What happened to rock on the charts?

[radiorobert]

I remember Rise above this by Seether charting in '08 and that song didn't seem female-skewing. Edit: looks like adult top 40 chart, but Mix in kc played it.

Yeah I don’t recall Seether being much a force on mainstream CHR. Adult maybe and maybe there was a market or two where a mainstream played it for a bit but it was never a force on the mainstream charts.

08/09 the format hit a low point compared to its performance in the earlier 00’s. CHR hits cycles where a given audience that interacts with it ages or shifts in its habits and tastes and things have to ‘reset’.

That end of the 00’s period was right before the EDM and Rhythmic resurgence in the 2010-2014 period.

 

[vchimpanzee]

Last time I checked, WKZQ Myrtle Beach SC sounded more like what a CHR or Hot AC would sound like if it played rock artists than a rock radio station. The CHRs there seem to lean in a rhythmic direction.

 

[MVB13]

Is CHR in danger? Very little new music and a lot of old music from 20+ years ago. It's good for me because I grew up with it but not for teens. Teens want to hear new music. I wanna hear the new artists being played.

 

[TheBigA]

Is CHR in danger? Very little new music and a lot of old music from 20+ years ago. It's good for me because I grew up with it but not for teens. Teens want to hear new music. I wanna hear the new artists being played.

Seems to me that's a music business problem. If record labels aren't delivering new music, doesn't that also hurt them?

 

[davideduardo]

Is CHR in danger? Very little new music and a lot of old music from 20+ years ago. It's good for me because I grew up with it but not for teens. Teens want to hear new music.

CHR does not target teens, as there is no ad revenue there... has not been for 3 or 4 decades at least.

 

[radiorobert]

Is CHR in danger? Very little new music and a lot of old music from 20+ years ago. It's good for me because I grew up with it but not for teens. Teens want to hear new music. I wanna hear the new artists being played.

I don’t think CHR is in danger. I think there is just too much of it on the dial right now. We have markets where there are 3 or 4 CHR’s, all mainstream, in addition to the Hot AC product, etc.

It has proliferated beyond its long term ability to be profitable with as many stations as it’s on currently. And that’s just a business adjustment process.

I’m simply saying we will likely see a reduction in the number of CHRs in the near future. But as a format it’s still solid.

 

[tall_guy1]

I don’t think CHR is in danger. I think there is just too much of it on the dial right now. We have markets where there are 3 or 4 CHR’s, all mainstream, in addition to the Hot AC product, etc.

It has proliferated beyond its long term ability to be profitable with as many stations as it’s on currently. And that’s just a business adjustment process.

I’m simply saying we will likely see a reduction in the number of CHRs in the near future. But as a format it’s still solid.

Hot AC has overlapped with CHR product more than ever now and that probably erodes some CHR's ratings.

 

[TheBigA]

Hot AC has overlapped with CHR product more than ever now and that probably erodes some CHR's ratings.

At the same time, I see a lot of country artists in the Hot 100. Lots of Morgan Wallen, Luke Combs, Jason Aldean, and Kane Brown. How much of this is getting played on CHR stations, and is it hurting CHR in markets where country isn't strong, such as NY, SF, and LA? Morgan Wallen has the #1 song in Billboard's Hot 100. Plus there are about 20 more Morgan Wallen songs in the Hot 100. Remember when Taylor Swift dominated the Hot 100?

I see NO Morgan Wallen in the Z100 playlist.

 

[Theater of My Mind]

I see NO Morgan Wallen in the Z100 playlist.

For the same reason you don't see a country music radio station in NYC. It doesn't work in this market.

Also, haven't you replied to previous posts referencing the Billboard Hot 100 to remind everyone that radio doesn't care about that chart?

 

[TheBigA]

Also, haven't you replied to previous posts referencing the Billboard Hot 100 to remind everyone that radio doesn't care about that chart?

The Billboard Hot 100 is not an airplay chart. But it does reflect what the current CHR demographic is listening to, either through streaming or other platforms. My point for mentioning this is we've talked about how the inability of broadcast radio to play some graphic hip hop music has hurt CHR ratings. But right now, the disconnect between the Hot 100 and CHR has to do with the lack of Morgan Wallen at CHR radio. The ONLY country artist getting airplay at Z100 is Kane Brown, who has in the past released pop songs with Marshmello and John Legend.

FYI, Billboard's Top 40 radio chart is called "Radio Songs," where Miley Cyrus is #1.

 

[semoochie]

At the same time, I see a lot of country artists in the Hot 100. Lots of Morgan Wallen, Luke Combs, Jason Aldean, and Kane Brown. How much of this is getting played on CHR stations, and is it hurting CHR in markets where country isn't strong, such as NY, SF, and LA? Morgan Wallen has the #1 song in Billboard's Hot 100. Plus there are about 20 more Morgan Wallen songs in the Hot 100. Remember when Taylor Swift dominated the Hot 100?

I see NO Morgan Wallen in the Z100 playlist.

Do you mean when Taylor Swift OWNED the entire top ten, 19 weeks ago?

 

[CTListener]

The Billboard Hot 100 is not an airplay chart. But it does reflect what the current CHR demographic is listening to, either through streaming or other platforms. My point for mentioning this is we've talked about how the inability of broadcast radio to play some graphic hip hop music has hurt CHR ratings. But right now, the disconnect between the Hot 100 and CHR has to do with the lack of Morgan Wallen at CHR radio. The ONLY country artist getting airplay at Z100 is Kane Brown, who has in the past released pop songs with Marshmello and John Legend.

FYI, Billboard's Top 40 radio chart is called "Radio Songs," where Miley Cyrus is #1.

No Wallen at Hartford's WKSS either, and that's a market where country is doing well. I checked the past 12 hours at the local CHR, WGXL in Hanover, NH, and found no Wallen there either, and this is a small market that supports three country stations. I did see Walker Hayes' "Fancy Like" on the playlist, though, so maybe Wallen will appear in time. It's not a station I usually listen to, so I don't know whether it ever played "You Proof," his big CHR breakthrough. Maybe he's only crossing over to CHR away from the coasts and further south?

 

[macattack]

No Wallen at Hartford's WKSS either, and that's a market where country is doing well. I checked the past 12 hours at the local CHR, WGXL in Hanover, NH, and found no Wallen there either, and this is a small market that supports three country stations. I did see Walker Hayes' "Fancy Like" on the playlist, though, so maybe Wallen will appear in time. It's not a station I usually listen to, so I don't know whether it ever played "You Proof," his big CHR breakthrough. Maybe he's only crossing over to CHR away from the coasts and further south?

I believe you are correct. He only has mainstream appeal in Midwest/Southern markets. The coastal marketing firms perpetually underestimate these two regions as a commercial force, which is why Wallen’s surge in popularity caught them all off guard.

BTW we have three rock songs attempting to cross over this month: “Love From The Other Side” by Fall Out Boy, “I’m In Love With You” by The 1975, and “Lost” by Linkin Park.

 

[vchimpanzee]

I saw an article in an actual newspaper that said Roger Daltrey says no one cares about The Who's more recent material. They only want the old songs.

 

[CTListener]

I saw an article in an actual newspaper that said Roger Daltrey says no one cares about The Who's more recent material. They only want the old songs.

I'd imagine most people been aware of that for years and don't need Daltrey to tell them.

 

[radiorobert]

I’ve come to the personal opinion in regards to my over saturated (too much of it) comments earlier that there are markets right now with CHRs that should be Rhythmic or Hip-Hop.

This is a result of our cultural adoption of hip hop and to a lesser extent dance music, over the last 20 years where you have a listener base for it but the business community isn’t willing to accept it. Ratings might go up but dollars won’t translate yet. Tough position to be in.

Broadcasters are pushing country crossover with the backing by record companies at targeted demographics that they assume should want that product. Problem is the CHR audience as a whole isn’t sold on it entirely. So it splits things down and waters down the ratings even in core demos. Too much of the record labels trying to manipulate something that isn’t there anymore.

It’s tough to go from one vibe to another like that. Same thing with the Indy pop stuff. A decade back CHR main was solid dance, pop and alot of hip hop….all female approved. (Yes with Fall Out Boy and the Frey in there) But now it’s like we’ve went back to trying these crazy extremes again like the 90s.

The 90s were all over the map with Notorious BIG, KD Lang, Nirvana, Snap, etc. Industry and entertainment was different then too I will admit.

 

[TheBigA]

Broadcasters are pushing country crossover with the backing by record companies at targeted demographics that they assume should want that product. Problem is the CHR audience as a whole isn’t sold on it entirely.

Maybe you misunderstood my post #68. What I was saying is that country songs are monopolizing the Hot 100, and CHR radio is ignoring those songs and artists. So NO, broadcasters are NOT pushing country crossovers at all. Much to their detriment, it seems, because their ratings are at a low point. They're instead playing more gold to make up for the lack of Bieber or Beyonce. However, the audience for CHR is seeking out Morgan Wallen when they stream. That's why HE is topping the Hot 100, while Miley Cyrus tops the CHR chart. The reality is the complete opposite of your post.

 

[radiorobert]

Maybe you misunderstood my post #68. What I was saying is that country songs are monopolizing the Hot 100, and CHR radio is ignoring those songs and artists. So NO, broadcasters are NOT pushing country crossovers at all. Much to their detriment, it seems, because their ratings are at a low point. They're instead playing more gold to make up for the lack of Bieber or Beyonce. However, the audience for CHR is seeking out Morgan Wallen when they stream. That's why HE is topping the Hot 100, while Miley Cyrus tops the CHR chart. The reality is the complete opposite of your post.

Going to have to disagree. More country will not serve CHR better. It’s the illusion that just because something is big on the Hot 100 it will do well on CHR. I don’t believe that.

In the markets he is on the air on CHR in he isn’t making huge gains, at least in most places. I’m in a Midwest market and people here still want Country to be Country and CHR to be CHR. He is on a CHR here locally now and then but they haven’t been playing it much.

 

[TheBigA]

Going to have to disagree. More country will not serve CHR better. It’s the illusion that just because something is big on the Hot 100 it will do well on CHR. I don’t believe that.

I'm not a tastemaker. I just look at numbers. The numbers say that when you look at what the CHR demo is listening to, it's different from what CHR programmers are playing. This is the same chart and same demo that was playing non-stop Taylor Swift or Drake a few months ago.

Morgan Wallen Surpasses Drake to Set New Billboard Hot 100 Chart Record | Holler

The Sneedville native currently has more simultaneous entries on the Hot 100 than any other artist in the chart's history.

holler.country

To me, what is popular shouldn't be constrained by genre. Today's listeners are not musicologists. They like what they like. It's radio's job to play what they like regardless of genre. Billboard knows and understands this, and that's why they have two charts: The Hot 100 and Radio Songs.

BTW, Morgan's album has rap on it. It's not strictly country. He was very clear with his music, and if you listen to his music, you will hear music that is not country.

I’m in a Midwest market and people here still want Country to be Country and CHR to be CHR. He is on a CHR here locally now and then but they haven’t been playing it much.

Which station?

 

[Theater of My Mind]

If Big Radio tests music as much as David Eduardo tells us it does, then it should be safe to assume Morgan Wallen has been tested with CHR audiences and he's a no-go in the markets that aren't playing him