KTU - Please.....

[TonySantiago]

Then the obvious question.....after a long period of time with this.Should I just give up?

 

[lalumia]

no, Tony, you should NOT give up,but be realistic about how things work,and be patient,as I am being with the cold shoulder given to what I consider to be custom made radio records like "DanceFloor"; the existing powers that be ,as they fail to embrace change, will fall to the wayside,and folks like you and I, truly passionate about what we do, we be like the barbarians standing on a hilltop,struting into the decimated,burnt out village and taking charge eventually;we 're in this cos we luv it; those who are there just for the check or the politics, as the money and power continue to dwindle, will dry up and blow away;be assured that a new day is coming;because the old ways obviously stopped working several years ago(and, as you may recall, I predicted them that THIS day would come; look it up);keep the passion and the hope alive;it ain't over until I say it is!

 

[Hamp]

Okay, one can argue about the current environment of today's generation continually embracing hip-hop and now reggaeton. Yet if you DO play a house track or club material in one of those clubs, people will dance to it. And I truly believe that if a station like a Party 105.3 were to exist in New York City, people would flood it! At best, "Dance Floor" would be heard on a larger scale and more listeners/dance fans could appreciate it. Hearing it on Party 105.3 made me appreciate it!Too bad the execs don't "get it".

Clubs do not reflect reality. They dim the lights, provide drinks, pump up the volume and provide members of the opposite sex. Not your radio listening environment. The key to KTU in its original 70's incarnation and the current one was the second generation Puerto Rican audience. Dance is pretty much dead amoung Newyoricans and Puerto Ricans on the Island. A few club cuts may get folks on the dance floor, but reggaetón and perreo are the things with the 18-34 crowd. The base of the format is, thus, gone. Executives get it. They order research, and the ones that get good research well conducted and interpreted, look for alternatives to exiswting formats or variants that will ding competitors. Were there a current-based dance passion, there would be a station.

No, executives usually are the ones that DON'T get it!!! All they care about is making money, not about putting a QUALITY product on the air. Radio executives are NOT in the streets to see what is going on. To me, that is like wanting to be a sex therapist, but you have never been on a date. That's just crazy.You know, I constantly hear the argument that if listeners don't hear something familiar ten times a day, they will flip stations. BUT, what these corporate execs dont realize is that very ideology is what is making listeners flip and some times turn off radio altogether. I realize radio is about selling hits, but if you play it too safe, listeners will tune you out.This can go for Dance music, Hip-Hop, R&B, Country, whatever. Besides, what does a corporate suit know about what really goes on in the music world, absolutely nothing. Oh David, your comment about clubs and club music not being reality. The reality is, people that are fans of club music can be potential listeners (and revenue) to radio, but if you write them offas if they aren't as important as reggaeton and hip-hop listeners, radio will stay stagnant and boring.

 

[TonySantiago]

it ain't over until I say it is!

WELL THEN....OKAY! ;D ;D ;D ;D

 

[Jeffrey]

I was reading another board and came across a post which made a very valid point as to why KTU isn't going current..... QUOTE-"You can't step on Z-100 and program younger".KTU and Z100 are both CC stations....current dance for KTU equals lower numbers for Z100 which by the way has increased the dance tracks in it's rotation as of late.Basically if you stop spinning all that gold on KTU you would attract younger listeners from Z.Might be another reason they put on Whoopi Goldberg's syndicated morning show on KTU which is mostly aired on AC stations nationwide.Seems CC is betting all their money on Z at the moment and taking KTU into an older demographic.Actually they've been doing it for quite some time.Thoughts...?

 

[JohnParker]

There might be some truth in that if there were a ton of dance records that would attract Z100's Mall kid audience over to KTU but at this point in time I don't buy it. They are both pretty much playing the only dance "hits" at the moment. And there aren't really that many out there. Maybe Z could play another 1 or 2 but that's really it in my opinion.The real music of today's younger demo is still Hip Hop and they both are playing those hits as well.jp

 

[Hamp]

There might be some truth in that if there were a ton of dance records that would attract Z100's Mall kid audience over to KTU but at this point in time I don't buy it. They are both pretty much playing the only dance "hits" at the moment. And there aren't really that many out there. Maybe Z could play another 1 or 2 but that's really it in my opinion.The real music of today's younger demo is still Hip Hop and they both are playing those hits as well.jp

I don't know if that is so much true anymore considering a lot of Hip-Hop stations aren't getting the numbers like they used to (i.e., Hot 97). The Beat in L.A. has gone to Adult Urban, Power 92.3 in Phoenix is being let go, etc. I think the tide is slowly starting to turn, you really don't have the "hip-hop superstars" like you did at the beginning of the decade. They are starting to fade. Dance and some R&B/Pop slow jams are starting to make more of an appearance on the charts. Hip-Hop may not stop, but it can be slowed down extremely. Besides, the summer months will decide what genre will stand out. I think it will be dance again. The music IS out there, companies, clubs and stations just have to start promoting it again.

 

[lalumia]

I monitor Z daily, they're playing "ETWT" and dabbling in Prata and that's it, and in the evening you hear NOTHING but the hip hop, r&b, reggaeton, rock and the pop stars...Z is playing less dance, hardly anything at all...

 

[JohnParker]

Hamp,What songs do you believe are out there and what do you think isn't being done to promote it? As for the great fall of Hip Hop, that's wishful thinking. It's a sound that is so ingrained into modern culture that like Rock and R&B, it's not going anywhere. The gap between Hip Hop and dance popularity wise is so great that if dance music could narrow the gap by just 1%, we'd all be rich. We've got a long way to go to reach the top. Not saying it can't happen, but it's not happening over the summer. jp

 

[lalumia]

oh, great, here's comes the mile long list of "one name diva" tracks.......

 

[JayD]

There might be some truth in that if there were a ton of dance records that would attract Z100's Mall kid audience over to KTU but at this point in time I don't buy it. They are both pretty much playing the only dance "hits" at the moment. And there aren't really that many out there. Maybe Z could play another 1 or 2 but that's really it in my opinion.The real music of today's younger demo is still Hip Hop and they both are playing those hits as well.jp

Younger demo's have no other options and thats my whole point in this. Plus the songs that do make it to radio are cheezy "barbie girl" sounding dance tracks. Kids listen to harder music - their hip hop isnt fruity. Real dance tracks should get a chance on radio also, not just washed up 136 bpm trance vocals. Dance music has moved on past that but radio is still stuck on it.

 

[ridethetrip]

I read a lot of the dance posts and I can't help but disagree with some of them...as big as a dance fan that I am, I feel that the dance scene right now is awful..of course with a few exceptions...I feel that history is repeating itself again as it did a little more than 10 years ago and I'm hoping that it will pick up again by next year. It seems right now that the whole dance scene is full of remakes from the 80s and people trying to imitate eric prydz...what happend to artists like Veronica?I agree that KTU is giving dance a bad name right now, and I almost wish that they'd abandon the format so someone else can pick it up by next year..and do it right. On the other hand, it seems like a lot of the rhythmic hiphop and pop are sounding more and more like dance...and I'm kind of enjoying it (shakira/blackeyed peas/rihanna)--I almost consider rihanna a dance artist (DONT KILL ME!)

 

[Jeffrey]

Hamp,What songs do you believe are out there and what do you think isn't being done to promote it? As for the great fall of Hip Hop, that's wishful thinking. It's a sound that is so ingrained into modern culture that like Rock and R&B, it's not going anywhere. The gap between Hip Hop and dance popularity wise is so great that if dance music could narrow the gap by just 1%, we'd all be rich. We've got a long way to go to reach the top. Not saying it can't happen, but it's not happening over the summer. jp

I have a question then, if the music isn't out there why is dance so heavily popular and promoted in Europe? Some of America's best DJ's spin more in Europe than they do in the US. and there are dance stations all over the fm dial.I'm not sure I buy the fact that the music isn't out there, it's just not promoted in the US. at all. Maybe the US. has too much of a thug culture to embrace a genre like dance but I can tell you that after living in Europe for 10 years that is when I noticed dance music. For some reason America got on this hip, hop craze but I too believe it is taking a little breather.

 

[lalumia]

america requires more of it's pop culture, it requires stars ,and an associated 'lifestyle'; the current dance scene provides neither, and while that plays in france and ibiza,it don't play in ohio and missouri....we detailed all this stuff about a year ago on this board..your average american music fan couldn't care less what's happening overseas..for that matter, your average music fan couldn't less about what's happening in manhattan or south beach, and THAT's where the disconnect comes in....

 

[Hamp]

Hamp,What songs do you believe are out there and what do you think isn't being done to promote it? As for the great fall of Hip Hop, that's wishful thinking. It's a sound that is so ingrained into modern culture that like Rock and R&B, it's not going anywhere. The gap between Hip Hop and dance popularity wise is so great that if dance music could narrow the gap by just 1%, we'd all be rich. We've got a long way to go to reach the top. Not saying it can't happen, but it's not happening over the summer. jp

First off, the reason why no one knows about dance music songs because music companies (in the u.s. anyway) will not promote them.They would rather promote a mediocre Hip-Hop song instead of five good dance ones.For example, there is an excellent DJ mix series called "Bargrooves" which has NEW deep house selections that the powers that be aren't picking up on. Dance music is just like any other music, if it isn't promoted, IT WON'T SELL!!!!Some of the hip-hop that has come out in the last few years has been horrible. But these music companies will promote that because they are too lazy to think of anything different to put out there. I never said Hip-Hop would COMPLETELY disappear, all I am saying is that I think the tide is turning and people want something different.

 

[Hamp]

america requires more of it's pop culture, it requires stars ,and an associated 'lifestyle'; the current dance scene provides neither, and while that plays in france and ibiza,it don't play in ohio and missouri...Okay, But I don't care what is going on in Missouri and Ohio, as long as New York, Chicago, Baltimore/D.C., Philly and Miami are back on track with the House/Dance sound, I could really care less about what middle america thinks. I just think the U.S. as a whole is just too conservative when it comes to music (among other things)..we detailed all this stuff about a year ago on this board..your average american music fan couldn't care less what's happening overseas..for that matter, your average music fan couldn't less about what's happening in manhattan or south beach, and THAT's where the disconnect comes in....

 

[JustinCase]

Music culture and the general ups and downs of formats is natural... right now the music world is on a retro variety kick... I mean just look at all the stations doing the throwback thing or the jack thing... I tend to agree that hip hop also isn't as strong as its been in the past couple years, but a lot of that has to do with the rise of the latin sound. Everytime "dance" comes back around the sound is a bit different, the influences are just different... may be it will be the shoulders of this latin blended hip hop sound that will get people back on the dance floor and spring board into a more dance friendly period again. Until then, if KTU has to play more classics to keep them fiscally viable so be it...

 

[hotpatrick2004]

why do you guys and gals think of the dance stations in phoenix and sanfrancisco know as energy.I know it is a few years old but i love the song castles in the sky and fly away by gg d agastino.

 

[wtmuradio]

oh please, enough of the classics. Summers here, kids are out partying, theres so much great dance music coming out, Hip Hop is at an all time low in terms of hits... This is the perfect oppurtunity to boost Dance back up in this country. NY is the leader - you can set trends. The classics are sickening now. Quit living in the past - People enjoy NEW music. Help dance grow... Its so frustrating to hear your station nowadays.

Now BALTAZAR & GUMBA JOHNNY are gone .Whats next ? They might as well go Rock .Theres no other rock station besides 104.3 and 105.5 dha

 

[lalumia]

...radio is not interested in helping anything' grow', except their profit margins(and why should they, they're a business,not a fan club)....the music business has always been about survival of the fittest,and dance isn't all that fit these days...pumping 'grooves' and six minute sessions of beeps,belches and squakes are never going to find the audience that radio desires...stick to the internet