"CLASSIC TOP 40"

[ASchuelke]

Quick background: For a little over a year now, I've been running ClassicTop40.com. We play 60's 70's and 80's.

I want to morph it into a Standards station because I think it would compliment my other webcast very nicely, which is polka.

If I run a "soft oldies"/nostalgia/standards mix ... could I get away with keeping the name as "ClassicTop40.com?" Or should I come up with another name entirely?

To me, "Classic Top 40" means 60's 70's and 80's ... but couldn't it also mean ANY era of music in the past? Charts have been used for a long time. Just curious as to what the perception is out there.

This is what keeps me up at night.

 

[michael hagerty]

Quick background: For a little over a year now, I've been running ClassicTop40.com. We play 60's 70's and 80's.

I want to morph it into a Standards station because I think it would compliment my other webcast very nicely, which is polka.

If I run a "soft oldies"/nostalgia/standards mix ... could I get away with keeping the name as "ClassicTop40.com?" Or should I come up with another name entirely?

To me, "Classic Top 40" means 60's 70's and 80's ... but couldn't it also mean ANY era of music in the past? Charts have been used for a long time. Just curious as to what the perception is out there.

This is what keeps me up at night.

Just my opinion:

"Classic Top 40" says 1955 to somewhere between 1970 and 1980. And it means Boomer-oriented Pop, Rock & R&B.

I don't think it's a good identifier for Standards. Out of curiosity, how old and how new are you thinking you'll go with Standards?

 

[ASchuelke]

Yeah, that's kind of what I'm thinking, too.

I'm just starting to put together the library. My goal is a balanced mix of Tony Bennett, Johnny Mathis, Dean Martin, Andy Williams ... and lighter "poppy" oldies like Frankie Avalon, Connie Francis, and Paul Anka. No "rock n roll." Of course there'll be the Herb Alperts, Bert Kaempferts and Ray Conniffs. I think I'm going to go without the Billy Joel, Barry Manilow and Carpenters-type music for now. I want it to be a true "memories" station.

As far as how new? I'm not sure yet. In order to be considered, it would HAVE to meet the feel of the station.

...but I'm kind of excited about it.

 

[michael hagerty]

Yeah, that's kind of what I'm thinking, too.

I'm just starting to put together the library. My goal is a balanced mix of Tony Bennett, Johnny Mathis, Dean Martin, Andy Williams ... and lighter "poppy" oldies like Frankie Avalon, Connie Francis, and Paul Anka. No "rock n roll." Of course there'll be the Herb Alperts, Bert Kaempferts and Ray Conniffs. I think I'm going to go without the Billy Joel, Barry Manilow and Carpenters-type music for now. I want it to be a true "memories" station.

As far as how new? I'm not sure yet. In order to be considered, it would HAVE to meet the feel of the station.

...but I'm kind of excited about it.

If you're going to avoid 70s AC stuff like Manilow and the Capenters, then you're probably not going a lot farther than '71 or '72. The true standards material really dried up about then.

Can you make a go of it with extreme upper demos?

 

[Whiplash]

Good advice from Michael. What's the website addy for your station? Is it still classictop40.com?

 

[Bongwater]

Yeah, that's kind of what I'm thinking, too.

I'm just starting to put together the library. My goal is a balanced mix of Tony Bennett, Johnny Mathis, Dean Martin, Andy Williams ... and lighter "poppy" oldies like Frankie Avalon, Connie Francis, and Paul Anka. No "rock n roll." Of course there'll be the Herb Alperts, Bert Kaempferts and Ray Conniffs. I think I'm going to go without the Billy Joel, Barry Manilow and Carpenters-type music for now. I want it to be a true "memories" station.

As far as how new? I'm not sure yet. In order to be considered, it would HAVE to meet the feel of the station.

...but I'm kind of excited about it.

If you're going to avoid 70s AC stuff like Manilow and the Capenters, then you're probably not going a lot farther than '71 or '72. The true standards material really dried up about then.

Can you make a go of it with extreme upper demos?

My format incorporates some Gold AC love songs from the '70s and '80s (Al Jarreau, Sade, some Billy Joel ballads, etc.) and newer standards material. Overnights, there's more older standards, Sinatra and a few softer old jazz selections to Patsy Cline and Eddy Arnold. A sort of "Sleepless In Seattle" vibe. Not much Manilow anywhere. Days are a little more uptempo than nights (but no rock.)

I need to put my day/night playlists up sometime......