Classic Hits: Evolution or Revolution?

[TheFonz]

The dropping of most 60's already happened in Chicago last fall, when WLS (the premier oldies station in the market) threw all the Motown, girl groups, anything too R&B, and most everything else save for a few Beatles, Stones, and Pretty Woman in the garbage can.

Super depressing. It left me with nothing else but "Tom Kent'' to listen to :'(

I feel your pain. I went through that about 10 years ago when Oldies stations dropped '50s music. The antidote, of course, is satellitte and internet radio. Dick Biondi had a great show on Chicago's WJMK in the mid '80s called "Friday Night '50s". I talked to him about that show a few years ago and he told me that he was always struggling with management over that show............they didn't like him playing all '50s music. And that was in the mid '80s!

 

[firepoint525]

KRTH in Los Angeles is one of those stations that dropped all the pre-1964 music...but, because there are approximately 37,000,000 Hispanics living in the Los Angeles area, KRTH still plays Ritchie Valens' La Bamba, which is now 54 years old.

They aren't playing Los Lobos' version? That is the one that I would expect to hear.

 

[firepoint525]

I disagree. Stations had eased up on 50s titles but were still centered between 1962-66, as they had been for nearly 20 years. That all changed in 2004, when virtually everything pre-Beatles was dropped in one fell swoop!

Oldies 96.3 here in Nashville had a "60s at 6:00" segment the last few years that they were on the air (early 2000s). Your earlier premise was that they were still playing '50s music back then. My counterargument is that they were not. If another "generational purge" soon happens like you are suggesting, EVERYTHING prior to 1980 will be off the air. So be careful what you ask for.

 

[oldies76]

EVERYTHING prior to 1980 will be off the air. So be careful what you ask for.

Why bother listening to radio then? Radio will be beyond dead, 12 feet under!

 

[firepoint525]

EVERYTHING prior to 1980 will be off the air. So be careful what you ask for.

Why bother listening to radio then? Radio will be beyond dead, 12 feet under!

It seems like radio is going after the age-demo with the most "distractions," Ipods, etc. They are a smaller generation than us. I am 49, born in the last full year of the baby boom, so once I hit 55 (in a little over five years), I suppose it will be "lights out" for radio. :'(

 

[semoochie]

I'm not asking for anything. I'm stating a fact: In 2004, stations suddenly dropped almost everything between the years 1955 and 1963, replacing those songs with ones from the 1970s. Certain big hits from the 50s were still being played, up to that point. At the same time, we lost later hits by the Four Seasons, Gary Lewis & the Playboys and others that had been mainstays of the format. It is now nine years later and demographically, 1964 is in the same position that 1955 was in then. I'm 59, a radio guy and anything before 1962 is pretty vague to me, so I have to assume that anything before 1967 is vague to 54 year olds, who were five in 1964. I think it is unlikely that very many people could be passionate about music they don't remember, when it was new. Remember, these are the oldest people you're trying to reach. Imagine what the 45 year olds must think. Since 1964 is still being played, it makes me think that the same thing will happen again, probably during the latter half of this year.

 

[michael hagerty]

I'm not asking for anything. I'm stating a fact: In 2004, stations suddenly dropped almost everything between the years 1955 and 1963, replacing those songs with ones from the 1970s. Certain big hits from the 50s were still being played, up to that point. At the same time, we lost later hits by the Four Seasons, Gary Lewis & the Playboys and others that had been mainstays of the format. It is now nine years later and demographically, 1964 is in the same position that 1955 was in then. I'm 59, a radio guy and anything before 1962 is pretty vague to me, so I have to assume that anything before 1967 is vague to 54 year olds, who were five in 1964. I think it is unlikely that very many people could be passionate about music they don't remember, when it was new. Remember, these are the oldest people you're trying to reach. Imagine what the 45 year olds must think. Since 1964 is still being played, it makes me think that the same thing will happen again, probably during the latter half of this year.

I think you have a little more time than that. I'd expect them to keep 1964 in some rotation for the 50th Anniversary of The Beatles on Ed Sullivan and the British Invasion.

Come 2015, though, I'd be very surprised to see many 50 year old records getting play. It's a miracle they've lasted this long. '64 is as far back from today as 1915 was then.

 

[Thomps2525]

So why do oldies stations still play songs from 1964? After all, in 1964, we didn't hear 49-year-old songs such as It's A Long Long Way To Tipperary by John McCormack, Carry Me Back To Old Virginny by Alma Gluck or Chinatown My Chinatown by the American Quartet. (Although I'd love to be a DJ and play those songs just because it would be fun to say "Alma Gluck. )

 

[michael hagerty]

So why do oldies stations still play songs from 1964? After all, in 1964, we didn't hear 49-year-old songs such as It's A Long Long Way To Tipperary by John McCormack, Carry Me Back To Old Virginny by Alma Gluck or Chinatown My Chinatown by the American Quartet. (Although I'd love to be a DJ and play those songs just because it would be fun to say "Alma Gluck. )

Because, quite frankly, a lot of Boomers wound up arrested development cases. And it took a long time for 70s music to shed the John Denver-Partridge Family-Polyester-Disco image so titles from that decade could finally be used. Now that the Boomers are finally aging out of demographic desirability from an advertising perspective, expect to see a more natural evolution of older music for the younger generations, where "oldies" will be songs between 10 and 25 years old. 30 tops.

 

[oldies76]

Come 2015, though, I'd be very surprised to see many 50 year old records getting play. It's a miracle they've lasted this long. '64 is as far back from today as 1915 was then.

Because it's Rock and Roll, recorded with far better technology, than the records of the teens and 20's were to 1964. Do you think radio stations in 1964, would play music off cylinders and old static sounding 78's? And besides, the records of the 60's (and the 50's) are standing the test of time, because it's rock and roll, it sounds crisper even digitized.

In 1964, there was simply lack of technology to preserve the older teens and 1920's music for airplay, unless they were saved on quality reel to reel tape or reissued on newer 45's.

And yes, we'll still be hearing some 60's classics in 2015...they're just too good to eliminate them totally.

 

[Thomps2525]

Speaking of cylinders and 78s, does anyone know where I can get a new stylus and horn for my old Victrola gramophone? I haven't been able to play my Enrico Caruso records for a long time.

 

[michael hagerty]

Come 2015, though, I'd be very surprised to see many 50 year old records getting play. It's a miracle they've lasted this long. '64 is as far back from today as 1915 was then.

Because it's Rock and Roll, recorded with far better technology, than the records of the teens and 20's were to 1964. Do you think radio stations in 1964, would play music off cylinders and old static sounding 78's? And besides, the records of the 60's (and the 50's) are standing the test of time, because it's rock and roll, it sounds crisper even digitized.

In 1964, there was simply lack of technology to preserve the older teens and 1920's music for airplay, unless they were saved on quality reel to reel tape or reissued on newer 45's.

And yes, we'll still be hearing some 60's classics in 2015...they're just too good to eliminate them totally.

That will be up to women who are 38 now.

 

[semoochie]

"...they're just too good to eliminate them totally."
They said the same thing about Frank Sinatra!

 

[firepoint525]

I'm not asking for anything. I'm stating a fact: In 2004, stations suddenly dropped almost everything between the years 1955 and 1963, replacing those songs with ones from the 1970s. Certain big hits from the 50s were still being played, up to that point. At the same time, we lost later hits by the Four Seasons, Gary Lewis & the Playboys and others that had been mainstays of the format. It is now nine years later and demographically, 1964 is in the same position that 1955 was in then. I'm 59, a radio guy and anything before 1962 is pretty vague to me, so I have to assume that anything before 1967 is vague to 54 year olds, who were five in 1964. I think it is unlikely that very many people could be passionate about music they don't remember, when it was new. Remember, these are the oldest people you're trying to reach. Imagine what the 45 year olds must think. Since 1964 is still being played, it makes me think that the same thing will happen again, probably during the latter half of this year.

If your station was still playing (and by "playing," I mean HEAVILY playing) anything from the '50s, save for "Tequila," "At The Hop," etc., in 2004, then they were probably ALREADY living on borrowed time. I remember a dj getting a request for "Love Is Strange" on his all-request show in the early 2000s, I think, and marveling that he had not played that one in a while. (Of course, if it had not been in Dirty Dancing, he probably would not have gotten a request for, much less played "Love Is Strange.") Not long after that, they replaced his show with syndicated Tom Kent, who, at least during the 11:00 hour, played a lot of disco that had probably not ever been heard on "oldies" radio.

We lost our first (original) oldies station in 2005, and they were already playing late '70s, like the Eagles, BeeGees, Peter Frampton, etc., so I thought that it was nice that they were evolving. Another station (our former '80s station) became oldies, but they only kept oldies for about a year before also evolving into classic hits. Ironically enough, last year, before they were sold and became a Christian station, they were again playing primarily '80s music.

 

[hornet61]

2each 16g flash drives (around 3,000 cuts) = my radio station ...music from 1955-1975 (pop,Hit Parade, R&B, Doo-Wop, Rock, Soul)..no commercials, no one asking me to call in with my pet peeves and waste air time , leader time at both ends edited off all songs with audacity ...played by artist , song title or schuffle mode , I get to pick. I am the PD, Iam The DJ, Iam the listener. That is the perfect radio station. Like my friend Al said on his weekly oldies show "All Music, All The Time"

 

[OldNumber7]

2each 16g flash drives (around 3,000 cuts) = my radio station ...music from 1955-1975 (pop,Hit Parade, R&B, Doo-Wop, Rock, Soul)..no commercials, no one asking me to call in with my pet peeves and waste air time , leader time at both ends edited off all songs with audacity ...played by artist , song title or schuffle mode , I get to pick. I am the PD, Iam The DJ, Iam the listener. That is the perfect radio station. Like my friend Al said on his weekly oldies show "All Music, All The Time"

3,000 songs, at a buck a pop = $3,000. I doubt too many average listeners plan to make that kind of investment; they'll stick with free radio for the foreseeable future.

 

[CTListener]

2each 16g flash drives (around 3,000 cuts) = my radio station ...music from 1955-1975 (pop,Hit Parade, R&B, Doo-Wop, Rock, Soul)..no commercials, no one asking me to call in with my pet peeves and waste air time , leader time at both ends edited off all songs with audacity ...played by artist , song title or schuffle mode , I get to pick. I am the PD, Iam The DJ, Iam the listener. That is the perfect radio station. Like my friend Al said on his weekly oldies show "All Music, All The Time"

3,000 songs, at a buck a pop = $3,000. I doubt too many average listeners plan to make that kind of investment; they'll stick with free radio for the foreseeable future.

Who said they would be paying?

 

[michael hagerty]

2each 16g flash drives (around 3,000 cuts) = my radio station ...music from 1955-1975 (pop,Hit Parade, R&B, Doo-Wop, Rock, Soul)..no commercials, no one asking me to call in with my pet peeves and waste air time , leader time at both ends edited off all songs with audacity ...played by artist , song title or schuffle mode , I get to pick. I am the PD, Iam The DJ, Iam the listener. That is the perfect radio station. Like my friend Al said on his weekly oldies show "All Music, All The Time"

3,000 songs, at a buck a pop = $3,000. I doubt too many average listeners plan to make that kind of investment; they'll stick with free radio for the foreseeable future.

Anyone with 3,000 tracks usually has acquired them over years and years. Most will be transfers from CDs already in their collection. They then spend whatever their normal amount is on new music or earlier stuff they'd missed over the years.

 

[PirateJohnny]

2each 16g flash drives (around 3,000 cuts) = my radio station ...music from 1955-1975 (pop,Hit Parade, R&B, Doo-Wop, Rock, Soul)..no commercials, no one asking me to call in with my pet peeves and waste air time , leader time at both ends edited off all songs with audacity ...played by artist , song title or schuffle mode , I get to pick. I am the PD, Iam The DJ, Iam the listener. That is the perfect radio station. Like my friend Al said on his weekly oldies show "All Music, All The Time"

3,000 songs, at a buck a pop = $3,000. I doubt too many average listeners plan to make that kind of investment; they'll stick with free radio for the foreseeable future.

Anyone with 3,000 tracks usually has acquired them over years and years. Most will be transfers from CDs already in their collection. They then spend whatever their normal amount is on new music or earlier stuff they'd missed over the years.

That's how I got over 22,000 tracks in my iTunes library.

 

[Biondi4Mayor]

Come 2015, though, I'd be very surprised to see many 50 year old records getting play. It's a miracle they've lasted this long. '64 is as far back from today as 1915 was then.

Because it's Rock and Roll, recorded with far better technology, than the records of the teens and 20's were to 1964. Do you think radio stations in 1964, would play music off cylinders and old static sounding 78's? And besides, the records of the 60's (and the 50's) are standing the test of time, because it's rock and roll, it sounds crisper even digitized.

In 1964, there was simply lack of technology to preserve the older teens and 1920's music for airplay, unless they were saved on quality reel to reel tape or reissued on newer 45's.

And yes, we'll still be hearing some 60's classics in 2015...they're just too good to eliminate them totally.

Well put Oldies!!!
These comparisons of time simply don't work. Like you said, a music station in the 60's did not have the need nor the technology to play then 50 year old records.

People are missing the point of rock and roll --- it defines modern music and is the basis of all current records, like it or not. These oldies are too iconic to go unplayed. Today numerous commercials employ tracks from the 50s-80's, yet I can't think of any good widespread use of commercials in the 60's using songs from 1900-1940.

Unfortunately, I can't agree with your last statement. I fear that by 2015 we won't be hearing them. They are too good, but radio is too stubborn, greedy, and narrow-minded for sentimentality.