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Could Smooth "AC" actually save the format?

J

JoshB

Hi guys, I know it's been awhile since I last posted, but wanted to bring up this idea. I know your probably thinking is he crazy by looking at the title, but hear me out for a sec, lol. ;D

I was listening to CIWV/Wave 94.7 and WNWV/107.3 HD2 stream for the last two days. I would classify these as more Smooth AC since they are both heavy on the vocals, but have not completely abandoned instrumental tracks. They both sound great and I found myself actually listening for a few hours. I think what makes them different than say a station like KTWV/94.7 The Wave is the fact that their playlists are very deep and the tracks blend well with instrumentals. I've heard tracks like Seal's "Colour", Dirty Dozen Brass Band/Norah Jones "Ruler of My Heart", Amy Sky "Wicked Game", Vonda Shepard "Don't Cry Illene", Jim Brickman "Beautiful World", Joss Stone "Bruised but Not Broken", Al Jarreau "Random Act of Love", along with a good blend of instrumentals and chill music like Nils "Jump Start", Jonathan Fritzen "Undercover", Darren Rahn "Tale of Two Cities", Walter Thomas "Inflight", Nate Harasim "Rush", Stanley Clarke "Lisa", Alexander Zonjic "Memphis Underground", and Michael Gettel "The Key". They aren't perfect and do play those pop vocals that we get tired of hearing like Phil Collins "One More Night", but they don't seem to over do it like KTWV.

I don't understand why the industry didn't head in this direction if they wanted to get a bigger audience versus going like KTWV and then pulling the plug on the format. Even WNWV's playlist wasn't this deep when it was on their regular station, but since they have been on HD it has improved a lot. I guess with CIWV being subject to cancon regulations, so they have to include a more diverse group of artist who are Canadian. I don't understand this whole notion of if we play the same 20 songs, by the same 20 artist they will come back? Pardon my French, but it is an ass backwards way of thinking. With the introduction of digital media, why would I need to listen to the station if I can just download those same songs with my iPod without having to sit through commercials? What kind of kept me glued to those stations and Internet smooth jazz stations like "the .wav" was the fact that I would always hear something new. The problem with Internet radio it is difficult sometimes (well for me anyway) when trying to listen in the car. I frequently have problems with dropped streams and have tried different players with not much success.

So anyway do you guys think a "Smooth AC" format like CIWV and WNWV HD2 with a bigger playlist would work on regular FM radio? I know it wouldn't be ideal situation for us SJ lovers, but it could be a middle ground? :)
 
Hey bud! So great to see you back here on the board. You probably have anticipated my take on this one. ;) Simply, I would probably spin more vocals if I felt they were worthy of adding to the playlist. The problem I have, and what weighs Smooth A/C stations down like an anchor, is the propensity for them to go with safe, overplayed 20-30 year old crossover/R&B vocal cuts. Finding the right vocals has easily been the most challenging aspect of running my stream over the last 2 1/2 years. I either get flamed for playing something too "BA sounding," or for playing something too hip or edgy for the vibe of my station. Case in point, I added the below vocal last week (a free download on Amazon, BTW). On first spin, I didn't lose a single listener, so maybe this one will stick. I first discovered it during an Amazon Kindle commercial, of all things. I thought it was a catchy tune and somewhat representive of the kind of vocals the old KTWV and other NAC outlets incorporated back in the day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWQXKJTlAQc

As for streaming in your car, I understand your frustrations. There are days I don't have a single dropout, and others when I am dropping out every minute or two. It is a function of exploding demand for bandwidth/overloaded net traffic, and the topography of the area you are traveling in. Until these issues can be resolved, not to mention the cost of mobile data plans, Internet radio will struggle to compete with terrestrial radio. Slowly but surely, though, listeners are starting to get the message, and so will advertisers eventually. Now we just have to iron out the technical and financial barriers that continue to plague the evolution of Internet radio.
 
The Canadian station plays some interesting vocals and I've always thought that a hybrid instrumental/progressive A/C-adult alt vocal mix but that would not be Smooth A/C - that would be Instrumental Oriented Adult Alternative which would be cool.

The American version is another matter entirely. Smooth A/C in the U.S. plays old vocals from the 70s and 80s that have been fried by other formats and covers of same, the songs A/C stations started to drop as a new generation moved into the 25-54 demo. (Go to WLOQ or KIFM sites and look what they use for vocals..) Plus the few original instrumentals still have that BA sound - all groove, shuffle, and lite tickling of the ivories that were meant to fade into the background.

Smooth A/C in corporate mode is just another oldies format..Adult Alt instrumental/vocal mix would be another game entirely.
 
The Philippines has an interesting Smooth Jazz/Smooth AC format: 106.7 Dream FM. Their playlist is much bigger than America's BA Smooth Jazz Network. "Kisses In the Moonlight" by George Benson is one interesting song that 106.7 Dream FM plays but that BA will never touch. 106.7 Dream FM also plays refreshing instrumentals that will have you wondering why you never hear them on American radio.

Smooth AC, when run by Corporate America, will not save the Smooth Jazz format. On the other hand, Smooth AC that is programmed in the Philippines will not only save the Smooth Jazz format, but also make the format much more interesting to listen to.
 
Ivan Badget said:
Smooth AC, when run by Corporate America, will not save the Smooth Jazz format.
Click to expand...

BA is a family owned company.
 
DavidEduardo said:
Ivan Badget said:
Smooth AC, when run by Corporate America, will not save the Smooth Jazz format.
Click to expand...

BA is a family owned company.
Click to expand...

So be it. It doesn't change the fact the fish stinks at its head.
 
AC Tones said:
Hey bud!  So great to see you back here on the board.  You probably have anticipated my take on this one. ;)  Simply, I would probably spin more vocals if I felt they were worthy of adding to the playlist.  The problem I have, and what weighs Smooth A/C stations down like an anchor, is the propensity for them to go with safe, overplayed 20-30 year old crossover/R&B vocal cuts.  Finding the right vocals has easily been the most challenging aspect of running my stream over the last 2 1/2 years.  I either get flamed for playing something too "BA sounding," or for playing something too hip or edgy for the vibe of my station.  Case in point, I added the below vocal last week (a free download on Amazon, BTW).  On first spin, I didn't lose a single listener, so maybe this one will stick.  I first discovered it during an Amazon Kindle commercial, of all things.  I thought it was a catchy tune and somewhat representive of the kind of vocals the old KTWV and other NAC outlets incorporated back in the day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWQXKJTlAQc

As for streaming in your car, I understand your frustrations.  There are days I don't have a single dropout, and others when I am dropping out every minute or two.  It is a function of exploding demand for bandwidth/overloaded net traffic, and the topography of the area you are traveling in.  Until these issues can be resolved, not to mention the cost of mobile data plans, Internet radio will struggle to compete with terrestrial radio.  Slowly but surely, though, listeners are starting to get the message, and so will advertisers eventually.  Now we just have to iron out the technical and financial barriers that continue to plague the evolution of Internet radio.
Click to expand...

Thanks bro!  I think vocals in general get a bad vibe in the smooth jazz world, because we assume SJ vocals=Phil Collins or Beyonce=Bad, as they should, lol.  I think the issue is finding songs that are a good fit and not overplaying them or playing what can be found on any other station.  There is definitely nothing wrong in my opinion about being "too hip or edgy".  NAC was edgy back in the day and played a lot of music (which included a lot of vocals) that was different from the rest and that's what made it successful.  I think maybe it's time for the format to go back to its roots and stop playing it safe.  :)

Yeah it's definitely a pain man. I love listening, but nothing ruins a moment like listening to a good song and then all of a sudden here it just cut out and never reconnect. I'm thinking about just getting satellite for the time being :-(. It seems like it got worse when I moved to the DC area, which my thinking was going from a rural area to a more urban area, things should get better not worse, lol.
 
AnotherCat said:
The Canadian station plays some interesting vocals and I've always thought that a hybrid instrumental/progressive A/C-adult alt vocal mix but that would not be Smooth A/C - that would be Instrumental Oriented Adult Alternative which would be cool.

The American version is another matter entirely. Smooth A/C in the U.S. plays old vocals from the 70s and 80s that have been fried by other formats and covers of same, the songs A/C stations started to drop as a new generation moved into the 25-54 demo. (Go to WLOQ or KIFM sites and look what they use for vocals..) Plus the few original instrumentals still have that BA sound - all groove, shuffle, and lite tickling of the ivories that were meant to fade into the background.

Smooth A/C in corporate mode is just another oldies format..Adult Alt instrumental/vocal mix would be another game entirely.
Click to expand...

Instrumental Oriented Adult Alternative, yeah I guess that is a good way of describing it, but it is a mouthful, lol. Maybe we can shorten it to IOAA or IAA. ;D. Whatever you call it, I think it would be a success, because like I mentioned before it's different. I think people are getting tired of hearing the same songs over and over again. I've added over ton of 20 tracks to my iPod from just listening to this station alone. I just don't understand the whole notion of "if we play the same songs in a row over and over again, they will come back". Maybe 20 years ago that was true, but now with digital media, people can download a song they want and play it over and over again without having to listen to the radio.
 
AnotherCat said:
BA is a family owned company
Click to expand...
But for most of it's history it was corporate
Click to expand...

No it wasn't. I started with Owen Leach and Frank Cody, and then became part of Pyramid, but still out of its Princeton, NJ home... it was owned by Clear Channel later, but run quite separately, and went private again a year or so ago.
 
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