Re: Yesterday vs today
CHRLes,
As someone involved in commercial radio actually talking to group executives, program directors, and consultants across the country, MLII's statements actually do have substance.
Oakenfold and Digweed does great for the clubs, concerts, and raves. Absolutely no doubt about that. But US commercial radio demands radio edits, not 9 minute instrumental loops. Oakenfold represents only a facet of the dance industry, and yes, he does extremely well in it. But strictly in the context of fostering more dance music on the radio, those type of mixes are widely viewed as nothing more than filler to play in overnights and late night weekends. No offense at all to Oakenfold or to the hard-working people who market and produce his weekly syndicated show. More power to those mixers able to overcome the hurdles and actually get their mixes on the air. They got through to the handful of PDs that believe in dance music. Good for them!
Hell no, nobody is telling Oakenfold or Digweed what to play. They are successful in what they do! But their success lies in the concert arenas, nightclubs, and raves. MLII speaks from the RADIO INDUSTRY perception. And the majority of the RADIO industry does not believe that those mixes will generate mass appeal and ultimately, ratings to the station.
Unfortunately, the heavy-hitter radio industry people simply do not believe that dance music is viable for commercial radio because they equate dance music as droning instrumental loops of beats and synthesizers. It's a battle to prove to those PDs and group execs that dance music does not induce or attract ecstasy-poppers in smoke-filled nightclubs. I'm constantly working on opening their eyes to the fact that dance music is a much-larger category that also include CHR-worthy cuts like Lucas Prata, Mylo, Shape:UK, Freemasons, Deborah Cox, Bodyrockers, etc. These cuts can fit in very easily in CHR rotation along with Kelly Clarkson, Ciara, Black Eyed Peas, Madonna, Chris Brown, Beyonce, etc. Q96 Champaign and Fun 107 New Bedford are awesome examples of making dance fit in a CHR format.
Ultimately, it is the pushing of mainstream dance music that will help dance radio in the long and short runs. And mainstream dance music should be the heavier focus if we are to get dance radio bigger exposure in the United States. We need to push more MASS APPEAL songs, and although we love Oakenfold, Digweed, Tiesto and the such, their mixes are not considered mass appeal according to the radio execs. They are considered as serving the ultra-niche.
At JamTraxx Media, we are promoting all sorts of mixshows through our RADIOMIXES division: mainstream, rhythmic, dance, and electronica. And that is the order of popularity, with electronica at a real minority. Electronica is the hardest to push, but our mainstream dance mixes are much easier to digest for radio programmers.
Are we really "hurting the scene" by pushing mainstream, mass appeal dance music over Oakenfold or Digweed mixes? I argue that we are helping to SAVE the scene from extinction on commercial radio.
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CHRLes,
As someone involved in commercial radio actually talking to group executives, program directors, and consultants across the country, MLII's statements actually do have substance.
Oakenfold and Digweed does great for the clubs, concerts, and raves. Absolutely no doubt about that. But US commercial radio demands radio edits, not 9 minute instrumental loops. Oakenfold represents only a facet of the dance industry, and yes, he does extremely well in it. But strictly in the context of fostering more dance music on the radio, those type of mixes are widely viewed as nothing more than filler to play in overnights and late night weekends. No offense at all to Oakenfold or to the hard-working people who market and produce his weekly syndicated show. More power to those mixers able to overcome the hurdles and actually get their mixes on the air. They got through to the handful of PDs that believe in dance music. Good for them!
Hell no, nobody is telling Oakenfold or Digweed what to play. They are successful in what they do! But their success lies in the concert arenas, nightclubs, and raves. MLII speaks from the RADIO INDUSTRY perception. And the majority of the RADIO industry does not believe that those mixes will generate mass appeal and ultimately, ratings to the station.
Unfortunately, the heavy-hitter radio industry people simply do not believe that dance music is viable for commercial radio because they equate dance music as droning instrumental loops of beats and synthesizers. It's a battle to prove to those PDs and group execs that dance music does not induce or attract ecstasy-poppers in smoke-filled nightclubs. I'm constantly working on opening their eyes to the fact that dance music is a much-larger category that also include CHR-worthy cuts like Lucas Prata, Mylo, Shape:UK, Freemasons, Deborah Cox, Bodyrockers, etc. These cuts can fit in very easily in CHR rotation along with Kelly Clarkson, Ciara, Black Eyed Peas, Madonna, Chris Brown, Beyonce, etc. Q96 Champaign and Fun 107 New Bedford are awesome examples of making dance fit in a CHR format.
Ultimately, it is the pushing of mainstream dance music that will help dance radio in the long and short runs. And mainstream dance music should be the heavier focus if we are to get dance radio bigger exposure in the United States. We need to push more MASS APPEAL songs, and although we love Oakenfold, Digweed, Tiesto and the such, their mixes are not considered mass appeal according to the radio execs. They are considered as serving the ultra-niche.
At JamTraxx Media, we are promoting all sorts of mixshows through our RADIOMIXES division: mainstream, rhythmic, dance, and electronica. And that is the order of popularity, with electronica at a real minority. Electronica is the hardest to push, but our mainstream dance mixes are much easier to digest for radio programmers.
Are we really "hurting the scene" by pushing mainstream, mass appeal dance music over Oakenfold or Digweed mixes? I argue that we are helping to SAVE the scene from extinction on commercial radio.
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