Obscure hits within a soft AC format

[davideduardo]

Sadly, terrestrial radio listeners have gotten accustomed to these "watered-down" playlists that have been "fed" to us over the years.

Radio was saved from being killed by TV in the early to mid-50's by stations that began to play the 40 or so hottest songs and nothing else. The first of those stations began 62 years ago.

Three generations of Americans are "accustomed" to hearing popular hit music on the radio.

There is nothing "watered down" about it... it's what people have chosen over and over when there have been choices of bigger or shorter playlists. Short wins.

 

[Music Lover]

One of four things would happen:
1) "Wowowow .... I've forgotten ALL about this song!! I haven't heard this since I was a high school junior. Is this on iTunes??"

That's typically my reaction to songs I haven't heard in ages.

 

[passtheword]

There is nothing "watered down" about it... it's what people have chosen over and over when there have been choices of bigger or shorter playlists. Short wins.

You just keep telling yourself that, lol. The listeners say otherwise...

 

[davideduardo]

You just keep telling yourself that, lol. The listeners say otherwise...

Nah, they don't.

While each person may have some songs they's like played that they don't hear, there is no consensus among large groups of listeners as to what those songs are. On subset wants song A, tolerates song B and hates song C. Another subset hates A, tolerates C and hates B. And so on. Those songs that are not pretty much universally liked can't be played by OTA radio today.

 

[davideduardo]

That's typically my reaction to songs I haven't heard in ages.

The times I hear one of those vaguely familiar songs on one of XM's decade channels, I change station.

Addressing the broader group of radio listeners, we have Mscores that show us whether listeners left the station when particular songs are played. If we see the same effect over multiple plays, the song is damaging.

Those "oh wow" songs, when viewed with MScore data, are really "Oh, s--t" songs.

Here is a brief, somewhat hyped, description of the MScore data: http://www.mediamonitors.com/services/mscore

When we know that songs hurt us, we don't play them. The only time radio plays unfamiliar, negative songs is with new music on current hits radio stations because we know that even the best song is initially negative. But with non-current music, the only thing a negative MScore means is that the song hurts the station.

 

[passtheword]

Just wondering, too...why do these consultants continually come on here to make posts on this board when it appears it is merely to negate what's been said by other members, rather than discuss what the board is meant to be...a discussion of soft AC and EZ music. Nothing wrong with another opinion, of course, but just what are the consultants' intentions with these replies? I don't frequent the rock board on here just because I don't have any interest in the music, nor do I want to discuss it.

 

[Avid Listener]

Just wondering, too...why do these consultants continually come on here to make posts on this board when it appears it is merely to negate what's been said by other members, rather than discuss what the board is meant to be...a discussion of soft AC and EZ music. Nothing wrong with another opinion, of course, but just what are the consultants' intentions with these replies? I don't frequent the rock board on here just because I don't have any interest in the music, nor do I want to discuss it.

It's simple. They depend on having a major reputation as an "expert" so that they get hired for consulting gigs. The last thing anyone pimping himself out for gigs as a consultant is to admit that maybe the conventional wisdom he is selling might be wrong.

 

[davideduardo]

Just wondering, too...why do these consultants continually come on here to make posts on this board when it appears it is merely to negate what's been said by other members, rather than discuss what the board is meant to be...a discussion of soft AC and EZ music. Nothing wrong with another opinion, of course, but just what are the consultants' intentions with these replies? I don't frequent the rock board on here just because I don't have any interest in the music, nor do I want to discuss it.

This segment is clearly labeled as a "format" section.

RadioTopics > Radio Formats > Soft AC/EZ Listening/Adult Standards

In other words, we discuss radio programming and stations and the music that fits under the format descriptor.

Many of us have programmed soft AC and EZ Listening stations and are familiar with what works and, all the more so, with what has not worked over the years.

I programmed my first easy listening station in 1966. I did stations like WEZR in DC and its sister in Richmond. I did two iterations of WSRA in the format, and syndicated my own version to up to 80 stations at one time.

So I had a lot of my career invested in the format and its variants. And this is the board where that is exactly what is supposed to be discussed: the format.

 

[davideduardo]

It's simple. They depend on having a major reputation as an "expert" so that they get hired for consulting gigs. The last thing anyone pimping himself out for gigs as a consultant is to admit that maybe the conventional wisdom he is selling might be wrong.

If I were selling anything, I would not be selling it on a message board. Most work that programmers get comes by referral, recommendation or direct contact.

Personally, I have worked for the same employer for the last 22 years and can't even take other assignments in the US. The work I do overseas is based strictly on referrals and documented success stories... from Riga to Buenos Aires.

 

[Music Lover]

2) "I've never heard this. I kinda like it. Is this on iTunes?"

That was my reaction when

I heard this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsAKJEvgd9w

on this station: www.joy995.com

That's what I refer to when I talk about music discovery. That's one of many new songs I've discovered via Internet that I've never heard on local terrestrial radio. That's pretty much the goal of radio has always been for me is to help me find new music to enjoy, whether it be something current, like that song, or something old, like the Dan Hill example.

 

[Music Lover]

Just wondering, too...why do these consultants continually come on here to make posts on this board when it appears it is merely to negate what's been said by other members, rather than discuss what the board is meant to be...a discussion of soft AC and EZ music. Nothing wrong with another opinion, of course, but just what are the consultants' intentions with these replies? I don't frequent the rock board on here just because I don't have any interest in the music, nor do I want to discuss it.

That's why I hang out in the AC and, more specifically, Soft AC forums. That's the music I'm interested in discussing. I'm interested in talking about various artists in the genre, etc. If the consultants don't want listeners here, then the board should have been set up for consultants only.

 

[Music Lover]

How does this board compare in regards to the consultants vs. listeners fights? http://radioinsight.com/community/board/music-formats/adult-contemporary/

 

[passtheword]

Just call it what it is...trolling. lol.

 

[passtheword]

That's why I hang out in the AC and, more specifically, Soft AC forums. That's the music I'm interested in discussing. I'm interested in talking about various artists in the genre, etc. If the consultants don't want listeners here, then the board should have been set up for consultants only.

The thing these consultants can't explain, however, is the mass listener dissatisfaction with broadcast radio, as seen on social media and other areas of the internet. I've also had people tell me face-to-face they are unhappy with radio. The consultants like to quote their numbers to support their claims, but they refuse to hear what the general public is saying about radio. That's ultimately what matters...not some study that who knows who commissioned, anyway. Listeners are fed up with broadcast radio and have moved on to other forms of entertainment...satellite radio, internet radio, playing their own personal music collections. Granted, there are still those out there who still listen to the radio and are content with it. It's the minority, however, not the majority. I read all sorts of negative comments regarding broadcast radio on a regular basis to know the difference. These consultants might want to stick their "heads in the sand" about listeners' discontent with broadcast radio, but that doesn't change the reality of the situation.

 

[Avid Listener]

If I were selling anything, I would not be selling it on a message board. Most work that programmers get comes by referral, recommendation or direct contact.

Personally, I have worked for the same employer for the last 22 years and can't even take other assignments in the US. The work I do overseas is based strictly on referrals and documented success stories... from Riga to Buenos Aires.

Some people always assume that everything is about them. You know the kind. Has to be the bride at every wedding, or the corpse at every funeral. Not every reference to a "suit" is about you. You're not all that important.

 

[davideduardo]

Some people always assume that everything is about them. You know the kind. Has to be the bride at every wedding, or the corpse at every funeral. Not every reference to a "suit" is about you. You're not all that important.

And you argue with anything... even when your point is in error.

I first said that most programmers come by their jobs or consulting deals by means of referrals and such. Then I gave an anecdotal example.

This was in response to the suggestion that any of us who are programmers or "suits" use our posts to promote our careers. I believe I speak for all of that group in saying we post on radio boards because we love radio and live radio and enjoy discussing any aspect of the industry and the profession.

 

[Music Lover]

This lady's music: http://www.amazon.com/My-Heart-Nian...e=UTF8&qid=1423525403&sr=1-2&keywords=NiaNell

I discovered because of this station: http://www.kliteonline.com/

Without Internet radio, I never would have discovered this talented gem. My local AC's definitely wouldn't play her.

 

[davideduardo]

The thing these consultants can't explain, however, is the mass listener dissatisfaction with broadcast radio, as seen on social media and other areas of the internet.

That's grossly overstated.

Negative comments on boards where the general tone is bitchin' and whinin' an moanin' is not unusual. We just have more invasive and immediate means to whine today than we did 50 years ago.

The main objection with terrestrial radio is the commercials. There is no way to change that. It is, in fact, why OTA radio is profitable and Pandora and Slacker are not.

Some people want their own music. Always been true. 45's. 8 Tracks. Cassettes. CDs. iTunes. Now some folks don't want to own music, they want to rent it. Been the same for 60 years.

But most people use radio. Almost everyone in the groups advertisers care about do.

Those people also listen to personal collections, and that is easier to do today whether the collection is in the cloud or on a player. Radio can't compete with personalized collections, but can coexist.

 

[davideduardo]

Without Internet radio, I never would have discovered this talented gem. My local AC's definitely wouldn't play her.

As far as I can tell, none of her albums have been released in the US. Definitely none have been promoted to radio.

There is enough new product to satisfy the needs of AC station without dealing with the difficulties in finding and playing foreign artists which include disagreements with labels and the fact that nobody else, including retail and perhaps even online, will be supporting your play of the artist.

 

[Music Lover]

Pandora was one of the first things I got hooked on when I switched over to Internet radio. Pandora, etc. are popular because you get to be your own DJ. You give "thumbs up" and "thumbs down" feedback to songs that come up on your stream, customizing the stream to your liking.