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majaman78
Guest
SJFAN said:
While I agree smoothjazz.com does a good job in playing new artists and new releases, they fall waaaaaaayyyyyyyy short on delivering classic smooth jazz selections and the NAC sound in general, when "smooth jazz" stations were in their heyday and attained their best ratings whether you want to hear about it or not.
And since they also split off smoothlounge.com into a seperate entity, the downtempo/chill format gets grating on the ears after listening to it afer a few hours. So again in my opinion they fall short on delivering what the people really want to hear, because "professional programmers" make those decisions that they only believe are true. Sorry to disappoint you but they're not.
And while I agree Michael McDonald's new sound is totally atrocious (especially all of that cover material), dismissing a classic like "Our Love" is totally careless and again shows that so-called professional "programmers" really don't have any ideas on what us comtemporary jazz listeners really want to hear.
Bring in a new station with fresh ideas like the .wav.com is the real future whether you want to hear about it or not. Yep, just the right mix of new/classic/chill/NAC/vocals that not pigeonholed like smoothjazz.com or smoothlounge.com or XM Watercolors, and especially BA with tiny playlists that bore you to tears after listening just a few hours. Believe me when I sat these aforementioned stations are borefests, since I listen on my PC between 12 -14 hours daily and the only one that commanded my full attention after a few months was www.wavjazz.net, and because of that station I have increased my CD libarary by a few dozen CD's, just like what used to happen in the late 80's and early '90's when I listened..
Smoothjazz.com seems to play too much new/independent stuff. I enjoy hearing some new music mixed in with the familiar tracks. I no longer listen to smoothjazz.com because I never hear any classic Rippingtons, Warren Hill, Larry Carlton, Kenny G, etc.
I do listen to Watercolors most of the day in my office and in also my car. They seem to have a large playlist. On occasion, I'll hear a track I had forgotten existed. Maybe they have some spike category? I hear a lot of newer songs too often, but then I also hear older/deeper tracks that I never heard them play before. That's what keeps me listening. I still think they could play even more late 80s-90s tracks. I like the fact that I don't hear many R&B/soft AC vocals in the mix, but I could do with a few more soft AAA tracks like the early smooth jazz stations used to touch. They don't seem to touch Everything But The Girl, but yet they play Basia. I wouldn't remove anything, but I would add some more Rippingtons, early Kenny G, Everything But The Girl's Understanding, Troubled Mind, Driving, etc. I enjoy hearing the chill tracks mixed in sometimes.
I have listened to wavjazz.net and I am very pleased by the music mix. Once internet becomes available in my car, I could see myself canceling XM and using wavjazz.net instead.
I do listen to Watercolors most of the day in my office and in also my car. They seem to have a large playlist. On occasion, I'll hear a track I had forgotten existed. Maybe they have some spike category? I hear a lot of newer songs too often, but then I also hear older/deeper tracks that I never heard them play before. That's what keeps me listening. I still think they could play even more late 80s-90s tracks. I like the fact that I don't hear many R&B/soft AC vocals in the mix, but I could do with a few more soft AAA tracks like the early smooth jazz stations used to touch. They don't seem to touch Everything But The Girl, but yet they play Basia. I wouldn't remove anything, but I would add some more Rippingtons, early Kenny G, Everything But The Girl's Understanding, Troubled Mind, Driving, etc. I enjoy hearing the chill tracks mixed in sometimes.
I have listened to wavjazz.net and I am very pleased by the music mix. Once internet becomes available in my car, I could see myself canceling XM and using wavjazz.net instead.
Nock --- all's fine unless you clain you only listen to www.jiosajazz.com/
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majaman78
Guest
mock3 said:
the .wav played that track just last week!
I was trying to do an editoral on SmoothViews.com about innovators and I had to change it because there weren't enough to cover. True, there were less pop vocals, but other than there was still a lot of the 1987 WAVE influece going on. While playing contemporary instrumentals instead of lite vocals and oldies or covers of oldies is a start there still seem to be a lot of 1987 premises that it's time to rethink. Coming basically down to the fact that it might be time to take our formatic cues from A/C-AAA instead of B-EZ and MOR.
Someone mentioned the fact that you rarely hear AAA/Adult Alt vocals or the classic songs that created so much excitement when the genre was starting out. Why not pass over the (BA oriented) "single" and dig deeper into the CDs where the new songs with that same type of vibe are hiding? Why do we still think the focus has to be relaxation? Why do voiceovers and sweepers have to be imitative of the old MOR announcers and the focus on "pipes" for men and breathy-sexy for women which sounds sooo dated when everyone else is natural and conversational? Why mood over song..since the chill influence came in there are songs now that are just riffs and have no melody at all.
Why is "too exciting" still seen as a bad thing. The people who discover this music at live gigs can't even find much on the internet that captures the charisma and variety that the live experience has? Why are we not searching deeper for vocals than what they labels pay a promoter to promote, which is usually based on youth culture. Check out Morley ("Softly"), Carol Weisman,Chiaro Civello, Maysa's new one. All you have to do is go to iTunes and follow threads and lists? Not saying you have to completely throw the baby out with the bathwater but time to expand the box, perhaps? I still think as far as pop instrumentals are concerned Koz should be the model rather than Kenny. He writes a mean hook and his hits CD has melody galore, mood too, sax both in your face and subdued, variety of type tempo and texture. What more can you ask?
BTW I think smoothjazz.com has a developing artist program that gives a certain amount of airplay to participating artists. That counts for the high concentration of indie artists.
Someone mentioned the fact that you rarely hear AAA/Adult Alt vocals or the classic songs that created so much excitement when the genre was starting out. Why not pass over the (BA oriented) "single" and dig deeper into the CDs where the new songs with that same type of vibe are hiding? Why do we still think the focus has to be relaxation? Why do voiceovers and sweepers have to be imitative of the old MOR announcers and the focus on "pipes" for men and breathy-sexy for women which sounds sooo dated when everyone else is natural and conversational? Why mood over song..since the chill influence came in there are songs now that are just riffs and have no melody at all.
Why is "too exciting" still seen as a bad thing. The people who discover this music at live gigs can't even find much on the internet that captures the charisma and variety that the live experience has? Why are we not searching deeper for vocals than what they labels pay a promoter to promote, which is usually based on youth culture. Check out Morley ("Softly"), Carol Weisman,Chiaro Civello, Maysa's new one. All you have to do is go to iTunes and follow threads and lists? Not saying you have to completely throw the baby out with the bathwater but time to expand the box, perhaps? I still think as far as pop instrumentals are concerned Koz should be the model rather than Kenny. He writes a mean hook and his hits CD has melody galore, mood too, sax both in your face and subdued, variety of type tempo and texture. What more can you ask?
BTW I think smoothjazz.com has a developing artist program that gives a certain amount of airplay to participating artists. That counts for the high concentration of indie artists.
M
majaman78
Guest
AnotherCat said:
I just checked out the Morley tune and found it mediocre, guess it's up to each individual to chose and like what they want. Plus the chill tunes I am hearing have a definite hook and melody, so itt's not too fair to throw the entire genre out in the garbage. Check out 3D or Alex Cortiz to name a couple where there's a definite vibe and excitement. As far as Koz, in my opinion he's the new Kenny G with all of that cover junk he's currently mired in that the entire the format is stuck in. Guess you haven't heard his dreadful "At The Movies" CD yet.
Give me 100% instrumentals, there's enough new material out there to make up for mediocre vocals that really don't have to be played at all.
AnotherCat said:
Yes SJ.com has a pay for play program in place. Have to to survive and create a revenue stream. What also has killed them is our friend Mr Soundscan who came down on them and every other internet stream. An artist now must sign a release to get airplay on SJ.com and guess what, the artist want royalties and they are not signing.The starving independents are to get the airplay. A viscious cycle.
Nock
Actually that and Benoit's latest inspired the "Fear of the Elevator" piece I did. Pure B-EZ and unlike some consultants I don't think we particularly want to emulate our grandparents musical taste. He got that out of his system before he played the Jacksonville festival and didn't deliver more lushly orchestrated snoozers for the original songs on the Hits collection.
The SoundEXchange-RIAA thing is brutal. That's why SmoothViews isn't podcasting. It's a totally tangled maze designed to prop up major labels and overhyped pop artists while keeping everyone else from getting any exposure. It's like a manager I was talking to who does sign releases said "I'll be glad to sacrifice the miniscule amount we would get if it means more people hear the music, because if they don't hear it they don't buy it or come see us. Then we get nothing!"
Somewhat off topic, but the name smooth jazz needs to no longer be associated with the format. Currently in Vegas and took a bus ride and the driver had the Las Vegas SJ station on. It is not smooth jazz. Heard 3 lame vocals on my 15 minute ride. It is gone, done, finished. BA lose the name. What you are doing is an insult to the jazz musicians out there. It is absolutely horrible!
Nock
Nock
I just saw a concert listing for Peter White that simply said "contemporary guitarst Peter White" 'nuff said.
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majaman78
Guest
Nock said:
Just another BA disaster that brings a smile to my face! ;D
Are there any markets where they've improved the numbers? I highly doubt it.
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