This is a two subject post but but both subjects are related.
1) Who is the Classical listener? Age, Race, Economic Level, Education Level, Male versus female. In general terms, who listens to classical music?
2) Music Rotation: Obviously there is a base library of selections that is fairly easy to define. This base library is certainly the key to success. In other formats the 500 or so best testing songs for the target audience is the key to success.
What I am hearing from Classical listeners I get the chance to talk to is for:
1) a station to play a few, is not several, versions of the well known works performed by different orchestras.
2) a station must play 'Discovery' works. These can be deeper key composer works or works by lesser-known composers.
3) a station must strike a good ratio between the various types of 'classical' music. This gets a bit tricky. Not only does Classical span many eras (baroque, romantic, etc.) but ranges from solo instrument works, duos, quartets, small groups and full fledged orchestras. Works also include vocals.
4) a station should play only complete works versus just a movement. Some disagree.
So, when creating a 'format clock', so to speak, why not give this some thought and give me an idea of the ratio you think is the right mix. I'll pose some questions to expound:
1) percentage that is well known works with a few versions that critics say are the best
2) percentage from each era: how much Romantic, Baroque, etc.
3) What percentage should comprise orchestrated works
4) What percentage should be solo instrument, duos, small groups? Are vocals okay? What percentage? Are there instruments one should avoid? Harp, flute, harpsichord, lute?
5) Thinking movements, while most say to play the whole work not a piece of it, there are many 'segments' that are loved and make a nice fill. Is it okay to play movements? If so, are there any hard and fast rules?
More and more PDs are telling me their listeners want only music. They describe listeners thinking of the station as an escape from the world, an oasis, as one put it. News, Traffic and such are cracks in the escape pod they call their station. How important is news and traffic? Most all do the weather forecast in morning drive and almost all are heavy on announcing events in the arts community. Most doing one or two an hour. How important is this?
Most say the announcer is a key fixture in classical radio. It seems many do not know the work played or at least the performers. The classical listener listens to the announcer to learn more about the work or composer. Some say an announcer is not crucial. How crucial to the success of the format is an announcer?
Is the classical format listener in two groups and neither mesh? Group one is an avid classical listener. Group two is the casual listener with little if any classical music knowledge. They buy the cheap classical CD compilations for $5 and are happy. They feel the format has a learning curve and they don't feel a part of the listener group but an outsider. Some say they'd listen more but they just don't feel connected to the station. This group, from what I have seen, is less likely to contribute to the station financially likely because most in this group already listen to several other stations that tend to be commercial, so giving to a station is not something they think about. On the other hand, avid classical listeners complain their station (that also caters to the casual listener) has 'dumbed down' the format to cater to this group and it rubs them the wrong way. How can both groups be involved? Is converting the casual listener the key to the survival of classical on radio?
If you had to sum up the size of a music library a classical station might have, how many hours might that be? And that core base library should be about how many hours? For example, about 800 hours with 200 as the core base library (numbers pulled from thin air).
There's a bunch here but your thoughts as a classical radio person or a classical music listener would go far in expanding my knowledge. I likely missed some important ingredients in a successful classical station, so feel free to point that out. Thank you.
1) Who is the Classical listener? Age, Race, Economic Level, Education Level, Male versus female. In general terms, who listens to classical music?
2) Music Rotation: Obviously there is a base library of selections that is fairly easy to define. This base library is certainly the key to success. In other formats the 500 or so best testing songs for the target audience is the key to success.
What I am hearing from Classical listeners I get the chance to talk to is for:
1) a station to play a few, is not several, versions of the well known works performed by different orchestras.
2) a station must play 'Discovery' works. These can be deeper key composer works or works by lesser-known composers.
3) a station must strike a good ratio between the various types of 'classical' music. This gets a bit tricky. Not only does Classical span many eras (baroque, romantic, etc.) but ranges from solo instrument works, duos, quartets, small groups and full fledged orchestras. Works also include vocals.
4) a station should play only complete works versus just a movement. Some disagree.
So, when creating a 'format clock', so to speak, why not give this some thought and give me an idea of the ratio you think is the right mix. I'll pose some questions to expound:
1) percentage that is well known works with a few versions that critics say are the best
2) percentage from each era: how much Romantic, Baroque, etc.
3) What percentage should comprise orchestrated works
4) What percentage should be solo instrument, duos, small groups? Are vocals okay? What percentage? Are there instruments one should avoid? Harp, flute, harpsichord, lute?
5) Thinking movements, while most say to play the whole work not a piece of it, there are many 'segments' that are loved and make a nice fill. Is it okay to play movements? If so, are there any hard and fast rules?
More and more PDs are telling me their listeners want only music. They describe listeners thinking of the station as an escape from the world, an oasis, as one put it. News, Traffic and such are cracks in the escape pod they call their station. How important is news and traffic? Most all do the weather forecast in morning drive and almost all are heavy on announcing events in the arts community. Most doing one or two an hour. How important is this?
Most say the announcer is a key fixture in classical radio. It seems many do not know the work played or at least the performers. The classical listener listens to the announcer to learn more about the work or composer. Some say an announcer is not crucial. How crucial to the success of the format is an announcer?
Is the classical format listener in two groups and neither mesh? Group one is an avid classical listener. Group two is the casual listener with little if any classical music knowledge. They buy the cheap classical CD compilations for $5 and are happy. They feel the format has a learning curve and they don't feel a part of the listener group but an outsider. Some say they'd listen more but they just don't feel connected to the station. This group, from what I have seen, is less likely to contribute to the station financially likely because most in this group already listen to several other stations that tend to be commercial, so giving to a station is not something they think about. On the other hand, avid classical listeners complain their station (that also caters to the casual listener) has 'dumbed down' the format to cater to this group and it rubs them the wrong way. How can both groups be involved? Is converting the casual listener the key to the survival of classical on radio?
If you had to sum up the size of a music library a classical station might have, how many hours might that be? And that core base library should be about how many hours? For example, about 800 hours with 200 as the core base library (numbers pulled from thin air).
There's a bunch here but your thoughts as a classical radio person or a classical music listener would go far in expanding my knowledge. I likely missed some important ingredients in a successful classical station, so feel free to point that out. Thank you.
