ASCAP: Sleigh Ride is #1

[50kguy]

As the week of Christmas kicks off and last-minute baking, shopping, decorating and planning kicks into high gear, holiday music is being played more and more on radio airwaves across America. The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), today released its listing of 2009’s most played holiday songs, tracked by radio airplay monitoring service, Mediaguide, from over 2,500 radio stations nationwide.

The top 10 most-played holiday songs in the ASCAP repertory this holiday season are:


1. "Sleigh Ride" (Leroy Anderson, Mitchell Parish) – played 118,918 times
2. "Jingle Bell Rock" (Joseph Carleton Beal, James Roth Boothe) – played 118,601 times
3. "It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" (Edward Pola, George Wyle) – played 101,614 times
4. "White Christmas" (Irving Berlin) – played 89,348 times
5. "Winter Wonderland" (Felix Bernard, Richard B. Smith) – played 77,599 times
6. "The Christmas Song" (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) (Mel Tormé, Robert Wells) – played 74,360 times.
7. "A Holly Jolly Christmas" (Johnny Marks) – played 57,948 times
8. "Little Drummer Boy" (Katherine K. Davis, Henry V. Onorati, Harry Simeone) – played 55,617 times.
9. "Feliz Navidad" (José Feliciano) – played 51,072 times
10. "Frosty the Snowman" (Steve Nelson, Walter E. Rollins) – played 51,068 times

Note: The above list represents an aggregation of all different artist versions of each cited holiday song.

 

[desertskies]

This list makes me wonder, what were the least played Christmas songs?

 

[indieradioguy]

How is it that "Fairytale of New York" by The Pogues w/ Kirsty McColl is one of the most beloved, most *radio-played* songs in England, but it's rarely (if ever) played on the radio in the U.S.? That is so not fair.

A lump of coal for the ASCAP suits who have turned 'holiday programming' into the modern equivalent of Muzak.

 

[landtuna]

Fox 10's Morning Show (Ron Hoon) said the most played Christmas song in Phoenix was #6 (The Christmas Song).

"Grandma Got Run Over" was not in the top 25.

And The Old Gringo says Oldies is not a popular format! Bad Gringo! ;D

 

[Legend City]

How is it that "Fairytale of New York" by The Pogues w/ Kirsty McColl is one of the most beloved, most *radio-played* songs in England, but it's rarely (if ever) played on the radio in the U.S.? That is so not fair.

A lump of coal for the ASCAP suits who have turned 'holiday programming' into the modern equivalent of Muzak.

That is a fantastic song, I love it, but radio here sucks.

Also, John Prine "Christmas in Prison" is a good one.

 

[ykw]

How is it that "Fairytale of New York" by The Pogues w/ Kirsty McColl is one of the most beloved, most *radio-played* songs in England, but it's rarely (if ever) played on the radio in the U.S.? That is so not fair.

What format does it slot into? An alt/modern station would have to explain the song and the artists (unless it has played the song regularly over the last quarter-century), the lyrics are too "hot" for the AAA/lite-rock set, and it lacks the bluesy/garage sound that a classic rocker would require.

The UK, while it does have substantial formatting, has nothing like the tightly focused variety smothering US stations. You can hear things that don't quite "fit" here as genuine pop phenomena there.

A lump of coal for the ASCAP suits who have turned 'holiday programming' into the modern equivalent of Muzak.

Why should holiday music be immune from the same trends infesting all other mainstream-radio formats? (Thank goodness for SXM's Holiday Traditions... and those hundred hours or so of old Special XMas airchecks I grabbed a few years back.)

 

[indieradioguy]

How is it that "Fairytale of New York" by The Pogues w/ Kirsty McColl is one of the most beloved, most *radio-played* songs in England, but it's rarely (if ever) played on the radio in the U.S.? That is so not fair.

What format does it slot into? An alt/modern station would have to explain the song and the artists (unless it has played the song regularly over the last quarter-century), the lyrics are too "hot" for the AAA/lite-rock set, and it lacks the bluesy/garage sound that a classic rocker would require.

The UK, while it does have substantial formatting, has nothing like the tightly focused variety smothering US stations. You can hear things that don't quite "fit" here as genuine pop phenomena there.

A lump of coal for the ASCAP suits who have turned 'holiday programming' into the modern equivalent of Muzak.

Why should holiday music be immune from the same trends infesting all other mainstream-radio formats? (Thank goodness for SXM's Holiday Traditions... and those hundred hours or so of old Special XMas airchecks I grabbed a few years back.)

It *shouldn't* be immune, and that's just my point: people find the holidays depressing precisely because of the ASCAP most-played tracks (have you ever actually listened to the lyrics of "Have Yourself a Merry Christmas" lately?) and the not-so-peachy memories associated with those songs. Every year, there are literally dozens of new holiday releases coming out, and yet, every year, the syndicated holiday programming stays stuck in the past. I just don't get it: do *none* of those new releases ever get any airplay on AM/FM? Green Day could do an acoustic "Sleigh Ride" and it would be ignored. Beyonce or Lady Gaga could do a version of "It's The Most Wonderful Time of The Year" and it would be ignored. It's no wonder people flee to Sirius/XM and elsewhere to get away from the stuff their grandparents would like.