Well this is it! Almost the last week of Christmas music!

[vchimpanzee]

I think those would fit the Classic Hits, Adult Hits, or Classic Rock formats if Hot AC doesn't embrace them anymore. It looks AC will embrace Nirvana and Sublime the next coming years and AC listeners wouldn't be too surprised.

I don't know anything abut Sublime, but "Smells Like Teen Spirit" not gonna happen, wouldn't be prudent, read my lips.

 

[new_friends_gr]

Well Come Next Sunday Night/Monday Morning at Midnight, I know most AC, easy listening & adult standards stations will return to their regularly scheduled playlists until next Fall. I know Christmas music might get bothered after a while, but it's almost ending in just eight more days. Are you going to be relieved when this is over? Let me know what you think!

In Grand Rapids, WTRV is still playing 24/7 Christmas music until Friday and that's pretty much all I've been listening to. It's still the Christmas season, and Christmas music should continue (at least partially) through New Year's. I won't be ready to give up the Christmas music until December 30 or 31.

The big question I have to ask myself is, come January 1, whether I'll be in the mood to go to back to CHR and Hot AC (which I normally listen to January through November), or if I'll want to stick with mainstream AC. I've been listening to almost nothing but Christmas music since December 3, and it's been a refreshing break from the same old CHR stuff I've gotten kinda sick of. LOL

 

[new_friends_gr]

What is it that you like about Hot AC(when you like it)that you don't like about CHR/Pop? About the only difference I can tell lately is song rotation, CHR being earlier on Rhythmic product and Hot AC, more likely to play an older title that seems more at home on Mainstream AC.

Here's how I see it... there are two different types of Hot AC stations. The first type is one that sounds a lot like CHR (mostly current and recurrent music) without the hardcore hip-hop and rap. The second type is more balanced: playing a lot of pop music from the '90s, '00s, and '10s equally. Unfortunately the second type is pretty rare. A good Hot AC station should be playing just as much music from the '90s and '00s as from today.

Here's a question... what's the difference between CHR/pop and Adult Top 40? And what's the difference between Adult Top 40 and the first type of Hot AC in my definition above?

 

[new_friends_gr]

I used to enjoy the AC format a lot, but it seems that in the past few years, the format is starting to wear "new" songs out more and more - examples being "Need You Now", "Hey, Soul Sister", "Rolling In The Deep", "I'm Yours", etc. - if they played more new songs, it'd be different, but the same ones are just played to death. That's why I've found myself listening to it less and less, unfortunately.

I agree completely. That's why, since '09 or so, I've found myself listening to CHR and Hot AC stations much more than mainstream AC. The mainstream AC stations often sound so stale. These songs are so overplayed!

 

[new_friends_gr]

Also agree---80s seems to be few and far between on alot of Hot AC's now. It's more common on just the regular AC's---which is a bummer. I can't imagine Def Leppard, Bon Jovi, and Aerosmith very much on AC, whereas it would still fit in on a Hot AC, but they just aren't typically played now. Kudos to the Hot AC's that still throw in some extra treats like that.

Remember that there's more to the '80s than hair bands like these. I would question whether they belong on a Hot AC station. Like someone else said, Classic Rock or Classic Hits would make more sense than Hot AC. Hot AC's should stick with music from no earlier than 1990 or so.

 

[carolinaradio]

I used to enjoy the AC format a lot, but it seems that in the past few years, the format is starting to wear "new" songs out more and more - examples being "Need You Now", "Hey, Soul Sister", "Rolling In The Deep", "I'm Yours", etc. - if they played more new songs, it'd be different, but the same ones are just played to death. That's why I've found myself listening to it less and less, unfortunately.

I agree completely. That's why, since '09 or so, I've found myself listening to CHR and Hot AC stations much more than mainstream AC. The mainstream AC stations often sound so stale. These songs are so overplayed!

Honestly, IMO, most of the music on the AC format as a whole is stale - that's why I advocate for AC stations to move away from the 70s (I think AC should be 80-present, Hot AC ~'95-present)...it's time to leave Firefall and Gloria Gaynor to classic hits and variety hits. There are a ton of uptempo 90s songs that you rarely hear on Hot AC anymore that I think would fit well on the AC format, as well, and there are always plenty of songs from the 80s to pick from.

The AC format seems like it could benefit from evolving - B-98.5 in Atlanta is a perfect example of how I'd like to hear AC sound in 2012. They go back to the likes of Madonna, Michael Jackson, etc., but also include new stuff like "Moves Like Jagger" and "Mr. Know It All", which a lot of mainstream AC's aren't playing. Most AC's just seem stuck so far back and resistant to new music. Seems to me that if Hot AC has to sound like CHR, AC should sound more like Hot AC.

 

[andrewduong77]

I used to enjoy the AC format a lot, but it seems that in the past few years, the format is starting to wear "new" songs out more and more - examples being "Need You Now", "Hey, Soul Sister", "Rolling In The Deep", "I'm Yours", etc. - if they played more new songs, it'd be different, but the same ones are just played to death. That's why I've found myself listening to it less and less, unfortunately.

I agree completely. That's why, since '09 or so, I've found myself listening to CHR and Hot AC stations much more than mainstream AC. The mainstream AC stations often sound so stale. These songs are so overplayed!

Honestly, IMO, most of the music on the AC format as a whole is stale - that's why I advocate for AC stations to move away from the 70s (I think AC should be 80-present, Hot AC ~'95-present)...it's time to leave Firefall and Gloria Gaynor to classic hits and variety hits. There are a ton of uptempo 90s songs that you rarely hear on Hot AC anymore that I think would fit well on the AC format, as well, and there are always plenty of songs from the 80s to pick from.

The AC format seems like it could benefit from evolving - B-98.5 in Atlanta is a perfect example of how I'd like to hear AC sound in 2012. They go back to the likes of Madonna, Michael Jackson, etc., but also include new stuff like "Moves Like Jagger" and "Mr. Know It All", which a lot of mainstream AC's aren't playing. Most AC's just seem stuck so far back and resistant to new music. Seems to me that if Hot AC has to sound like CHR, AC should sound more like Hot AC.

Sorry, it's hard for me to agree that 70's on AC should go away. Especially ones like Toto's "Hold The Line" and Eddie Money's "Baby Hold On" from the late 70's. It is hard for me to give up listening to Rod Stewart's "Maggie May" on AC in 2012 even when I'm only a 19 year old male. The only 70's I like to continue to hear on AC are Toto, Eddie Money, Elton John, and Rod Stewart. But, I do agree that Firefall, The Bee Gees, Gloria Gaynor, America, Abba, Loggins & Messina, Seals & Crofts, Carly Simon, The Doobie Brothers needs to go. It looks like most AC are hanging tight onto such artists.

It looks like AC stations are so glued to the 70's now and that AC stations probably phased out 70s & 80s altogether to resemble Hot AC's as of now. I'm starting to realize how few AC station's slogans gets really long like CBS's WEAT-FM/West Palm Beach "Pop, Classics, Hit Music, 70's, 80's, 90's, and 2000's" while most other AC stations avoid mentioning decades in their slogans and sticking to simple slogans like "Best Variety of Yesterday's and Today's" or "Your Station At-Work".

The move of phasing out 70s and continuing to play everything from 80s, 90s, and now works very well like WSB-FM. Although it looks like most AC stations still play 70s, 80s, 90s, and now while a lot of other AC's (especially CBS Fresh AC's) move to the Fresh direction of phasing out 70s & 80s altogether and playing only 90s and now which resemble Hot AC's as of now while most Classic Hits had already embraces 70s & 80s by now.

 

[andrewduong77]

I think AC stations should jump onto new songs as soon as Hot AC stations jumps on them. That way, AC listeners wouldn't be worn out with the same new songs that aren't "new" anymore like Train's "Hey, Soul Sister", Adele's "Rolling In The Deep", Katy Perry's "Firework", Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi", and Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now". I think most AC's are too slow on new songs and they are frequently playing the same current AC song over and over again rather than start playing new songs as soon as Hot AC start playing them. This is why most listeners get tired of AC.

So, regardless of what past materials from the past that AC's play, they can continue to play the materials from the past, but when it comes to new materials, they got to jump on new materials as soon as Hot AC and CHR jump on them.

I can see why most CC AC stations are successful. Most CC AC stations still play a wider selection of older songs from the 70s and 80s than CBS AC stations do while they jump on new songs a lot earlier than CBS AC stations do. That what makes most CC AC stations successful.

 

[andrewduong77]

I used to enjoy the AC format a lot, but it seems that in the past few years, the format is starting to wear "new" songs out more and more - examples being "Need You Now", "Hey, Soul Sister", "Rolling In The Deep", "I'm Yours", etc. - if they played more new songs, it'd be different, but the same ones are just played to death. That's why I've found myself listening to it less and less, unfortunately.

I agree completely. That's why, since '09 or so, I've found myself listening to CHR and Hot AC stations much more than mainstream AC. The mainstream AC stations often sound so stale. These songs are so overplayed!

Honestly, IMO, most of the music on the AC format as a whole is stale - that's why I advocate for AC stations to move away from the 70s (I think AC should be 80-present, Hot AC ~'95-present)...it's time to leave Firefall and Gloria Gaynor to classic hits and variety hits. There are a ton of uptempo 90s songs that you rarely hear on Hot AC anymore that I think would fit well on the AC format, as well, and there are always plenty of songs from the 80s to pick from.

The AC format seems like it could benefit from evolving - B-98.5 in Atlanta is a perfect example of how I'd like to hear AC sound in 2012. They go back to the likes of Madonna, Michael Jackson, etc., but also include new stuff like "Moves Like Jagger" and "Mr. Know It All", which a lot of mainstream AC's aren't playing. Most AC's just seem stuck so far back and resistant to new music. Seems to me that if Hot AC has to sound like CHR, AC should sound more like Hot AC.

If we put 70s aside though, I strongly agree that AC stations should embrace uptempo 90s songs since Hot AC stations doesn't really play them anymore.

I think AC should start throwing Nirvana, Sublime, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Gin Blossoms into their playlist since Hot AC doesn't play them anymore and they would fit very well in the AC format. I think a few good 90s songs for the AC format now would be Nirvana's "Come As You Are", Sublime's "Santeria", The Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Under The Bridge", and Gin Blossoms' "Follow You Down" and they aren't too bad for the AC format at all. Such 90s songs would fit the AC format very well and they would be perfect AC songs as of now.

 

[Wildstyle K]

When I was around 16-18 in '08-'10 I was a lot more into Hot AC and I was also a lot into AC as well. When I was in my late 17 in '09 I was totally into Hot AC and totally ditched AC, but eventually when I was around 18 in '10 I kinda got bored of Hot AC and I was back to AC and totally into AC once again and I haven't listen to Hot AC much or at all since then.

Am I getting old?

Wow. 19? And here I was worried about being 30!
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