'm talking about artists that become a little bit established and then falling away in a few years. Meghan Trainor is a good example. She had a handful of radio hits, people still know who she is, but no longer gets radio airplay. She's different than say Nico and vinz who were only known for"am I wrong."
Are you saying "All About That Bass" doesn't get airplay? Or that she should get radio airplay for songs that aren't hits?
Meghan Trainor is a very good example. She put out several songs that were just as good as some of her earlier hits. Take her song "No." Why didn't this song get significant radio airplay? Can anyone argue that it was not as good as her hits from her first album? What about "Dear Future Husband?"
Dear Future Husband was her third single and it peaked at #11
No was the first single from her second album and it peaked at #3. How is that not "significant airplay?"
Critically speaking, her second album wasn't as good as the first, and sales reflected that. Radio stuck with her based on her name recognition and support for the second album, but it clearly wasn't as good. She falls into the category I mentioned where she has all this success off her first album, tours heavily, and doesn't give as much attention to the follow-up. The follow-up was released about 16 months after her debut. Obviously too rushed. After that, she was over.
She really is a one-hit wonder. All About That Bass was a phenomenon. It sold 10 million copies. Nothing she's released since has come close. This is not a radio problem.
Compared to her other songs - even the ballad she did with Charlie Puth (the name escapes me) - CHR stations did not want to seem to play those songs. I'll respectfully disagree about her second album. I thought "No" was better than many songs that charted higher the year it came out.
There are other examples from the early 2010s. Does anyone remember Bonnie McKee? She's mostly a song-writer, but her "American Girl" had mega-hit written all over it. It was certainly better than many other songs that charted more highly that year (2013).
Another example of someone who was essentially a one-hit wonder - Carly Rae Jepsen.
Radio stations don't play "what they want." Notwithstanding what they say at Jack. They do testing on the songs, they view all the research they receive from the record label promotion departments, and then play the songs that deliver ratings.
The Charlie Puth song was "Marvin Gaye." It was Charlie's debut song. It received some terrible reviews and peaked at #14. Fortunately Charlie's follow-up was "See You Again," and it was a much better song. The other issue with Marvin Gaye was it was released at the same time as "Dear Future Husband." So in essence, Meghan was competing against herself. Both songs suffered.
I never said radio stations play "what they want." I said that there seemed to be a general trend against playing her songs. I am not denying the research, as I am not privy to it.
Maybe it was where I live, but my local CHR and Hot AC stations played "Marvin Gaye" a great deal more during that summer than they did "Dear Future Husband" or "No" (the latter was released later, so I am not making a direct comparison). On the other hand, I haven't heard "Marvin Gaye" on the radio in at least 4 years, and I travel extensively and sample many, many radio stations.
I bet that's correct. It wasn't Top 10. After a few years, a song becomes "gold" and then gets retested for continued airplay. CHR stations don't play a lot of gold. Maybe one an hour. His top song remains "See You Again." That's likely the one that still gets airplay.
I heard "See You Again" on WXXL/Orlando within the last couple of weeks (I don't remember exactly when), so it is safe to say that it still gets some CHR spins.
It might be a good time to explain how most radio stations decide what to play, and how often to play songs.
Typically a CHR has a Top 20. The Top 5 are the ones they play the heaviest. Perhaps 5 or even 10 times a day.
The two main trade charts, Billboard (BDS) and Mediabase, require that music decisions get made locally, and that the person making those decisions be available to take phone calls from record labels at least once a week. The record labels have regional promo departments with staffers who call the stations. They usually call about several songs a week (since there are only a handful of record labels), and they give all the positives on every song. Perhaps they're seeing increased streaming at Spotify, or a good review on a major site, or the artist is performing during the NBA Playoffs. Any reason they can to try to convince the MD to either add the song or increase spins. An increase in spins will lead to a move up in the charts.
But that's where the rubber meets the road, during those phone calls between the record label and the radio station. Hundreds of these calls happen each week. At the same time, the radio station is doing its own research, talking to their consultants about which songs are getting the best reaction, and which songs are hurting the station. To get maximum spins means at least once or twice in morning drive. That might not work for a mournful ballad. So it's a tradeoff and a lot of people get to weigh in.
I read comments about radio stations playing the same songs over & over, but that's what it takes to move the charts. Increased spins at all times of the day is what leads to a #1 song. The songs are encoded and the charts measure the spins nationally based on the codes detected. Then the chart comes out.
Typically a CHR has a Top 20. The Top 5 are the ones they play the heaviest. Perhaps 5 or even 10 times a day.
The two main trade charts, Billboard (BDS) and Mediabase, require that music decisions get made locally, and that the person making those decisions be available to take phone calls from record labels at least once a week. The record labels have regional promo departments with staffers who call the stations. They usually call about several songs a week (since there are only a handful of record labels), and they give all the positives on every song. Perhaps they're seeing increased streaming at Spotify, or a good review on a major site, or the artist is performing during the NBA Playoffs. Any reason they can to try to convince the MD to either add the song or increase spins. An increase in spins will lead to a move up in the charts.
But that's where the rubber meets the road, during those phone calls between the record label and the radio station. Hundreds of these calls happen each week. At the same time, the radio station is doing its own research, talking to their consultants about which songs are getting the best reaction, and which songs are hurting the station. To get maximum spins means at least once or twice in morning drive. That might not work for a mournful ballad. So it's a tradeoff and a lot of people get to weigh in.
I read comments about radio stations playing the same songs over & over, but that's what it takes to move the charts. Increased spins at all times of the day is what leads to a #1 song. The songs are encoded and the charts measure the spins nationally based on the codes detected. Then the chart comes out.
WEZV Myrtle Beach SC played "Like I'm Gonna Lose You" with John Legend a lot when it was AC. And the song fits a soft AC format as well so they probably played it when they were soft AC. I haven't checked lately because now the station lists last songs played on its web site.
And some people who know how to make ends meet in key markets can also help take one from Nobody to #1 too
...And some people who know how to make ends meet in key markets can also help take one from Nobody to #1 too
Maybe...it's a small business where everyone knows everyone, and they're all watching to see who's playing hanky panky. The point is it's not just a radio decision, made by someone's personal taste. The record label gets a shot at making their case. These days, you also have format captains and everyone else weighing in. It's a collaborative process.
In the cases we've been talking about, such as Meghan Trainor or Tove Lo, their hits not only stopped in the US, but internationally at the same time. So sometimes, the hits just aren't there.
I don't hear that song anymore. And her new songs don't make the radio in any form. It's not like Miley Cyrus or Katy Perry which release songs that stall and eventually flop on the charts (like "Malibu" in 2017.)
She hasn't released anything new in several years. Her last album was a Christmas record.
Since the pandemic, a number of major names stopped releasing new music. It's partly why CHR ratings are down.
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Oh. Well, I know Alessia Cara had released new things as has Tove Lo and neither has any kind of airplay (though there might have been fringe stations which played them in some form.)
I still hear "All About the Bass," but only on AC/Hot AC stations. For example, I know it's been played recently on iHeart's national/Premium Choice Hot AC "2000s to Today" stations.
Celebrities like Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, and even Kelly Clarkson, all once pop machines, don't need to come out with new music. Their celebrity status gets them TV deals with talk shows, guest appearances, and (yuk) talent show judge gigs. The money being a TV celeb is much more consistent and predictable these days than trying to release a hit pop song.
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