Re: How to fix dance radio...how about...

[szorn]

Re: How to fix dance radio...how about...

...trying a Dance Hot AC (maybe this is what DIVA's doing already in LA). Something like a Jack-Fm for dance. "The Best Mix of Dance Hits from the 80's, 90's and Today" moniker. Play 80's dancy pop tunes, 90's dance, upbeat hip-hop and party tunes mixed in with the '00s dance music ala Energy 9275,98,927 stuff and lean at least 50% on the very familiar stuff from the 80's and 90's to connect with the listeners. It wouldn't be a non-stop 130BPM fest. This way you could introduce newer dance hits that should get airplay (like Andain, DHT, Milky, Therese, and other Top 40 radio-friendly sounding dance hits) but they go unheard in today's Top 40 radio.

Just an idea.

IMHO, dance fails today because pure dance stations are too focused on the 00's dance music scene which has little exposure and connection to radio listeners. It's also a bit too trancy (BPM burnout). Dance worked in the 90's because the genre was a bit broader in definition and the one hit wonder factor wasn't as big as it is today. CC Music Factory, Black Box, Crystal Waters, etc. and upbeat Hip-Hop acts like Toni Tony Tone, Boys 2 Men, ABC, Bel Biv Devoe, had that dancy feel to their music and put out more than one hit. Basically what dance music was able to accomplish in the 90's, hip-hop is accomplishing today on Top 40 radio. Ciara, 50 cent, and so many others have hit following hit on the charts. I do like the way hip-hop has returned to a more dancy feel lately. It's become more upbeat which is a nice change of pace.

Anyway, is the retro-dance idea worthy or not? Will younger listeners appreciate older dance music mixed with the newer stuff like us older guys would enjoy. I have followed and appreciated the progress of dance music since the 80's and I like it all. Will the next generation go for that? Can a dance hot ac be a way to break through with dance music on the airwaves again? I don't see contemporary dance stations (current and recurrent hits only) making it. Thoughts, opinions?

 

[Renegade_X]

Re: How to fix dance radio...how about...

Point taken. And I agree somewhat.

But...

This still doesn't do alot to attract new listeners to the genre. The people that liked dance music in the 90s are most likely near closing in on 30, or now ikn their 30s. Being one of those people, I'd prefer to see dance focus on tomorrow's audience. I'll be the first to admit, while I'm a huge dance fan, I'm not the future of dance music. Somewhere, some 18 year old is, looking for the new goods.





...trying a Dance Hot AC (maybe this is what DIVA's doing
> already in LA). Something like a Jack-Fm for dance. "The
> Best Mix of Dance Hits from the 80's, 90's and Today"
> moniker. Play 80's dancy pop tunes, 90's dance, upbeat
> hip-hop and party tunes mixed in with the '00s dance music
> ala Energy 9275,98,927 stuff and lean at least 50% on the
> very familiar stuff from the 80's and 90's to connect with
> the listeners. It wouldn't be a non-stop 130BPM fest. This
> way you could introduce newer dance hits that should get
> airplay (like Andain, DHT, Milky, Therese, and other Top 40
> radio-friendly sounding dance hits) but they go unheard in
> today's Top 40 radio.
>
> Just an idea.
>
> IMHO, dance fails today because pure dance stations are too
> focused on the 00's dance music scene which has little
> exposure and connection to radio listeners. It's also a bit
> too trancy (BPM burnout). Dance worked in the 90's because
> the genre was a bit broader in definition and the one hit
> wonder factor wasn't as big as it is today. CC Music
> Factory, Black Box, Crystal Waters, etc. and upbeat Hip-Hop
> acts like Toni Tony Tone, Boys 2 Men, ABC, Bel Biv Devoe,
> had that dancy feel to their music and put out more than one
> hit. Basically what dance music was able to accomplish in
> the 90's, hip-hop is accomplishing today on Top 40 radio.
> Ciara, 50 cent, and so many others have hit following hit on
> the charts. I do like the way hip-hop has returned to a
> more dancy feel lately. It's become more upbeat which is a
> nice change of pace.
>
> Anyway, is the retro-dance idea worthy or not? Will younger
> listeners appreciate older dance music mixed with the newer
> stuff like us older guys would enjoy. I have followed and
> appreciated the progress of dance music since the 80's and I
> like it all. Will the next generation go for that? Can a
> dance hot ac be a way to break through with dance music on
> the airwaves again? I don't see contemporary dance stations
> (current and recurrent hits only) making it. Thoughts,
> opinions?
>

 

[RyanCA]

Re: How to fix dance radio...how about...

> > IMHO, dance fails today because pure dance stations are
> too
> > focused on the 00's dance music scene which has little
> > exposure and connection to radio listeners. It's also a
> bit
> > too trancy (BPM burnout). Dance worked in the 90's
> because
> > the genre was a bit broader in definition and the one hit
> > wonder factor wasn't as big as it is today. CC Music
> > Factory, Black Box, Crystal Waters, etc. and upbeat
> Hip-Hop
> > acts like Toni Tony Tone, Boys 2 Men, ABC, Bel Biv Devoe,
> > had that dancy feel to their music and put out more than
> one
> > hit. Basically what dance music was able to accomplish in
>
> > the 90's, hip-hop is accomplishing today on Top 40 radio.
>
> > Ciara, 50 cent, and so many others have hit following hit
> on
> > the charts. I do like the way hip-hop has returned to a
> > more dancy feel lately. It's become more upbeat which is
> a
> > nice change of pace.


Thats your personal opinion. If todays dance music had more exposure like it did in the 90's, you would get the same results. Some people only think its better because there were more dance stations back then so the music must've been better. NOT. Alot of it was good but no more better then some of the music thats come out in the last 5 years including this year. Its just doesn't get the exposure.

Hey Dance radio is fixed anways. Its over on Satellite Radio and Internet Radio and its going to keep growing and growing...

 

[magicmk]

Re: How to fix dance radio...how about...

> ...trying a Dance Hot AC (maybe this is what DIVA's doing
> already in LA). Something like a Jack-Fm for dance. "The
> Best Mix of Dance Hits from the 80's, 90's and Today"
> moniker. Play 80's dancy pop tunes, 90's dance, upbeat
> hip-hop and party tunes mixed in with the '00s dance music
> ala Energy 9275,98,927 stuff and lean at least 50% on the
> very familiar stuff from the 80's and 90's to connect with
> the listeners. It wouldn't be a non-stop 130BPM fest. This
> way you could introduce newer dance hits that should get
> airplay (like Andain, DHT, Milky, Therese, and other Top 40
> radio-friendly sounding dance hits) but they go unheard in
> today's Top 40 radio.
>

KTU in New York does this to a large degree already. Different than what you suggested though, is that they actually go beyond the 80's and feature a lot of disco during the daytime hours, which helps them fare well with some older target demogrpahics (particularly females). Check out their playlist on yes.net and you'll get a good idea of what they're doing. The newer stuff gets much heavier airplay after the end of the workday when the older portions of the listening audience go home and turn their radios off, and the younger listeners are tuned in. And even then, it's not pure dance, they're still balancing their playlist with Black-Eyed Peas, Mariah Carey, Rihanna, etc. (For the record, I prefer the evening programming... lol)

 

[JustinCase]

Re: How to fix dance radio...how about...

A lot of it has to do with the state of music there are very few mainstream acts that can pull off hits and make it work to have dance of the 90's. Dance right now is all of an urban, reggae lean, just go to a lot of clubs and you'll see what I mean. Techno is not the power it was on the mainstream scene and until it comes back around this all genre dance station is all you'll find successful.