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What is the future for classic rock stations?
- Thread starter S McCoy
- Start date
That is a good question. Classic Rock may very well be this decade's version of oldies. A format that ages too much for the prime advertising demos. Classic Rock stations are now faced with this: "to grunge or not to grunge that is the question". I've heard several Classic Rock stations flirting with Nirvana, Alice In Chains and Stone Temple Pilots. This is the same dilemma many rock stations faced in the early 90's; do you embrace the burgeoning Alternative Music or do you segue to Classic Rock. Some chose the former, others the latter.
I've listened to some of the stations who embrace the "Everything that Rocks" concept. I wonder if a few years from now; we will see only one rock station in many cities and they will use a "50 Years of Rock" format. Hendrix, Led Zep, AC/DC/Metallica/Godsmack, and groups from 2017 (or pick your year) all one station. Will the Rock Wall that was once three stations (in the early years of the Tel-Com Act), then was whittled down to two (Classic Rocker and a "New Rock Station" ) between 2000 and 2009, become "one rocker fits all" in this decade?
dlf
I've listened to some of the stations who embrace the "Everything that Rocks" concept. I wonder if a few years from now; we will see only one rock station in many cities and they will use a "50 Years of Rock" format. Hendrix, Led Zep, AC/DC/Metallica/Godsmack, and groups from 2017 (or pick your year) all one station. Will the Rock Wall that was once three stations (in the early years of the Tel-Com Act), then was whittled down to two (Classic Rocker and a "New Rock Station" ) between 2000 and 2009, become "one rocker fits all" in this decade?
dlf
Rock 92 in Greensboro, NC held out for a log time and now I hear Nickelback and that sort of thing.
My feeling is that most stations will be either mixing in the new stuff or they will be like 100.7 The River in Raleigh. I think most classic rock fans are too old for the hard stuff and the usual rock station's approach.
My feeling is that most stations will be either mixing in the new stuff or they will be like 100.7 The River in Raleigh. I think most classic rock fans are too old for the hard stuff and the usual rock station's approach.
vchimpanzee said:
I am an older Oldies listener whose Oldies station has somewhat deserted me. I found myself back on a long-ignored Classic Rock station and liking it to the point that I rarely push my Oldies pre-set any longer.
IMHO Classic Rock wasn't a fad, rather it was just possibly the most original and varied genre in all of pop music. If you liked the music when you were young it makes sense to me you'd still like it years later (even though what it represented may have become irrelevant i.e., protest songs). Maybe not all the time or as loud as you once played it but like it just the same.
But, sadly, I expect that someday my Classic Rock station will go the way of my Oldies station and drag themselves into the 80's, 90's or wherever and I will, once again, fire up my mp3 player and radio will lose another listener. :
Here in LA, KLOS is definitely getting younger. They even played "Everlong," by the Foo Fighters (from the year 2000). They will still play stuff from the 60's so they are covering about 35 years of rock. They rarely refer to themselves as "classic rock" anymore, preferring to say "Southern California's Best Rock" although they don't play any currents.
I remember when WRDU was leaning classic rock but still playing Collective Soul and Nirvana, among other more contemporary acts. My favorite pop station was on the same frequency from 1996 to 2006 so there were times, especially in the morning, when I was forced to listen to whatever they were doing. Although I will say I liked the guitar solo at the beginning of "December".
K
kenrayc
Guest
In Fresno there is 2 classic rock stations. the first KJFX 95.7 The FOX that has been Classic Rock for over 20 years, When they started they were mainly 60s and 70s with some pop artist like Paul Simon and Billy Joel. Over the years they slowly added 80s and harder late 70s like AC/DC and Def Leppard and removed Paul Simon and Billy Joel,today they will not touch anything after 1989.
The 2nd station KKBZ 105.1 The Blaze that started 2 years ago is more toward hard rock and plays late 60s to about 2000, plays alot more 80s and 90s Metal and Grunge Bands along with Manditory Metallica, but plays nothing from the last 10 years.
There's a Rock leaned Classic Hits Station a well KHIT 107.1 that sounds like the FOX when they started 20 years ago mixing Styx, The Doors, Boston with pop hits by Jim Croce and Paul Simon and some mix of R&B.
The 2nd station KKBZ 105.1 The Blaze that started 2 years ago is more toward hard rock and plays late 60s to about 2000, plays alot more 80s and 90s Metal and Grunge Bands along with Manditory Metallica, but plays nothing from the last 10 years.
There's a Rock leaned Classic Hits Station a well KHIT 107.1 that sounds like the FOX when they started 20 years ago mixing Styx, The Doors, Boston with pop hits by Jim Croce and Paul Simon and some mix of R&B.
S
Sandscott
Guest
I think classic rock needs to get back to expanding the playlist. People have grown tired of hearing "Stairway to Heaven" everyday. What they need to do to hold the older audience is bring back some bands and songs that used to be heard on classic rock radio like UFO, Montrose, etc. They also need to play more than just the same two or three Ted Nugent, Scorpions, or Alice Cooper songs. All of those bands had a lot of hits and well-known songs.
As far as newer music, I think it is now acceptable to include a lot of the 80's stuff up until around 1992. What I don't understand is why there are a few bands like GNR and Motley Crue that now get heard but a lot of other bands from that era do not. I think you need to expand that just a little bit and there is no place for the grunge stuff. It still fits in the alternative category, not classic rock.
The playlist is way too short these days for classic rock radio. There are so many great bands from the 70's and 80's. When is the last time they played freaking Uriah Heep!
As far as newer music, I think it is now acceptable to include a lot of the 80's stuff up until around 1992. What I don't understand is why there are a few bands like GNR and Motley Crue that now get heard but a lot of other bands from that era do not. I think you need to expand that just a little bit and there is no place for the grunge stuff. It still fits in the alternative category, not classic rock.
The playlist is way too short these days for classic rock radio. There are so many great bands from the 70's and 80's. When is the last time they played freaking Uriah Heep!
For me the part of a Classic Rock station that gets boring is the same thing over and over and no NEW MUSIC. The new music is what makes a format exciting. Get back to the AOR format which is what produced all of the classics. Many of those bands, and new ones are still making new music but no one hears it because hardly any stations play it. I'm speaking of Real AOR Genre, not alternative, grunge, etc.
That's what I started doing with WMWX when we signed on the air in 2006. Last month our website got over 6.3 million hits. Not bad for a station that is just over 3 years old. All I've heard is just how bad the music is that Rock stations play these day. But when I went to a Journey concert the place was packed with, yes, the young adults who love this music, too. There is an audience for AOR. I say bring it back! Our audience is growing and really enjoying our format.
Voted Cincinnati's best radio station in 2009 by City Beat Magazine.
http://classxradio.com
That's what I started doing with WMWX when we signed on the air in 2006. Last month our website got over 6.3 million hits. Not bad for a station that is just over 3 years old. All I've heard is just how bad the music is that Rock stations play these day. But when I went to a Journey concert the place was packed with, yes, the young adults who love this music, too. There is an audience for AOR. I say bring it back! Our audience is growing and really enjoying our format.
Voted Cincinnati's best radio station in 2009 by City Beat Magazine.
http://classxradio.com
The thing that bothers me is that most of these classic rock bands had more that one or two hits from their albums. Classic rock will play the same Aerosmith songs over and over "walk this way" "Sweet Emotion" to death but won't play any of the other cuts from the albums that I remember hearing on the radio back when it came out. Same with ACDC, Led Zeppelin etc. I'm talking about songs that could still be a hit. Not some obscure flip side. You have to get on satelite or internet radio to hear some of these old songs.
Like everyone has said....there is plenty of great music, and hits that got lost in the shuffle.
"Classic Rock" radio has become a sort of history revisionist. Many bands and songs that were part of the "classic rock" era have all but been forgotten, many were very popular in their day. Then you have the argument of "what is classic rock?", for example, the band Chicago finds it way onto "oldies" stations, yet Billy Joel, Elton John are considered classic rock....and then you have a whole slew of bands that rarely find their way onto classic rock: Joe Jackson, Elvis Costello, The Ramones, yet they play The Clash, The Talking Heads, The Police, etc...who draws this line in the sand???? It is that damn line the is gumming up the works, and what's left is AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, The Eagles, and ZZ Top.
"Classic Rock" radio has become a sort of history revisionist. Many bands and songs that were part of the "classic rock" era have all but been forgotten, many were very popular in their day. Then you have the argument of "what is classic rock?", for example, the band Chicago finds it way onto "oldies" stations, yet Billy Joel, Elton John are considered classic rock....and then you have a whole slew of bands that rarely find their way onto classic rock: Joe Jackson, Elvis Costello, The Ramones, yet they play The Clash, The Talking Heads, The Police, etc...who draws this line in the sand???? It is that damn line the is gumming up the works, and what's left is AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, The Eagles, and ZZ Top.
D
death_by_consultant
Guest
Classic Rock radio should adopt steal from the Boneyard on Sirius/XM.....Classic Hard Rock & Metal with a deep reach. With Terrestrial radio being so fragmented and niche-oriented it would be wise to go ahead and keep the listeners you have instead of running them off.....
K
kenrayc
Guest
death_by_consultant said:
In some markets thats already happening, in San Francisco 107.7 KSAN The Bone, and KKBZ105.1 The Blaze in Fresno has a format very similar to Sirius/XM Boneyard, both markets still do have another station that plays more of the traditional CR format KJFX 95.7 Fresno, and KUFX 98.5 and KKSF 103.7 San Francisco.
flytrap said:
That deserves a big Amen.
AMEN!
You're totally right, but there's even more to it than that. I was just watching a special on the making of the classic album "A Night at the Opera" by Queen. Brian May expressed regret that they never released his song "'39" as a single, because he thought it might have been a hit. I think he was right. So, there's not only great classic rock out there with hits that don't get played any more. There's also great classic rock "deep cuts" that weren't on radio playlists back in the day that should have been.
But, as the late Billy Mays like to say, there's more!
There were classic rock bands who made great sounding recordings who never even got on the radio because the suits working for their labels didn't promote them right. There are classic rock artists who continued to make great classic rock music, but the classic rock stations won't play newly recorded classic rock music.
Classic rock is a sound, not an era. If classic rock radio station programmers start using their ears to pick songs instead of surveys and charts, then they can remain successful indefinitely.
Classic rock will go the way of 1950s rock; it's "grandpa's music." Remember that Simpsons episode back in the 90s where Bart gets annoyed when Homer is rocking out to Grand Funk Railroad? He tells him to "shut off that dinosaur music!" That's how I feel every time I flip through the stations and hear Sweet Emotion for the 9 billionth time. It's to the point where I can't even listen to my albums. Hell, I sold off my mint Led Zeppelin LPs because I'm so sick and tired of hearing them.
Lots of classic rock artists have greatest hits collections that span beyond one disc. Hell, The Eagles had two volumes. So did The Doobie Brothers, Aerosmith and Kiss. I agree, obscure album cuts are not the answer, but it would be nice to have one played every once in a while to spice things up.
Lots of classic rock artists have greatest hits collections that span beyond one disc. Hell, The Eagles had two volumes. So did The Doobie Brothers, Aerosmith and Kiss. I agree, obscure album cuts are not the answer, but it would be nice to have one played every once in a while to spice things up.
K
kenrayc
Guest
sdh483 said:
Ther are some stations like KSAN 107.7 The bone and KKBZ 105.1 The Blaze that are trying to make the Classic Rock format more of the rock that really rocks of the late 70s 80s and 90s with less of the same old former classic rock standards and focus on artist like Triumph, Rush, AC/DC, Metallica, Bush, and Nirvana and not playing a lot of the Eagles, Doobies Bros, and Fleetwood Mac.
Classic Rock is kinda like Classic Coke. Classic Coke is really Coke-A-Cola. Just a name change.
Classic Rock is really AOR (Album Oriented Rock), but with the new music and new releases turned off. I agree that Classic Rock in the form that it presently is, will die off. Afterall, what keeps people listening to virtually any format is the NEW music.
We realize that here in Cincinnati. That's why my station is AOR, with both the old and the new stuff from AOR/Melodic Rock artists. http://classxradio.com
We get more than 5,000,000 hits per month on our site. We must be doing something right. It's really exciting to hear the young folks complain about how bad their music is and even more exciting when they express their enthusiasm about Rock & Roll returning.
Classic Rock is really AOR (Album Oriented Rock), but with the new music and new releases turned off. I agree that Classic Rock in the form that it presently is, will die off. Afterall, what keeps people listening to virtually any format is the NEW music.
We realize that here in Cincinnati. That's why my station is AOR, with both the old and the new stuff from AOR/Melodic Rock artists. http://classxradio.com
We get more than 5,000,000 hits per month on our site. We must be doing something right. It's really exciting to hear the young folks complain about how bad their music is and even more exciting when they express their enthusiasm about Rock & Roll returning.
RockNuts! said:
I have to disagree with that assumption. What keeps any music format interesting is content that is new to the listener. When a listener hears a song for the first time, and they like it, that's great. But nowadays, since the technical quality of recordings has been excellent since the mid-1960's, a song recorded in 1970, 1980, 1990, or 2000 sounds just as "new" to the ears of someone who has never heard it before as a song recorded in 2010.
Which means that if what is now called Classic Rock is going to survive, it will be as a hybrid of AAA and "deep cut" classic rock. Basically, AAA is the successor to AOR, not Classic Rock. Classic Rock is basically "Old hit songs from albums" while regular Oldies are "Old hit songs from the Top 40". Any format that remains dedicated to any sort of "old hit songs" can enjoy a finite period of success, but is ultimately doomed. But a modified AAA format should be capable of lasting almost forever.
Then again, given that so many people working at classic rock stations are in their 50's and 60's, and looking forward to retiring in another ten years or less, why should they care about any sort of legacy?
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