P
PDPete
Guest
With this year being a banner year for rhythmic product on the Hot AC chart, one has to question what the future for the format holds. Artists like Rihanna, Shakira, Fort Minor and Justin Timberlake have had a great year on Hot AC radio this year, but their position on the chart has been hampered by the fact that many Hot AC reporters will just not touch these artists at all.
Rihanna's "SOS" and Shakira's "Hips Don't Lie" each peaked in the top 20 (17 and 16 respectively). This is considered a big success for each of these artists, just as any song making the Top 20 on Hot AC is a good accomplishment considering the slow movement of the chart. However, did anyone in their right mind even for one second believe that either of these songs had even a remote chance of cracking the top 10? Probably not. The fact remains that over half of the Hot AC panel can be considerd Modern AC as well.
This trend is likely to continue as the "Modern" AC product is as good as it has been since the Lilth Fair heyday of the format in the late 1990's. There are more than enough good "lite" alternative records to easily fill out a playlist of a station that wants to stay away from the Rihanna's and the Timberlake's of the world. However, while the universe of solid Modern AC product is larger than ever, so are the number of stations that are beginning to segue toward a more authentic Adult CHR sound.
Case in point, WTMX in Chicago, which earlier this year underwent a bit of format tweak (without any fanfare), and started embracing some of that aforementioned rhythmic product (those artists listed above, along with new Pink, Christina Aguilera and Madonna, artists that they have been playing for awhile, but not to the extend they have this year). There also have been other stations across the country that have opened up their playlists to more CHR sounding product, but there still exists quite variation amongst the Hot AC panel. Los Angeles plays host to KYSR, and Detroit is home to WDVD, two modern AC's that compete with more rhythmic Hot AC's, and therefore have no choice but to stay modern. Cleveland and Boston, on the other hand are home to WQAL and WBMX respectively, two Hot AC's that border on mainstream CHR at times. Stations like WTMX, WQAL and WBMX help give the rhythmic artists a chance to do well on Hot AC radio, but they will always be handicapped as long as the KYSR's and WDVD's, along with other Modern AC's keep a strictly Modern AC playlist.
So this begs the question. Is it time for an official relaunch of the Modern AC format, and if so, do these stations split from the Hot AC panel, leaving a new format of a more authentic sounding Adult CHR format, similar to the variety of music found on the Canadian Hot AC chart? I personally think this is the time, as this would give the Hot AC format a much needed shot in the arm, and in turn would keep the format fresh and up to date well into the next decade. As usual, only time will tell if this scenerio actually plays out.
Rihanna's "SOS" and Shakira's "Hips Don't Lie" each peaked in the top 20 (17 and 16 respectively). This is considered a big success for each of these artists, just as any song making the Top 20 on Hot AC is a good accomplishment considering the slow movement of the chart. However, did anyone in their right mind even for one second believe that either of these songs had even a remote chance of cracking the top 10? Probably not. The fact remains that over half of the Hot AC panel can be considerd Modern AC as well.
This trend is likely to continue as the "Modern" AC product is as good as it has been since the Lilth Fair heyday of the format in the late 1990's. There are more than enough good "lite" alternative records to easily fill out a playlist of a station that wants to stay away from the Rihanna's and the Timberlake's of the world. However, while the universe of solid Modern AC product is larger than ever, so are the number of stations that are beginning to segue toward a more authentic Adult CHR sound.
Case in point, WTMX in Chicago, which earlier this year underwent a bit of format tweak (without any fanfare), and started embracing some of that aforementioned rhythmic product (those artists listed above, along with new Pink, Christina Aguilera and Madonna, artists that they have been playing for awhile, but not to the extend they have this year). There also have been other stations across the country that have opened up their playlists to more CHR sounding product, but there still exists quite variation amongst the Hot AC panel. Los Angeles plays host to KYSR, and Detroit is home to WDVD, two modern AC's that compete with more rhythmic Hot AC's, and therefore have no choice but to stay modern. Cleveland and Boston, on the other hand are home to WQAL and WBMX respectively, two Hot AC's that border on mainstream CHR at times. Stations like WTMX, WQAL and WBMX help give the rhythmic artists a chance to do well on Hot AC radio, but they will always be handicapped as long as the KYSR's and WDVD's, along with other Modern AC's keep a strictly Modern AC playlist.
So this begs the question. Is it time for an official relaunch of the Modern AC format, and if so, do these stations split from the Hot AC panel, leaving a new format of a more authentic sounding Adult CHR format, similar to the variety of music found on the Canadian Hot AC chart? I personally think this is the time, as this would give the Hot AC format a much needed shot in the arm, and in turn would keep the format fresh and up to date well into the next decade. As usual, only time will tell if this scenerio actually plays out.