I tried this topic on the Soft AC board and got absolutely nowhere, so I'll try it here. Wish me luck: I was thinking that it is interesting, there not being a call for softer music among the general(salable)adult audience. I don't mean B/EZ or anything like that but rather the modern day equivalent of James Taylor etc. It isn't like there isn't hit product from the last 30 years or that it isn't being played but it's mixed in with everything else. People used to want a place to relax and I wonder what happened to that desire. You'd think that there would be a sizable audience for just the softer side, composed of ballads and the somewhat bouncy. Does anyone have a thought as to why not?
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Softer Music for 25-54
- Thread starter semoochie
- Start date
Years ago, I worked for a 1000 watt AM station that had been a Top 40 in its prime, but had transitioned into a softer AC. We played an upbeat current, a slower current, and then an oldie.
The music mix was mostly soft AC, but there was quite a bit of country and cross country blended in.
With ratings at just over a 4, we noted the station being played in some of the businesses and eateries around town.
When the station was sold, the new owner went to the Music of Your Life format, which I didn't care for. It was TOO slow. The prior format, which was part of the overall total service the station was striving for, has never reappeared anywhere. I have not really listened to local radio for the past 12 years.
That station, now has preachers and black gospel music on satellite. It goes off the air for days and nobody notices. That was not the case back then. We'd get knocked off the air by a storm or something and get 30 calls, easily.
The music mix was mostly soft AC, but there was quite a bit of country and cross country blended in.
With ratings at just over a 4, we noted the station being played in some of the businesses and eateries around town.
When the station was sold, the new owner went to the Music of Your Life format, which I didn't care for. It was TOO slow. The prior format, which was part of the overall total service the station was striving for, has never reappeared anywhere. I have not really listened to local radio for the past 12 years.
That station, now has preachers and black gospel music on satellite. It goes off the air for days and nobody notices. That was not the case back then. We'd get knocked off the air by a storm or something and get 30 calls, easily.
Semoochie: The dead center of the target is women born in 1974. They graduated high school in 1992, and college in 1996. Apart from R&B ballads, they weren't raised on mellow. It was mostly about rhythm.
The whole "easy/relaxing" thing was largely 50+ in its appeal anyway, except in the early-mid 80s when "Continuous Soft Hits" was new and got women around 40.
But that was 30 years ago. Those women are 70 now.
The whole "easy/relaxing" thing was largely 50+ in its appeal anyway, except in the early-mid 80s when "Continuous Soft Hits" was new and got women around 40.
But that was 30 years ago. Those women are 70 now.
semoochie said:
Well, there's a reason for that, too. Ballads were a carry-over from the pre-rock era. Early rock acts followed, Elvis giving us both "Hound Dog" and "Heartbreak Hotel", on through the Beatles, Stones and even Led Zeppelin.
And we had the singer-songwriter explosion post-Beatles (James Taylor, Paul Simon solo, Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne)...which dominated two-thirds of the 70s, and for a lot of people seemed like a seamless transition to "Continuous Soft Hits".
But if you look at what was happening with emerging genres...there weren't many disco ballads (had to keep the BPMs up), nor (apart from Elvis Costello and Joe Jackson) many New Wave ballads or hip-hop ballads (R&B slow jams would be the closest).
So for today's 39-and-a-half year old, whose peak musical awareness coincides with the rise of rhythmic CHR, it makes sense.
semoochie said:
That was an early-morning brain cramp, Semoochie. I meant "Love Me Tender" and typed "Heartbreak Hotel". 6:30-something may be too early for me to be replying to things.
I was talking to my wife about this and happened to remember a couple of things: About 30 years ago, AOR was on its last legs, as an 18-24 format and was retooled for 25-34, bringing it new life and even some women. At some point, I thought that the format(as well as Classic Rock)would soften, to continue to serve the aging baby boomers and it continued to serve be boomers but it didn't soften. This may have been the beginning of reversing the trend.
You ask an excellent question. I'm a 43-yr old MALE, and I'd occasionally like a place to turn where it isn't all *BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG*. It seems even the softer Sunday morning shows (great for those with hangovers from Saturday night) are gone.
Perhaps we have a society today that is "always-on" and has grown up with stress of constant push-push-push being the norm... they don't want to relieve the stress because they've never been able to relive the stress (through radio).
I was personally VERY excited about the NAC / New Age format when it was just coming up in the mid to late 80s... then it mutated to Smooth Jazz and lost some of the beauty to me, and then further morphed into a Soft R&B format, and has nearly completely died. (You can find sources on the net and on satellite, but broadcasts are few and far between.)
...And, perhaps part of the problem IS people like me, who want a "soft favorites" station as an alternative, a secondary listening station... perhaps people like me just wouldn't turn to it ENOUGH to make it profitable.
We just had a supposed "soft favorites" station come on in Tulsa... but if I were sick, or tired, or both, I would NOT want this station on... it sounds like an AC or even possibly a Hot AC.
I turn to the net to wind down... and even then, it's hard to find the "mix" I'm looking for, not even from Pandora or iHeartRadio.
(If anybody wants to set up a station running exclusively artists who were on the Narada label, you'd be an instant favorite for me!!!)
Perhaps we have a society today that is "always-on" and has grown up with stress of constant push-push-push being the norm... they don't want to relieve the stress because they've never been able to relive the stress (through radio).
I was personally VERY excited about the NAC / New Age format when it was just coming up in the mid to late 80s... then it mutated to Smooth Jazz and lost some of the beauty to me, and then further morphed into a Soft R&B format, and has nearly completely died. (You can find sources on the net and on satellite, but broadcasts are few and far between.)
...And, perhaps part of the problem IS people like me, who want a "soft favorites" station as an alternative, a secondary listening station... perhaps people like me just wouldn't turn to it ENOUGH to make it profitable.
We just had a supposed "soft favorites" station come on in Tulsa... but if I were sick, or tired, or both, I would NOT want this station on... it sounds like an AC or even possibly a Hot AC.
I turn to the net to wind down... and even then, it's hard to find the "mix" I'm looking for, not even from Pandora or iHeartRadio.
(If anybody wants to set up a station running exclusively artists who were on the Narada label, you'd be an instant favorite for me!!!)
How about a Singer/Songwriter format?
I'd make it wide as far as the time period it covers: 70s to today. Think of it as a cross between The Bridge and Coffeehouse on XM.
Some AAA stations come close to this, but they tend to put a highlight on new or even obscure music. What I'm proposing would all be familiar. Perhaps even wait for other stations to break current singer/songwriter acts before airing them.
As the Bridge calls it, this would be the softer side of rock.
I'd make it wide as far as the time period it covers: 70s to today. Think of it as a cross between The Bridge and Coffeehouse on XM.
Some AAA stations come close to this, but they tend to put a highlight on new or even obscure music. What I'm proposing would all be familiar. Perhaps even wait for other stations to break current singer/songwriter acts before airing them.
As the Bridge calls it, this would be the softer side of rock.
Splash-fm carries a show in the evening and part of the overnight that plays softer music. It's called Dreamtime and it's meant for kicking back, relaxing and enjoying "me time". It airs from 9pm to 2am Eastern.
Check it out. http://splash-fm.com
Check it out. http://splash-fm.com
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