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Songs played on stations that aren't really smooth jazz
- Thread starter dustintv
- Start date
Head Over heals by Tears for fears is an AAA song. I think Thats the reason Smooth Jazz died. It played too much of R&B and Quiet storm format. or in some area it played too much soft rock. I remember back in the 1990's Kenny G and Dave Koz was played on Lite Rock stations like KOIT here in SF
Over the last couple of months, I've experimented with what I certainly consider to be "risky" vocals as a "change of pace" strategy to my instrumental-heavy playlist. More often than not, my regular listeners have NOT responded well to them. As I have said here before, our listeners are educated, sophisticated, and know EXACTLY what they want, and they'll let you know it when they don't like what you are playing. But this doesn't mean I have abandoned my vocals strategy altogether. I just have to work harder and dig deeper to find those that fit. There are some underplayed AAA songs with the right vibe and elements to work. But what I find is that if you are going to spin them, be prepared for some backlash.
You have now come upon the conundrum of the format and that's what vocals to choose because they flavor your product. I have found over the years that you can get away with a ton of different instrumentals as long as they are pop songs without words. Good melody and hooks go a long way in all the music you pick to play but the vocals are what everyone really cares about, struggles with, and gripes about at the same time. Broadcast Architecture chose the path that leans urban adult. My show is more toward the old NAC feel with adult tunes that come from many different areas like hip AC and Triple A. I can play anything from Alison Krause, Everything But The Girl, Sting and Van Morrison to name a few but I also have a select number of "hit" songs that get played once an hour as a touch point to different segments of the audience. I play currents and a few of my new vocal ones are by Diana Krall, John Mayer and the Cowboy Junkies! I also enjoy programming Christmas music because I get to spin a "song" by Celestrial Navigations called "the Train". It's really a spoken story set to music and is always the most asked about vocal I get to play each year. You can play a ton of different things but do you have the smarts to make it sound good? No matter what vocals you choose, just make sure they work with the songs on either side and don't jar the listening audience. There is a difference between jarring them and presenting something out of the box. Be different because it's good. Don't be different because you can. Figure out what your "thread" is that will tie all your music together and go for it. Don't pick something because you think it's the hippest thing since sliced bread. Do it because your audience will think it's the hippest thing since sliced bread. I think this could be one of the bigger challenges the music will face in 2010 because what has been done will not get us where we need to go. The possibilities are endless in how this format will reinvent itself and a lot of that will come from the vocals, and the amount of vocals we play.
M
majaman78
Guest
Bill Harmonic said:
Hate to admit it, but my favorite vocal of the year is "We Are The People" by Empire Of The Sun. :-[
Cool song, but the only time I get to hear it is on TV when I see a Vizio commercial. No US outlet anywhere will touch it
Can't talk AC Tones into playing it yet, though! ;D
Gosh, Bill. "Conundrum" is putting it mildly. It has been downright perplexing for me. ??? I do seem to get the best response from the NAC vocals, and Chill and New Age vocals to a lesser extent. But I am finding that the R&B, AAA, and A/C crossovers, even if they were underplayed cuts, often spark quick and negative responses from listeners. The problem I am having is that there is not exactly an endless supply of good NAC vocals. I can only play so much Michael Franks, Basia, EBTG, Michael Tomlinson, and Lou Pardini. I do believe vocals have to have a place in this format, but the "BA backlash" has shrunk the pool. If you make the wrong choice, your listeners suddenly forget about all of the great instrumental cuts you play. Not to use another sports analogy (which you guys know I LOVE to do ), but at times I feel like an embattled head football coach who called a great game but took a gamble on 4th down and short and went play action pass instead of running the ball. The play was "scripted" to work, but the receiver wasn't ready to catch the ball. ;D
), but at times I feel like an embattled head football coach who called a great game but took a gamble on 4th down and short and went play action pass instead of running the ball. The play was "scripted" to work, but the receiver wasn't ready to catch the ball. ;D[/quote]
Hate to admit it, but my favorite vocal of the year is "We Are The People" by Empire Of The Sun. :-[
Cool song, but the only time I get to hear it is on TV when I see a Vizio commercial. No US outlet anywhere will touch it
Can't talk AC Tones into playing it yet, though! ;D
[/quote]
Maja
Tune it this week, I will be on it. Have been trying to figure out who did that tune for a couple of weeks. Been on the HTC cellphone tune the last couple of weeks once i figured it out. Sinnerman remixed. Also a great vocal couple Christmas' ago by Goldfrapp for a Target Christmas ad. Fly Me Away.
Nock
Hate to admit it, but my favorite vocal of the year is "We Are The People" by Empire Of The Sun. :-[
Cool song, but the only time I get to hear it is on TV when I see a Vizio commercial. No US outlet anywhere will touch it
Can't talk AC Tones into playing it yet, though! ;D
[/quote]
Maja
Tune it this week, I will be on it. Have been trying to figure out who did that tune for a couple of weeks. Been on the HTC cellphone tune the last couple of weeks once i figured it out. Sinnerman remixed. Also a great vocal couple Christmas' ago by Goldfrapp for a Target Christmas ad. Fly Me Away.
Nock
M
majaman78
Guest
Nock said:
Nock:
I remember that Goldfrapp tune from the Target ad. It was a good tune I completely forgot about.
The Sinnerman remix was off the "Verve Remixed" CD which contained another interesting remix that caught my ear by the immortal Billie Holiday titled "Speak Low"
Glad you found the Empire Of The Sun tune. I found it by Googling "Vizio ad music" lol
Bill...
Do this..it made my audiences melt and I brought it back this year. Take "The Train" and as it is fading mix it with Pat Metheny's "Last Train Home" a little tweaking with the pitch and the rhythms match. It may be a Florida thing because Publix used the Metheny song for their seasonal commercials for several years and that made it a "holiday" song down here.
Do this..it made my audiences melt and I brought it back this year. Take "The Train" and as it is fading mix it with Pat Metheny's "Last Train Home" a little tweaking with the pitch and the rhythms match. It may be a Florida thing because Publix used the Metheny song for their seasonal commercials for several years and that made it a "holiday" song down here.
Hey Cat...
An excellent suggestion and props for even knowing the story (I knew you would). I'll remember that for next year because I'm working on the "All Christmas" show for the 20th as we speak. I played it last Sunday (11/29) in a three song set. Started with Mannheim Steamroller and Silent Night (Stille Nacht)(Love the ending) then segued into The Train and finished with Cindy Bradley's new version of Do You Hear What I Hear. If anyone wants to listen, I loaded that hour on Mixcloud (The latest one HL8) and you can find it at www.mixcloud.com/harmoniclounge or just go to my site and click on under Links. Thanks Cat for the tip!
An excellent suggestion and props for even knowing the story (I knew you would). I'll remember that for next year because I'm working on the "All Christmas" show for the 20th as we speak. I played it last Sunday (11/29) in a three song set. Started with Mannheim Steamroller and Silent Night (Stille Nacht)(Love the ending) then segued into The Train and finished with Cindy Bradley's new version of Do You Hear What I Hear. If anyone wants to listen, I loaded that hour on Mixcloud (The latest one HL8) and you can find it at www.mixcloud.com/harmoniclounge or just go to my site and click on under Links. Thanks Cat for the tip!
Majaman may be the only one to get this one ------ however I am going to work real hard to mix a track by Passion Pit into the show. These type of vocals generate interesting phone calls for me particularly the female audience? Oh track titled The Reeling. I have also been playing a track by Florence and the machine.
Nock
Nock
M
majaman78
Guest
Nock said:
I'd say go for it and add them.
A great vocal is a great vocal.
Fresh new sounds, especially vocals sprinkled into an instrumental heavy format works wonders.
Remember a good vocal will enhance your instrumentals, not take away from them. And if they don't work out, your listeners will tell you, and you can make the changes accordingly. You have the luxury of flexability that corporate radio does not.
At least Jones put in the effort when they emailed out their listener music polls...although the ones I used to rate a "1" poor never seemed to get removed from their playlists!
Some of the adult light R&B vocals seem to fit well with the Smooth Jazz instrumentals. I heard "What's Love Got To Do With It" by Tina Turner, and it seemed to flow just fine.
I think some of the chill music and new ageish type music (like Gary B and Ryan Farish) flow well with the existing format and give it dimension. Even including some R&B vocals that are soft are fine, but when they make half your playlist or when you start throwing in stuff that definitely doesn't belong, like Fergie and Timbaland w/ One Republic, and calling it smooth jazz (or smooth anything, lol), you've got a major problem.
Until consistent, reliable broadband comes to car radios, I'll miss NAC/SJ on the radio. While listening on-line is better than no exposure to the format....in a busy, mobile society...we're not always tied to a computer.
I agree that poor programming (music selection, rotation specifics, blending, etc.) has really hurt this excellent format.
But, as an ex-jock/PD of 2 decades, and a radio sales person for the past 2 decades...I blame the skill set of salepeople and station revenue expectations for the rather steep, unfortunate decline of smooth jazz.
The format has never been a mainstream format....and expecting mainstream revenues is ridiculous and foolish.
So, blame poor, inconsistent programming, poor sales techinique, and unrealistic revenue expectations for the decline of NAC/SJ. It's a real shame.
I agree that poor programming (music selection, rotation specifics, blending, etc.) has really hurt this excellent format.
But, as an ex-jock/PD of 2 decades, and a radio sales person for the past 2 decades...I blame the skill set of salepeople and station revenue expectations for the rather steep, unfortunate decline of smooth jazz.
The format has never been a mainstream format....and expecting mainstream revenues is ridiculous and foolish.
So, blame poor, inconsistent programming, poor sales techinique, and unrealistic revenue expectations for the decline of NAC/SJ. It's a real shame.
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