What happened to rock on the charts?

[radiorobert]

It seems like "pure pop" is big in KC, which is why the CHRs and even Hot AC tilt more towards it right now.

They can also be that way and have been that way for a long time because there are two Urban formats that are long running and established in the market. This doesn’t take away from your point that KC likes pop too. I’m sure it does.

That creates a whole different dynamic as the CHRs there don’t have to worry about considering the Urban audience as much. So as a result they can be very ‘pop’ oriented.

But I don’t believe that fully answered why the Whalen track isn’t played there. I think in the case of Kansas City it’s because it’s urban enough of a market Country doesn’t influence the demos as much. Especially in this day and age.

But that feeds my point about country and genres etc, that up the road in Des Moines he isn’t being rotated very heavy and it’s been a bit now. And then that translates to what it’s doing nationally on the CHR charts.

 

[davideduardo]

It seems like "pure pop" is big in KC, which is why the CHRs and even Hot AC tilt more towards it right now.

It has to do with the demographics: less than 25% total Hispanic and Black populations.

 

[radiorobert]

What I hate to say but we all know it’s true is that in many markets the whole reason CHR doesn’t adopt rock or country in any major form, including more rural markets and hence why these styles don’t show up on the charts is because they have dedicated genres.

many times in markets with no Urban/Hip Hop dedicated outlet, people turn to CHR to hear those tracks. It’s the compromise between what business is willing to do and what the listeners want to hear.

In major markets CHR serves a different purpose. It’s there to measure the most popular tracks and set the tone for the rest of the country. I’ve watched this dynamic for years and years and it rings true again and again. It’s a strange schism in American culture as the established ‘white bread’ genres enjoy their own outlets in middle America and even still in Urban America. But the Urban formats only have genre dominance in more major markets.

 

[davideduardo]

But I don’t believe that fully answered why the Whalen track isn’t played there. I think in the case of Kansas City it’s because it’s urban enough of a market Country doesn’t influence the demos as much. Especially in this day and age.

It is only 13% Black... that is, if you look nationally, not a large enough group to radically influence taste in the market. And you have an even smaller Hispanic market segment, and that group is not large enough to create critical mass for Spanish language programming.

 

[davideduardo]

many times in markets with no Urban/Hip Hop dedicated outlet, people turn to CHR to hear those tracks. It’s the compromise between what business is willing to do and what the listeners want to hear.

About a decade or so ago, those Urban followers figured out that there were plenty of options via streaming... and those streams played all the songs, not just the ones with "safe" lyrics.

Listeners don't "settle" for radio stations that don't play all their favorite songs (and which don't play lots that they do not like) any more.

 

[radiorobert]

About a decade or so ago, those Urban followers figured out that there were plenty of options via streaming... and those streams played all the songs, not just the ones with "safe" lyrics.

Listeners don't "settle" for radio stations that don't play all their favorite songs (and which don't play lots that they do not like) any more.

It’s still a factor.

I’ll concede to your point that it’s not like it used to be.

But it is still a factor. The very fact terrestrial radio still exists means it’s still a factor. Otherwise everyone would stream no matter what.

 

[davideduardo]

It’s still a factor.

Not really.

I’ll concede to your point that it’s not like it used to be.

With teens, the game has been called due to the failure to appear of the terrestrial radio team.

But it is still a factor. The very fact terrestrial radio still exists means it’s still a factor. Otherwise everyone would stream no matter what.

If we look at the average time spent listening of 18-24 year olds, only abut 60% use terrestrial at all, and then it is only a couple of hours a week. I suspect a lot of that is "hearing" but not intentional "listening" of stations put on by family members or co-workers.

When you get over age 25, we start seeing longer average weekly radio usage. But still, it is less than 1/3 of the levels we saw back in Y2K.

Oh, and we are starting to see streams account for a significant portion of local station shares. We'd see even more if it were not for the fact that many streams are consolidated in the ratings with the linked simulcast AM or FM signal.

 

[TheBigA]

But I don’t believe that fully answered why the Whalen track isn’t played there. I think in the case of Kansas City it’s because it’s urban enough of a market Country doesn’t influence the demos as much. Especially in this day and age.

You don't think the fact that the song is being played 66 times a week by WDAF could be a reason? The airplay by WDAF and 20 other stations is causing the song to chart at #31 on the country airplay chart. I think country PDs are trying to hang on to their most popular artist. They don't want a repeat of Taylor Swift.

 

[tall_guy1]

It has to do with the demographics: less than 25% total Hispanic and Black populations.

Their urban stations have done well though in the past.

 

[davideduardo]

Their urban stations have done well though in the past.

That's because Urban stations get considerable Hispanic and non-Hispanic white listenership.

 

[CTListener]

That's because Urban stations get considerable Hispanic and non-Hispanic white listenership.

Rock 'n' roll itself took off because white people were listening to non-white music. It's nothing new. White jazz fans go back even further.

 

[davideduardo]

Rock 'n' roll itself took off because white people were listening to non-white music. It's nothing new. White jazz fans go back even further.

But, as a person who was working in "urban" radio in the late 50's, I saw that a lot of the white listeners to Black music were often being served remakes of R&B songs made for the larger white market.

 

[CTListener]

But, as a person who was working in "urban" radio in the late 50's, I saw that a lot of the white listeners to Black music were often being served remakes of R&B songs made for the larger white market.

True, but the record companies would never have recorded white acts like Pat Boone or the Crew Cuts covering "Tutti Frutti" or "Sh-Boom" if white teens and twenties, even in the South, weren't listening to "race music" on the radio when their parents weren't around. The decisions about whether to play Black artists on "white" radio weren't being made by the young listeners but by radio professionals who were largely their parents' age (your child-prodigy back story notwithstanding). I suppose advertisers also figured into this -- but again, the guy who ran the local hardware shop and didn't want his ads running on a station that played Little Richard was from the previous generation, just like the radio station owners.

 

[tall_guy1]

That's because Urban stations get considerable Hispanic and non-Hispanic white listenership.

There is a pretty urban part of KC though where I would imagine listenership is high.

 

[radiorobert]

That's because Urban stations get considerable Hispanic and non-Hispanic white listenership.

David,

Can you explain how certain markets with often 10-12 percent black and Hispanic populations sustain Rhythmic CHR? I’ve always wondered.

 

[davideduardo]

David,

Can you explain how certain markets with often 10-12 percent black and Hispanic populations sustain Rhythmic CHR? I’ve always wondered.

The whole country is moving towards more rhythmic songs in the pop/CHR areas. That tendency alone moves many markets.

There is a pretty urban part of KC though where I would imagine listenership is high.

Nielsen does not measure "cities"... just markets and counties. And proportionality is sought at the county level, there is a much lesser attempt to achieve geographic balance within areas within a country.

 

[tall_guy1]

The whole country is moving towards more rhythmic songs in the pop/CHR areas. That tendency alone moves many markets.

Nielsen does not measure "cities"... just markets and counties. And proportionality is sought at the county level, there is a much lesser attempt to achieve geographic balance within areas within a country.

Hmmm...so as time progresses the genre will become more rhythmic?

 

[davideduardo]

Hmmm...so as time progresses the genre will become more rhythmic?

As BigA has mentioned several times, all current music tends to be cyclical.

 

[TheBigA]

Here's the latest on Morgan Wallen. Since pop stations have chosen not to play a 2-week #1 by Morgan, the country stations are now playing it. In addition to his current radio single One Thing At a Time. And in addition to his top recurrent Thought You Should Know. That means three Morgan Wallen songs in the Top 30. And people wonder why the country chart moves so slow:

Dayparts: The Latest Morgan Wallen, All Day Long.

Only four records outside the Top 5 on this week’s Mediabase country airplay chart have more than half of their spins coming between 6am and 7pm — and three belong

www.countryinsider.com

 

[CTListener]

Here's the latest on Morgan Wallen. Since pop stations have chosen not to play a 2-week #1 by Morgan, the country stations are now playing it. In addition to his current radio single One Thing At a Time. And in addition to his top recurrent Thought You Should Know. That means three Morgan Wallen songs in the Top 30. And people wonder why the country chart moves so slow:

Dayparts: The Latest Morgan Wallen, All Day Long.

Only four records outside the Top 5 on this week’s Mediabase country airplay chart have more than half of their spins coming between 6am and 7pm — and three belong

www.countryinsider.com

I don't get it. Big Loud, Wallen's label, sent "One Thing at a Time" to country radio, "Last Night" to pop, right? Or did it just drop a bunch of suggested titles from the monster album on the desks of radio's decision makers, hoping they'd play as many of them as possible? I don't think "Last Night" belongs on country radio at all, and I can definitely see why CHR would be reluctant to add it despite its "snap track" characteristics -- Wallen's voice is still 100 percent rural East Tennessee and that's not going to play well with pop listeners. To me, that's the major factor preventing him from crossing over, not the N-word incident.