Does anyone besides me think AC today is a joke?

[K.M. Richards]

The first thing I noticed in that post was the reference to cashing checks. People still use those?

 

[Bob Eubanks]

I'm not sure where to do this, but I started a new bank account yesterday. The objective was to have a place where I can cash checks in more locations. Most of my money is in the branch nearest my house, but I never go there. The branch of that bank I went to most has closed, but before they did, they had an AC station which was getting louder and louder, and I wondered how long they'd put up with it. They didn't. One day the music was entirely different and not from a radio.

Other branches of that bank do seem to have the current version of AC playing.

Another bank I spent some time in had The Blend. I heard the station ID. Not as bad as the local AC FM, but not in my opinion appropriate in a professional setting.

I haven't asked yet but the Wells Fargo branch I was in had nice instrumental music that I didn't notice at first. Now that's the right way to do business.

The Blend not approppriate for a professional setting? That's rich.

 

[vchimpanzee]

The Blend not approppriate for a professional setting? That's rich.

Let's not do this again.

 

[K.M. Richards]

Let's not do this again.

Better yet, let's not do any of it again.

 

[vchimpanzee]

I won't bring it up if you don't.

 

[tall_guy1]

I think it is, mainly due to the fact that it is abandoning its ballad-driven roots, in order to keep up with the "current" generation, so it is playing more Paramore, Meghan Trainor, and Robin Thicke to try and keep up with the "times." However, the logic flaw in this is if trying to keep up with the times, one could make an AC station with almost exclusively '00s ballads. Here is a sample hour of a station for a potential station I believe could be successful using this method:
WXXX (pending) sample hour:
Heartbreak Warfare by John Mayer
Breathe-Anna Nalick
When I Was Your Man-Bruno Mars
I'll Be- Edwin McCain
Life After You-Daughtry
Thinking Out Loud-Ed Sheeran
Collide-Howie Day
Mercyme-I Can Only Imagine
The Man Who Can't Be Moved-The Script
I'm Not The Only One-Sam Smith
Landslide-Fleetwood Mac
She Will Be Loved-Maroon 5
Budapest-George Ezra
Unwritten-Natasha Bedingfield
Stay The Night-James Blunt
It would also include songs like Love Remains The Same, Say Something, Glitter in the Air and other songs which encompass this sound.
This would be an intelligent choice for many adults at work, instead of having to listen to the bouncy, immature (IMO) sound that many have (i.e. "Ain't it Fun, All About That Bass, Blurred Lines, and others). The success of AC stations is not that they are playing what people want, it is that they are the *most* conservative station and least rhythmic sound they can find. By opening this door up, people will be able to satisfy their ballad driven tastes, and the format will probably be a booming success.

 

[semoochie]

I think it is, mainly due to the fact that it is abandoning its ballad-driven roots, in order to keep up with the "current" generation, so it is playing more Paramore, Meghan Trainor, and Robin Thicke to try and keep up with the "times." However, the logic flaw in this is if trying to keep up with the times, one could make an AC station with almost exclusively '00s ballads. Here is a sample hour of a station for a potential station I believe could be successful using this method:
WXXX (pending) sample hour:
Heartbreak Warfare by John Mayer
Breathe-Anna Nalick
When I Was Your Man-Bruno Mars
I'll Be- Edwin McCain
Life After You-Daughtry
Thinking Out Loud-Ed Sheeran
Collide-Howie Day
Mercyme-I Can Only Imagine
The Man Who Can't Be Moved-The Script
I'm Not The Only One-Sam Smith
Landslide-Fleetwood Mac
She Will Be Loved-Maroon 5
Budapest-George Ezra
Unwritten-Natasha Bedingfield
Stay The Night-James Blunt
It would also include songs like Love Remains The Same, Say Something, Glitter in the Air and other songs which encompass this sound.
This would be an intelligent choice for many adults at work, instead of having to listen to the bouncy, immature (IMO) sound that many have (i.e. "Ain't it Fun, All About That Bass, Blurred Lines, and others). The success of AC stations is not that they are playing what people want, it is that they are the *most* conservative station and least rhythmic sound they can find. By opening this door up, people will be able to satisfy their ballad driven tastes, and the format will probably be a booming success.

There are no "ballad driven roots". AC has only been like that for a little over 30 years. Before that, it was mostly current driven without an edge. Even Hot AC is more gold based than AC used to be.

 

[vchimpanzee]

"Since You've Been Gone" was followed by "In Your Eyes" in a store I went in. Not what I would want to hear, but just these two songs are actually more traditional than the image AC seems to have now. By that I mean those songs would already have been in the format before the recent changes.

 

[vchimpanzee]

I had to pay my credit card bill, and this time I had used my bank's card too, so that meant a trip to the bank. Now I couldn't quite hear when tDJ said what station it was, but it had to be one of two. "Here I Go Again" by Whitesnake. In a bank. Really? Adele was played next, but too late.

I wouldn't have been there at that exact time but the library near my house lost power and the Internet was gone too, I found out today. I didn't ask him for how long, but if it took 20 minutes for just the power to come back, I'm glad I went on ahead.

 

[crainbebo]

A couple of weeks ago I listened to KKRB 106.9 Klamath Falls (Sunny 107), which I've mentioned before. As always, I'm amazed with the music selection for that small town.
"Slow Hand" The Pointer Sisters. I suppose no major-market AC has aired this song since 1990. Good ballad, originally done by Conway Twitty.
"Pilot of the Airwaves" Charlie Dore - WOW! An extremely rare AC song that only hit #4 in 1980. Quite good as well.
"Keeping the Faith" Billy Joel - 1983 #18 Hot 100, #3 Hot AC...one of Billy Joel's best that is NEVER heard on radio anymore. Too much "Piano Man" and "My Life" on oldies stations, but this song is never heard anymore even on classic hits stations.

-crainbebo

 

[vchimpanzee]

A couple of weeks ago I listened to KKRB 106.9 Klamath Falls (Sunny 107), which I've mentioned before. As always, I'm amazed with the music selection for that small town.
"Slow Hand" The Pointer Sisters. I suppose no major-market AC has aired this song since 1990. Good ballad, originally done by Conway Twitty.
"Pilot of the Airwaves" Charlie Dore - WOW! An extremely rare AC song that only hit #4 in 1980. Quite good as well.
"Keeping the Faith" Billy Joel - 1983 #18 Hot 100, #3 Hot AC...one of Billy Joel's best that is NEVER heard on radio anymore. Too much "Piano Man" and "My Life" on oldies stations, but this song is never heard anymore even on classic hits stations.

-crainbebo

"Slow Hand" was recorded by Conway after the Pointers. Conway can make anything sound good, but I thought this was kind of strange.

"Pilot of the Airwaves" is one I remember fondly but haven't heard in years.

My station (not AC) plays "Piano Man" but not (at least not when the satellite format is used, though I've never heard it any other time) "My Life".

 

[Bob Eubanks]

"Here I Go Again" by Whitesnake. In a bank. Really?

Since it wasn't a mausoleum, heck yes. Perfectly fine.

 

[Bob Eubanks]

"Keeping the Faith" Billy Joel - 1983 #18 Hot 100, #3 Hot AC...one of Billy Joel's best that is NEVER heard on radio anymore. Too much "Piano Man" and "My Life" on oldies stations, but this song is never heard anymore even on classic hits stations.

-crainbebo

Never say never.

Just heard it on the radio this afternoon (on a variety hits station, but still...)

 

[K.M. Richards]

(quotes edited for focus)

"Keeping the Faith" Billy Joel - 1983 #18 Hot 100, #3 Hot AC...one of Billy Joel's best that is NEVER heard on radio anymore. Too much "Piano Man" and "My Life" on oldies stations, but this song is never heard anymore even on classic hits stations.

-crainbebo

My station (not AC) plays "Piano Man" but not (at least not when the satellite format is used, though I've never heard it any other time) "My Life".

Never say never.

Just heard it on the radio this afternoon (on a variety hits station, but still...)

"My Life" has been in the top-20 of play reports at KRTH for at least the past six weeks, with an average of 20 plays per day.

"Piano Man"? Average of one play per day.

But 60% of their active library plays three times or less per week. And they're Classic Hits, not AC.

 

[John Gallagher]

"Keepin The Faith" even got a spin on CBS-FM at 8:04 last night.

 

[tall_guy1]

I do not understand it either. Since overwhelmingly people are flocking to the stations, since they are the most "conservative" they can find, there still is a draw to non-"dance beat" music out there. The 2000s (and even some of the 2010s) were full of ballads (James Blunt, John Mayer, Daughtry, Great Big World ect.), so it makes no sense to fill the format with songs like "Ain't it Fun," which would seem to have a big teen draw, while seemingly would not work for adults in an office. The "kids" who grew up on '90s and '80s music had pure pop music growing up, so why weren't songs like Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend" on mainstream AC stations in the '00s. I am noticing a large illogic in choice of music...

 

[semoochie]

I do not understand it either. Since overwhelmingly people are flocking to the stations, since they are the most "conservative" they can find, there still is a draw to non-"dance beat" music out there. The 2000s (and even some of the 2010s) were full of ballads (James Blunt, John Mayer, Daughtry, Great Big World ect.), so it makes no sense to fill the format with songs like "Ain't it Fun," which would seem to have a big teen draw, while seemingly would not work for adults in an office. The "kids" who grew up on '90s and '80s music had pure pop music growing up, so why weren't songs like Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend" on mainstream AC stations in the '00s. I am noticing a large illogic in choice of music...

With Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood" making it into the higher rungs of Billboard's AC chart, I think we have to reconsider what will "work of adults". Today, my market's AC played "Bad Blood" followed by "We Found Love" and I was awakened this morning to "You Spin Me Round(Like a Record). None of these songs would have been considered five or six years ago.

 

[tall_guy1]

With Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood" making it into the higher rungs of Billboard's AC chart, I think we have to reconsider what will "work of adults". Today, my market's AC played "Bad Blood" followed by "We Found Love" and I was awakened this morning to "You Spin Me Round(Like a Record). None of these songs would have been considered five or six years ago.

That still does not make sense to me. People with more ballad-driven tastes would, if anything, prefer MORE a station that plays such music, and not less. Also, the demos haven't changed much in 5-6 years, why change what they listen to?

 

[Bob Eubanks]

Because audiences and tastes change. Always have.

 

[semoochie]

That still does not make sense to me. People with more ballad-driven tastes would, if anything, prefer MORE a station that plays such music, and not less. Also, the demos haven't changed much in 5-6 years, why change what they listen to?

The demos haven't changed at all. The people making up the demos have. Apparently, there are no longer as many with "ballad-driven tastes" as one might expect.