Music variety in other countries

[IBadget1]

I recently traveled to the Philippines and found the radio scene over there to be much better than in the United States in terms of music variety. While US radio is notorious for playing the same 300 songs over and over due to being owned by Clear Channel, Cox, CBS, Cumulus, Citadel, Buckley, and other big conglomerates, Philippine radio isn't afraid to play unfamiliar music. In Metro Manila, Home Radio 97.9, 96.3 W-Rock, and RJ 100 played "Hold Me In Your Arms" by Rick Astley, which is a song you'll never hear on US radio. RJ 100 and 106.7 Dream FM played "Sweet Reunion" by Kenny Loggins, another tune US radio will never touch. 106.7 Dream FM played "Spending Time With You" by Janet Jackson and "Take It Nice and Slow" by Freddie Jackson. RJ 100 played "You're My Everything" by Santa Esmeralda and "Night Bird" by Kalapana.

Does anyone have any idea why radio in foreign countries are bold and courageous enough to play unfamiliar music that US radio will never even think about playing? Does the fact that radio is a business hold true in other countries?

Thanks in advance for sharing how radio works in foreign countries vs. the United States.

 

[davideduardo]

I recently traveled to the Philippines and found the radio scene over there to be much better than in the United States in terms of music variety. While US radio is notorious for playing the same 300 songs over and over due to being owned by Clear Channel, Cox, CBS, Cumulus, Citadel, Buckley, and other big conglomerates, Philippine radio isn't afraid to play unfamiliar music. In Metro Manila, Home Radio 97.9, 96.3 W-Rock, and RJ 100 played "Hold Me In Your Arms" by Rick Astley, which is a song you'll never hear on US radio. RJ 100 and 106.7 Dream FM played "Sweet Reunion" by Kenny Loggins, another tune US radio will never touch. 106.7 Dream FM played "Spending Time With You" by Janet Jackson and "Take It Nice and Slow" by Freddie Jackson. RJ 100 played "You're My Everything" by Santa Esmeralda and "Night Bird" by Kalapana.

You could keep going forever in nearly any country of the world. WHAT WAS A HIT IN THE USA WAS NOT NECESSARILY A HIT ELSEWHERE. I have programmed in more than a dozen countries in the Americans alone, and it is amazing how many songs by US artists they play that never charted in the US because tastes are different. In addition, in many nations of the world, those stations playing music in English will have many more British hits that did not register in the US.

Also, the record companies often released cuts in other countries that were not released in the US. Or they did not even release the album domesticaly, so stations got imports and played whatever they thought might be appealing to the local audience. Remember, in most places "Anglo" music is a small part of the music business, so the bulk of US albums never got released in most of the world.

Further, the biggest stations in most of those non-English speaking nations (Tagalog, not English, is the language of the Philippines) are those in the native language(s)... unless the users of that langauge are a small group (like Hungarian) and there is just not that much music. But the huge amount of Tagalog speakers also invalidates your point.

Does anyone have any idea why radio in foreign countries are bold and courageous enough to play unfamiliar music that US radio will never even think about playing?

The songs are familiar in other countries because they were hits there. End of issue.

Example... in Latin America, CCR got more airplay and sales than the Beatles, and a number of CCR songs that were not hits in the US get play even now in Latin America.

Does the fact that radio is a business hold true in other countries?

Of course it does. And the big stations in the bigger cities, from Buenos Aires to Lima to Bangkok to Tokyo to Mumbai research just like in the US... often using US companies to do it

I worked a classic rock station in Argentina. Not one song would be familiar to listeners of a classic rock station in the US. We played less than 500 songs. We were #1, and at one point had the highest cume in the Western Hemisphere.

Don´t expect other countries and cultures to behave like the US. That is where the image of the Ugly American came from, way back in the 50's.

 

[adma]

And honestly, if Rick Astley, Kenny Loggins, et al is your benchmark for "unfamiliar music" and "music variety", it doesn't say much for the remnant class of radio-scene fans out there, culturally speaking...

 

[TheBigA]

I recently traveled to the Philippines and found the radio scene over there to be much better than in the United States in terms of music variety.

I don't equate the idea of playing unfamiliar music with better radio or offering more variety.

But the US has hundreds of radio stations playing unfamiliar music. They just don't happen to be very popular. If you look beyond the popular, you'll be amazed at just how unfamiliar the music becomes. And there's a reason for that. The minute something becomes popular, it's no longer unfamiliar, by definition.

Here's my simple rule: You want unfamiliar music? Go to the college stations. You want the hits? Go to the big popular stations. You don't have to go to the Philippines to hear unfamiliar music.

At the same time, radio stations in the Philippines operate with far less competition then they do here. US Radio offered more variety when there was less competition. When you're competing against the biggest companies, you're less likely to take chances.

 

[davideduardo]

I don't equate the idea of playing unfamiliar music with better radio or offering more variety.

As i explained, that music is most likely very familiar in Manila. It's just that the English language hits outside the US are not always the same ones as were hits in the US. Difference in taste, difference in what the label wanted to release, difference in imports.

Here's my simple rule: You want unfamiliar music? Go to the college stations. You want the hits? Go to the big popular stations. You don't have to go to the Philippines to hear unfamiliar music.

Again, I doubt that music was unfamiliar in Manila. It's likely the songs were hits there, even if in the US they were not. A programmer outside the US does not follow US charts. For example, when I programmed a top 40 station in South America in the 60's we played little Beatles, not much Motown beyond the Supremes, couldn't get arrested playing Dylan or James Brown, but had to play a CCR cut every hour. Also, we found a lot more British hits made it there than American ones. You see, our audience was 100% Ecuadorian, and we played what they liked, not what was on WQAM or WFIL or some station in the states.

At the same time, radio stations in the Philippines operate with far less competition then they do here. US Radio offered more variety when there was less competition.

Metro Manila has 59 full power radio stations, no daytimers, none directional except by design. There is no US market with 59 viable stations. 31 are full power FMs, too. The competition in many places outside the US, from the Philippines to Mexico to Bogota to Buenos Aires is greater, not less than the US.

 

[TheBigA]

I don't equate the idea of playing unfamiliar music with better radio or offering more variety.

As i explained, that music is most likely very familiar in Manila.

My comment wasn't about Manilla, but the original poster's view on what makes for better radio. If he wants "bold" or "courageous," he can find them if he's willing to look.

 

[SirRoxalot]

The Eduardoan Conundrum

Metro Manila has 59 full power radio stations, no daytimers, none directional except by design. There is no US market with 59 viable stations. 31 are full power FMs, too. The competition in many places outside the US, from the Philippines to Mexico to Bogota to Buenos Aires is greater, not less than the US.

Manila has more signals than any US market. Manila has much more variety than any US market.

So, greater competition means more variety?

That's it! David has given us the answer! BREAK UP THE CLUSTERS!

 

[davideduardo]

Re: The Eduardoan Conundrum

Metro Manila has 59 full power radio stations, no daytimers, none directional except by design. There is no US market with 59 viable stations. 31 are full power FMs, too. The competition in many places outside the US, from the Philippines to Mexico to Bogota to Buenos Aires is greater, not less than the US.

Manila has more signals than any US market. Manila has much more variety than any US market.

I did not say that. LA has, for example, 87 stations licensed in the MSA, but only half are viable (meaning they cover nearly all the market day and night). All Metro Manila stations are viable, in contrast.

And I said nothing about variety. Manila has less variety than any large US market partly because of the fascination with a variety of formats that would fit in the US definition of AC / gold / 80's where about 20 FMs are significantly similar with overlapping formats and playlists. Philippine radio is highly consolidated, not only with duopolies in Metro Manila, but also with many simulcast AM and FM networks across the nation.

So, greater competition means more variety?

Actually, consolidation tends to remove format duplication and encourage format diversity.

 

[SirRoxalot]

One might argue that a signal that doesn't cover the market perhaps shouldn't be considered to be a "market signal". Perhaps it should be considered a signal that's supposed to serve its original city of license instead of rim-shotting LA.

The original poster said that Manila had more variety than a typical US market. You say that's not the case. Apparently he didn't know what he was listening to, huh?

Sorry, Mr. Badget. You didn't get the corporate memo:

1. Corporate is always right.

2. Consolidation is good for listeners.

3. Consolidation means more variety.

4. Variety means tight playlists.

5. Advertisers are our customers, not listeners.

6. In case of doubt, refer to Rule #1.

 

[TheBigA]

Wow...for your sake and anyone around you, I hope you're self-employed.

 

[davideduardo]

One might argue that a signal that doesn't cover the market perhaps shouldn't be considered to be a "market signal". Perhaps it should be considered a signal that's supposed to serve its original city of license instead of rim-shotting LA.

LA has onlky one rimshot, KLYY 97.5.

The original poster said that Manila had more variety than a typical US market. You say that's not the case. Apparently he didn't know what he was listening to, huh?

Badget referred to song variety, limiting the discussion to only stations that play English music in a country where the principla language is Tagalog. That is a poor start.

What we get from Badget's post is that, to him, the songs played there are not the same as the ones played in the US. He thinks this means the stations are more daring in music choices. What, in fact, it really means is that in Manila the Anglo music played is selected because filipinos like it. In the US, music is selected for American tastes. Duh. Natuarally, the playlists in Manila or Singapore or Capetown will be different than in the US becase the audience is different.

4. Variety means tight playlists.

Yes, that is true. When probed, nearly all listeners interpret variety to mean th eplaying of songs they like best, not lots of songs.

5. Advertisers are our customers, not listeners.

Yes, advertisers are the customers, listeners are the consumers. In other words, listeners are the users, but advertisers pay for it. This has been the case for about 90 years, by the way.