CHR's best chance, fittingly it's Z100

[davideduardo]

The labels, artists, radio, and the listener seem like one happy family dancing in synch like some honky tonk Partridge Family.

I love that!

 

[pjc1961]

"Blinding Lights" first appeared in a Mercedes-Benz TV commercial aired in Germany on 11/24/2019
with the full version of the commercial (and single) released on 11/29/2019.

 

[TheBigA]

November? I could be wrong but I think it was October when I played it at a giveaway event for the hot ac I worked for at the time where I was lambasted and told to stick to the hits that the station plays, no obscure music.

"Blinding Lights" first appeared in a Mercedes-Benz TV commercial aired in Germany on 11/24/2019
with the full version of the commercial (and single) released on 11/29/2019.

Correct, here's an article on the subject:

https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/the-weeknd-new-music-mercedes-benz-commercial-8544830/

 

[DOB]

I mentioned this once before, but we had a case at one of Cecil Heftel's stations where the label's cut was not fitting for our format. We picked another, and the label went all bat sh-t hysterical and even threatened legal action of we did not take the song off! We kept it on, and other stations picked up on it. The song was the artist's biggest hit ever.

So when you say "there are a lot of cooks in the kitchen" your are right on. In fact, some of them are not even cooking what the customer (the listener) ordered.

That sounds like a good story. It's not good when an established artist comes back with the wrong lead single and the one that they should've went with is beyond obvious. It sometimes mutilated their come back and post 96 it was rare that good stations would go out on their own and correct the mistake leading to others following suit. Never did that result in a thanks for radio, and rare that the smart person even benefited in radio, more often the narrative was that they are not a team player.

 

[TheBigA]

Never did that result in a thanks for radio, and rare that the smart person even benefited in radio, more often the narrative was that they are not a team player.

The way to avoid that is when record promo people consult with radio PDs on single selection, and get advance commitments for adding the song before its released. That happens in some formats.

 

[DOB]

The way to avoid that is when record promo people consult with radio PDs on single selection, and get advance commitments for adding the song before its released. That happens in some formats.

From an outside point of view it seems that what you mention is that Country radio respectful relationship. The labels want to advance the sound, but when radio with their snakeskin boots on the ground say you are going too far, they usually find the right compromise.