M
Music Lover
Guest
The main reason that a lot of today's pop is a turn-off for me is because so much of it is so soul-less and looks often seems to trump talent.
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Why did AC stop being soft?
- Thread starter nd2023
- Start date
Gee, I found plenty of room. And the facts to go with. All you have is a very convenient, if nonsensical, excuse to not discuss them. Which, I noticed, you weren't doing before the "psychobabble", either.
I know that was aimed at David, but....
"Stuck in a car with the radio tuned to their parents' favorite station, not theirs" isn't exactly an argument for force-feeding them their parents' music as adults. Especially when the ratings show (would you really program without regard to them?) that given the opportunity to choose for themselves, they overwhelmingly chose their generation's music, not that of their parents.
Oh, and son of a gun...David didn't ignore that....and the ratings did include that.
From David's post:
You will find that teens did not use to any but a residual amount* any stations that played Neil Diamond.
The CHR had a 31 share of teens.
The Urban had a 22 share
The AOR had a 14 share.
That's about 70 shares for the principal stations that did not play Mr. Diamond or his like.
Teens neither liked nor listened to that kind of music in any significant fashion.
* Residual listening to stations that generally do not fit the demo of the listener are mostly attributable to "forced listening" such as kids having to hear Mom's station in the car or kitchen.
So "What market is that?" is not "simply asking"? How much simpler than my four-word inquiry can you get?
I'm not sure that the deductive ad hominem of "irregular person" is a terribly effective insult.
Ratings are the reality the industry lives by in the rated markets where transactional (agency) business.
We recognize the issues involved in statistical sampling, ranging from margin of error to wobble. We participate in the MRC and push for compliance with their standards and support their ongoing audits of Nielsen Audio. We have seen a dozen other ratings companies come and go since ARB started a radio survey in 1965, and know that the Arbitron product was the one most trusted by agencies, and that is why we canceled our Pulse and Hooper contracts, and never provided adequate support for Mediatrend, Mediastat, Strategic, Strategy, Birch, Audits & Surveys, Burke, Mobiltrack and even Nielsen's first entry into radio.
Using your rude language, what part of "* Residual listening to stations that generally do not fit the demo of the listener are mostly attributable to "forced listening" such as kids having to hear Mom's station in the car or kitchen" don't you understand?
Ratings today (not "then") are based on the diary in over 200 markets. Only 48 markets have the PPM, because stations in markets outside the top 50 just can't afford the very expensive system.
Ratings based on the diary include any listening that was significant enough to be remembered. That includes people who listened at work to radios others tuned in and kids in the kitchen with mom or in the car with dad. In fact, if you really hate a station, it is likely that you will remember it every bit as much as your favorite station. What you won't remember in the diary world are those stations you personally select and listen to only occasionally... they seldom got into the diary and gave rise to the industry term of "Phantom Cume" meaning listenership that was forgotten
Knowledgeable and professional broadcasters know the limitations of ratings. They also know the horrible things that happen to agency business if there are no ratings. Without metrics, rates collapse.
In fact, agencies have been depending on ratings since the very early 30's when Crossley was invited to expand its services from just magazines to radio. Stations that depend on agency buys depend on ratings.
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OK fine. I'll agree for the sake of discussion. Let's not use ratings because you don't like them. Let's use any accepted survey of your choosing that demonstrates that teens in any sizable number listened to and enjoyed their parent's music.
M
Music Lover
Guest
Most 40-year-olds I know of have out-grown the bubblegum pop they liked as a teen. Most 40-year-olds I know of would rather listen to an adult performer, such as Sarah McLachlan, than listen to whoever the latest Disney Channel teen is.
When I was a pre-teen in the 80s I was into Tiffany and Debbie Gibson. But my tastes had changed by the time of high school and college in the 90s.
When I was a pre-teen in the 80s I was into Tiffany and Debbie Gibson. But my tastes had changed by the time of high school and college in the 90s.
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M
Music Lover
Guest
To continue with that:
As I got older, I wanted some more mature sentiments about life and performers such as Toni Braxton, Mariah Carey, and Celine Dion were providing that. Of artists that wind up on AC today, I'd much rather hear more like Adele, Five For Fighting, and James Blunt than Justin Bieber.
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AC isn't playing bubblegum pop or Disney Channel music. It's playing contemporary hit music for a generation largely raised on rhythmic, urban-leaning hits.
While you're by no means alone in turning back to music for the generation of adults prior to yours (count me among them), it's just not where the majority of women in the most desired sales demo is now.
M
Music Lover
Guest
Demi Levato and Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift are common on my local AC playlists. Most adults I know consider them bubblegum.
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Depends on the song.
A
Avid Listener
Guest
This is one of the few things I can agree with you about. Miley Cyrus in particular has some truly excellent songs in her catalog, even though few of them get airplay. Her recording of the old standard "Lilac Wine", from her "Backyard Sessions" project, is one of the better renditions of that old classic.
M
Music Lover
Guest
Michael
I simply really find it hard to listen to today’s AC stations for any extended periods.
I simply really find it hard to listen to today’s AC stations for any extended periods.
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M
Music Lover
Guest
It's more than just the songs. It's the overall image that doesn't appeal to them. Maybe as the saying goes "we're turning into our parents".
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Fine. But today's AC stations are doing extremely well. It's an improvement in both ratings and revenue over the soft approach.
M
Music Lover
Guest
It's just gotten way too edgy for my tastes.
Maybe you're turning into your parents. The ratings would suggest the majority of today's AC listeners aren't. And artist image doesn't seem to trump the appeal of the individual song. I'd have agreed about Miley Cyrus' adult appeal until "Wrecking Ball". And Robin Thicke isn't on anybody's "great guy" list lately, but "Blurred Lines" was a huge AC record.
No one is arguing that. You're just not representative of the majority of 40-year-old women (give or take 5 years in any direction).
By the way, when it comes to contemporary pop in general and CHR in particular, men tend to bail out at an earlier age than women. Been that way for decades.
M
Music Lover
Guest
The thing is, like many in my circle of 40-something friends, I tend to be rather conservative about music choices. There are certain thematic elements that don't appeal to us. However, we certainly don't think censorship should be done.
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M
Music Lover
Guest
So when today's 40-year-olds turn 70, will the oldies stations start playing boy bands, rap, grunge, etc.?
What is generically called "oldies" will always be, for radio and any other ad-sustained media, a format that focuses on 35-54.
55 is the cut off point. When a person turns 55, they are no longer of interest to those who use quantitative methods for buying advertising. And for TV, it's 50!
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