Broadcast Architecture's pee poor playlist

[major]

I wonder if the pee poor playlist that Broadcast Architecture has is the reason why the smooth jazz stations are dropping like flies? Half of what they play is of different genres, i.e., light rock or Mowtown. Any Comments?

 

[AnotherCat]

Lets put it this way. I'm a big CHR listener..I love pop songs (although I like the Sirius XM new hits channel better than the corporate stations) . So say I turned on WAPE tomorrow when I got in my car and had to sit through Neil Diamond, Air Supply, and John Denver in order to get a little taste of Ne-Yo, Pink, or Nickelback. Would I listen anymore?

30 year old SJ songs (Spyro Gyra has done a lot of stuff since Morning Dance, for instance), tired songs from other formats, covers of tired songs from other formats, and if you sit through 5 or 6 of those you might get a little taste of Braun, White, Koz, Darius, Groove ..etc. Might. :

If you don't get what you came for you quit coming back. Pre PPM you could float on a certain amount of loyalty - people who felt a loyalty to your station would write down that they listened whether they actually did or not. Some of these stations have a heritage, they've been the soundtrack to people's lives for quite a while, so those people might write it down out of loyalty long after they've retreated to their CD player, iPod or internet radio to hear the actually music.

 

[AC Tones]

I wonder if the pee poor playlist that Broadcast Architecture has is the reason why the smooth jazz stations are dropping like flies? Half of what they play is of different genres, i.e., light rock or Mowtown. Any Comments?

It may not be the sole reason, but IMO, it is a significant and aggravating factor. In addition to BA's propensity to play vocals that once would have been unthinkable on contemporary jazz stations. Their instrumental playlist is small, and thus, repetitive and incredibly predictable. Just because something is "new" and from a mainstream artist doesn't mean it is good. As for the "old stuff," it can work provided it is not exclusively the overplayed, mainstream cuts from mainstream artists. There is plenty of more obscure, deep cuts, and long-lost NAC that has a great vibe that deserves airplay today. But finding terrestrial outlets that play it is virtually impossible.

No one will dispute the fact that SJ has never been a big $$$ maker, and in these difficult economic times, I suppose companies have to do what that have to do to survive. But SJ stations historically have had a loyal, consistent, and passionate following, and BA turned its back on these "base" listeners long ago. As sad as last year was for flips, I suspect this year could be even worse.

 

[Nock]

I found the following interesting and it relates to what we have been talking about for a long time on this board.

Couple years back i was involved in a non comm c jazz station. Long story short, I left and many more followed, station is now just a juke box hooked up to a transmitter. Great way to promote music.

Anyhow one of my good friends i gained while involved with that station called me and asked to get behind him to make a push to get a block of time on another non comm in town. (Vanderbilt Universities 10,000 watter with some nice height) The process has started and looks like when it all settles we are going to get 4 hours at least back to back on a Saturday afternoon. He actually returns to the airwaves tomorrow.

So to get him up to speed I handed him 2 bags of the latest cd singles i have received from the promoters. Here is an interesting fact, My buddy is sight impaired and just this side of being on the street. He does this for enjoyment and you should see him work the board. (Use to be in commercial radio) Anyhow he loves the music but lost touch with it over the last 3 years.

I thought of this thread when he called me the other day to tell be what he thought of the music I gave him. First comment, No wonder the format is dying. Why so many covers, Why so many weak vocals, why are the artists playing behind other instruments instead of out front. From a sight impaired man I found this very interesting from someone who only has his hearing. Here is the best part, He hated the Beyonce track and was amazed it was being pushed to sj radio, what is left of it.

Those of you who may be up late Saturday night, to get our foot in the door he has taken the midnight to 2 am (central time)shift to work our way into the schedule when shifts open up. You can tune in online at www.wrvu.org. I will be in the studio with him making sure he gets situated.

Nock (trying to keep it alive)

 

[AC Tones]

Great story, Nock. I wish you guys nothing but the best, and look forward to checking out the show. We certainly can't count on the corporate machine to deliver a worthy product, so we have to take matters into our own hands. Let's just hope now the artists hold up their end of the bargain and start going back to the basics and what made this genre so great to begin with. They certainly have the talent to do so.

Chris

 

[Double D]

Those of you who may be up late Saturday night, to get our foot in the door he has taken the midnight to 2 am (central time)shift to work our way into the schedule when shifts open up. You can tune in online at www.wrvu.org. I will be in the studio with him making sure he gets situated.

Nock (trying to keep it alive)

Dittos on the kudos Nock!! I think you have a strong broadcast "partner" there in Vanderbilt U!!

I'll try to tune in to the inaugural broadcast, but I may instead be out tipping a few at AJ's Club Bimini here in Destin (as a fellow Emerald Coast visitor, you know how that goes! ...but I digress!! ), as I'm currently on my annual winter getaway to the world's finest beaches on Florida's Emerald Coast !! Rest assured that "The Future of Jazz" has returned to my Contemporary Jazz internet station playlist now that you are once again back on the air!!

Thanks to good folks like you and AC for playing the music, and for people like Another Cat for holding Kepler's/BA's "feet to the fire" in a journalistic sense, perhaps contemporary jazz can and will be salvaged and revived.

DD

 

[Double D]

If you don't get what you came for you quit coming back. Pre PPM you could float on a certain amount of loyalty - people who felt a loyalty to your station would write down that they listened whether they actually did or not. Some of these stations have a heritage, they've been the soundtrack to people's lives for quite a while, so those people might write it down out of loyalty long after they've retreated to their CD player, iPod or internet radio to hear the actually music.

Sounds exactly like what is happening with WNUA, given their recent low "relative" PPM results and subsequent personnel "moves".

DD

 

[AnotherCat]

why are the artists playing behind other instruments instead of out front

Great story and this guy nailed it as far as verbalizing the shift from song to extended riff that has happened over the past few years. There is no strong melody to a lot of these songs so it doesn't really sound like there is a lead instrument. So what is supposed to catch your ear.

But here is what is really scary. I was using my housemate's computer and he had left the TV on the PBS station. I was listening to music videos and stuff so I wasn't really paying attention. A guy posted a video of a smooth jazz keyboard player doing a "tickling the ivories" style cover of "Just The Way You Are" (where they kind of slide the finger off one key onto another and it sounds very cocktail piano-ish. Not sure what the technical name is). It was dreadfully close to B/EZ so I click it off and I still hear the same style of piano playing so I'm trying to figure out what window this is still running in and realize that it was actually the audio from an old Lawrence Welk show that the PBS station was playing. I'm not making this up...stylistically the sound was that close. Eek. Double eek. ???