In your scenario, would the classic hits station be rock or pop-leaning? There is a huge difference in strategy - depending on which audience you're going after. If it's pop-leaning, you'll get women, but lose the men. Rock-leaning and you'll probably keep the men with, perhaps, a decent amount of females.
-
Get involved.
We want your input!
Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.
After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.
After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/
Thanks in advance and have fun!
RadioDiscussions Administrators
Is Classic Rock Dying?
- Thread starter tsherck
- Start date
In your scenario, would the classic hits station be rock or pop-leaning? There is a huge difference in strategy - depending on which audience you're going after. If it's pop-leaning, you'll get women, but lose the men. Rock-leaning and you'll probably keep the men with, perhaps, a decent amount of females.
It's my belief that CLASSIC HITS will eventually replace both Oldies AND Classic Rock in the M/F 45-54 Demo WOMEN want more Uptempo & Rockier product now than say 10-15 years ago...CH will be about 50/50 the question then becomes will there be enough NEW Product for an Active Rock Format will Classic Alternative Actually Replace some of those Classic Rockers?
Last edited:
A
Avid Listener
Guest
I suspect it's time for a paradigm shift. There is so much more recorded music out there to pick from that the limited playlists of yesteryear (which was a good idea back in the day!) are no longer as valid as they once were. If the definition of "classic rock" is changed to something based on the sound of the music instead of the year it was recorded, there's an excellent chance that stations that play "classic rock music" can thrive. If the definition remains based on a combination of year released and chart performance decades ago, then the format is doomed to extinction.
There's an exciting new challenge for radio station programmers to develop new criteria for content selection. In many ways, broadcast radio is at a threshold point almost as fundamental as the days when the scripted comedies and dramas that dominated radio's Golden Age were replaced by disc jockey lead music formats. The days of radio as a commercial-supported jukebox of nothing but the "hits" are coming to a close.
Satellite radio and new technologies for the delivery of listener-selected recorded music are as big a challenge to radio as television was in the 1950's. Radio met the challenge of television by changing their paradigm from programming for the big Philco in the family living room and instead programming for the Motorola in the car dashboard. Car dashboard radios will remain the #1 outlet for broadcast radio, but stations will have to adopt new approaches to compete with in-dash CD players, iPad and MP3 player inputs, satellite receivers, and other alternate music delivery systems. I believe that the broadcast radio industry can meet this challenge through imaginative new thinking. The one sort of new thinking that applies in this thread is redefining "classic rock" as "rock that sounds classic".
There's an exciting new challenge for radio station programmers to develop new criteria for content selection. In many ways, broadcast radio is at a threshold point almost as fundamental as the days when the scripted comedies and dramas that dominated radio's Golden Age were replaced by disc jockey lead music formats. The days of radio as a commercial-supported jukebox of nothing but the "hits" are coming to a close.
Satellite radio and new technologies for the delivery of listener-selected recorded music are as big a challenge to radio as television was in the 1950's. Radio met the challenge of television by changing their paradigm from programming for the big Philco in the family living room and instead programming for the Motorola in the car dashboard. Car dashboard radios will remain the #1 outlet for broadcast radio, but stations will have to adopt new approaches to compete with in-dash CD players, iPad and MP3 player inputs, satellite receivers, and other alternate music delivery systems. I believe that the broadcast radio industry can meet this challenge through imaginative new thinking. The one sort of new thinking that applies in this thread is redefining "classic rock" as "rock that sounds classic".
Avid Listener nails it...your Classic Rock will assume the "Classic Hits" Definition as the Classic Hits formerly "Oldies" will take on a "Variety" 80's & 90's Format.
A
Avid Listener
Guest
I'm sorry, but you are slightly mistaken. There are many artists making new recordings of rock songs that have the "classic" rock sound of the classic rock era. Sadly, they cannot get recording contracts because the record companies can't sell them in mass quantities because the radio won't give them any airplay. So, they self-publish and self-promote, selling hard copy CDs at live concerts and selling downloads off the internet. Some of these artists are the very same artists who recorded the songs that are still played on classic rock format radio stations.
Those new "classic" rock songs are out there, waiting to be found. But no one with the power to put new songs on the radio seems to be looking for them.
There are several efficient ways for a band to get their music "out there" besides radio. Other genres are doing it. The fact is, there are very few, if any, modern bands with the innovation and sound of the classic rockers putting out new material. In addition to the lack of originality in the music itself the old rock bands were the most damaged by the advent of video clips. They had to get outrageous to get airtime on outlets like MTV but were largely undone by even more outrageous but less talented acts over the years. I don't see a resurgence in what we now call classic rock and assume it will eventually become a genre not unlike the traditional classics music.
A
Avid Listener
Guest
I am a major fan of "classic rock", in the sense that it is a genre of music defined by a sound, not by the date it was recorded. In searching for new music to listen to that has the sound of classic rock, I've found several new artists who would have been airplay staples back in the day. Many of them are doing relatively well in terms of live concert attendance, though never to the level of artists supported by major radio airplay.
In particular, there are a large number of European bands that have continued the 70's Progressive Rock genre forward. There is some evolutionary differences, but overall their sound should appeal to anyone who was a fan of Pink Floyd, ELO, Renaissance, Genesis, or other such bands who dominated the 70s on non-Disco radio stations.
The sentence I highlighted does raise a conundrum. If there is too much innovation, then it ceases to be "classic" rock, and becomes something else. But not enough innovation, and it is merely derivative.
It's hard to find one single song from a band who has recorded something like a dozen albums, but there are a few songs from a Dutch band that combines elements of 70's prog rock, 80s metal, and multiple other influences into something that threads that line between not so much innovation that it's no longer "classic", but not so little that it's boring. They are selling platinum albums all over the world (except the US) and selling out major concert venues all over the world (except the US).
Dangerous
Paradise
Stand My Ground
Somewhere
The so-called "country radio" format consists primarily of men doing classic rock and women doing hot adult contemporary.
Most major record labels stopped focusing on radio as a marketing tool at least ten years ago. With regards to rock acts, they stopped 20 years ago. That's partly what killed rock radio for new music. In addition to the rise of rap rock. So radio airplay has ceased to be a motivation for getting signed to a label, and when you watch these artists perform on late night TV, you can see why. They aren't "radio friendly," nor are they trained for using traditional media.
A
Avid Listener
Guest
Clearly, if you think that the few acts who managed to booked onto the last few minutes of Letterman or Fallon are the cream of the crop of modern performers creating classic-sounding rock, you know nothing about music. You might claim to know radio as a business, but your knowledge of music is not evidenced by anything you've posted.
Did I say that? No. But they are examples. Record labels are using lots of platforms to get their music to the public, not just radio.
A
Avid Listener
Guest
This forum is about rock and classic rock. This thread is about classic rock, asking if it is dying. It's not about grunge, alternative, punk, new wave, indie pop, rap, hip hop, new folk, or any other musical genre. If you post something about musicians appearing on TV in a thread about classic rock, it's a natural assumption that you're talking about classic rock. If those performers you alluded to are not playing "classic rock", then why the hell even bring them up?
You say, "So radio airplay has ceased to be a motivation for getting signed to a label, and when you watch these artists perform on late night TV, you can see why. They aren't 'radio friendly,' nor are they trained for using traditional media." If the thread is about artists who are recording new rock music in the classic style, then when you refer to "those performers", it's a natural assumption that you are using them as an example of the artists being talked about in this thread.
Or are you just trolling, as usual?
I'll repeat the point again, and try to dumb it down so that you can understand it.
"Classic rock" is a genre of music. It is defined by a particular sound. It first came along in the late 1960's when some bands began to create rock music that wasn't just disposable pop. The pioneers of what came to be called "classic" rock created a timeless musical genre. Since the era when "classic rock" was first developed, some artists have continued to make new recordings that are every bit as "classic" as their work of three or four decades ago. And new artists have been creating new music in the same classic style as the music of the so-called "classic rock" era. Not every band or solo artist who works in creating rock music works in the "classic" rock genre.
As for how the suits who exploit musicians market their products, that's something for other suits and bean-counters to concern themselves with. The leeches who suck the blood of artists have been around forever, and will continue to be around forever. If there is a nuclear armageddon, and most life on earth is destroyed, all that will remain are cockroaches, Keith Richards, and blood sucking leeches.
Yes I agree and it's become a radio format. It's not going to die because that's when rock peaked, it's been all down hill since then and the kids know good music when they hear it. I'm not saying there isn't good rock still being made but it's more of a niche thing these days. Classic rock is loud, powerful and rude for the most part which is what real rock is. Programmers could make it a little easier on themselves if they included lesser known tunes along with the mega hits. Led Zep has a huge catalogue for example and there were many great bands that just weren't as popular back then because of the sheer amount of stuff coming out on the radio back then that should be exposed nowadays, classic rock could live on forever if there was some imagination in radio... hmmm. did I just contradict myself?
And I said that directly in response to a comment of yours. You chose to ignore that half of my comment, focus on the TV aspect, and then make up things I didn't say. Talk about trolling, you're becoming abusive. If you can't deal with someone questioning or commenting on your posts in a civil way, then don't post.
Classic rock in not a genre of music, but a radio format. Like Adult Contemporary or smooth jazz. That's why we discuss it on a Radio Discussions board:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_rock
Big disagree there 'A'. Classic Rock is both a music genre AND a radio format. Unlike Oldies, which is a mix of rock and pop produced during a specific period in time, Classic Rock is a particular sound (akin to Surf, Bubblegum, Disco) that is not attached to a period in time (although most was produced from the late 60's through early 80's).
Disagree all you want, but there's no Classic Rock category in the Grammy Awards or in record stores. As the linked article says, the name grew out of the old AOR format, and was named by radio people. No one grows up dreaming of becoming a classic rock artist. It's something they become after they've had success.
Last edited:
A
Avid Listener
Guest
The Grammys also do not have a separate category for any of these genres:
Punk
New Wave (though the do have New Age, which is a totally different thing)
Disco (except once, in 1980)
Bubblegum
Shoegaze
Techno
Doo Wop
Bossa Nova
In fact, there are far more genres of music than the Grammys have even dreamed of.
Musicians understand this. Broadcast industry suits do not.
Punk
New Wave (though the do have New Age, which is a totally different thing)
Disco (except once, in 1980)
Bubblegum
Shoegaze
Techno
Doo Wop
Bossa Nova
In fact, there are far more genres of music than the Grammys have even dreamed of.
Musicians understand this. Broadcast industry suits do not.
First of all, I don't wear a suit. Second of all, REAL musicians don't constrain themselves or their art to categories or genres. In fact, the trend today is to find ways to break out of categories. That's what Run DMC sought to do when they did a song with Aerosmith. Categories are something forced on musicians by marketers, labels, critics, and people in radio.
In his autobiography, "Music Is My Mistress," Duke Ellington said this to critics who were trying to force him into a genre: "There are two kinds of music: Good and bad."
Last edited:
G
Groove1670
Guest
In the article:
Well somebody is listening.
Classic rock stations will move the time line further down the road (I hear Pearl Jam & Nirvana) on some stations now (RHCP) too, and in 20 years we will hear the same comments about those songs also.
Well somebody is listening.
Classic rock stations will move the time line further down the road (I hear Pearl Jam & Nirvana) on some stations now (RHCP) too, and in 20 years we will hear the same comments about those songs also.Pearl Jam and Nirvana were showing up on classic rock radio years ago. I don't think they belong there. I just think that approach, or "everything that rocks", sounds strange.In the article:
Well somebody is listening.
- Status