Why won't they play my song?

[LITTLEBOYBLUE]

I have a collection of mixed CD's I created over the years...each CD unique to a decade, and no song can be repeated on any other CD across the library. It's how I stay "slightly sane" given the music choices on today's radio.

As I listened to one well-written, well-performed song .... I wondered about what keeps it off the air. It's from 1970 ... but classic hits formats play MANY songs from 1970. It's not dated material; but we still hear songs like "Eve of Destruction" once a day or so. The song holds up....but I have never heard it on-the air as far back as I can remember.

The "what song is it" is not important.

I'm curious about your perceptions of why we box our libraries into what they are today. My assumption is we have wound up with a playlist based on hook research and only the stuff familiar to those test audiences tests well. Well...probably because they haven't been exposed to anything BUT those test songs their entire lives. But on the "what is AC/Hot AC" we talk about some artists that are poison today...even though they are capable artists, the songs are still good ... but apparently the consultants hate 'em.

THIS (along with the talent boxed into limited liner card content) is why I have to do major research to figure out how to turn on the radio in my car.


Any feedback or thoughts on this topic?

 

[CTListener]

Who's still playing "Eve of Destruction" -- even in very light rotation -- other than SiriusXM's '60s on 6? And it's audience research (whether in-house or by a consultant) that determines what the listeners want and don't want to hear.

 

[davideduardo]

I'm curious about your perceptions of why we box our libraries into what they are today. My assumption is we have wound up with a playlist based on hook research and only the stuff familiar to those test audiences tests well. Well...probably because they haven't been exposed to anything BUT those test songs their entire lives. But on the "what is AC/Hot AC" we talk about some artists that are poison today...even though they are capable artists, the songs are still good ... but apparently the consultants hate 'em.

First, the songs on any gold based format are going to have to be familiar to the target audience. If they are not familiar today, they were not hits back in the day!

Music testing involves playing enough of a song for a person to identify it and then register how much they would like to hear that song on the radio today. Generally, 5 to 6 seconds of a song is how long a person needs to decide how much or how little the want to hear the song. Most tests use about 8 seconds of audio of the hook, and any longer amount causes visible fatigue, visible in the form of fidgeting, loss of eye focus, etc.

The songs that are tested are the ones already played, some that may be known to be borderline, and some of the newer songs that may be played to replace old, old ones that don't appeal to the younger end of the target demo.

Songs that you don't hear have likely been tested a number of times, and never passed.

Consultants are not that prevalent in radio today... most companies cut back on outside services. And it's the listeners who pick the music that is played and not played, not the programmer or the consultant.

 

[fordranger797]

I have a collection of mixed CD's I created over the years...each CD unique to a decade, and no song can be repeated on any other CD across the library. It's how I stay "slightly sane" given the music choices on today's radio.

Any feedback or thoughts on this topic?

I would narrow that down to just "Seattle radio". I'm extremely impressed with the selection in many other radio markets. Our market is a complete joke, however.

 

[TheBigA]

As I listened to one well-written, well-performed song .... I wondered about what keeps it off the air.

That's a great question. Watch American Idol on any given night. Lots of great singers. What's the difference between a great technical singer and a star? Quite often, well written and well performed doesn't matter. The public reacts differently than critics. That often plays a part in how they respond in music tests. They'll hear a song that provokes a positive memory, and they respond positively. The song doesn't matter. Rather, the memory that song conjures up. Classic hits stations typically aren't as much about songs, but rather memories.

 

[Bongwater]

My assumption is we have wound up with a playlist based on hook research and only the stuff familiar to those test audiences tests well. Well...probably because they haven't been exposed to anything BUT those test songs their entire lives.

That's more than just a mere assumption. And this is how Oldies/Classic Hits stations, with all the width and depth of the spectrum of pop music through the decades, can somehow condense it all to 400 (or less) burnt to a crisp songs that have coicidentally have also appeared on countless compilation albums.

And only when a song has been used in movies or a TV ad (I NEVER heard "Sign Of The Times" Petula Clark on the oldies stations until Target began using it in their TV ads. Usually it was always "Downtown" or maybe an occasional spin of "Don't Sleep In The Subway" or "This Is My Song" when it came to Clark's respresentation on oldies stations), does a song get added to the typical Oldies/Classic Hits format.

Familiarity is essential to that format. But too much familiarity breeds contempt. And that was well known amongst oldies fans during KBSG's run. Pretty much anyone outside a focus group, an Arbitron diary keeper or the musically ambivilant absolutely HATED KBSG because they had such a narrow playlist (300 songs, as a GENEROUS guess. When you play "Sweet Pea" Tommy Roe more than once a day, there might need to be some expansion.) Besides, I think it doesn't do the format any favors because it grows especially stale amongst younger listeners. Besides, there are always surprises.

For example, beyond "Louie Louie", the pre-grunge Northwest rock scene of the '60s was one of the most influential outside of The British and San Fransisco scenes (even The Beatles were blown away by The Sonics and you'd hear their influence in songs like "Revolution") They opened the door to heavy metal and punk - both of what this area is known for musically. But you NEVER heard The Sonics on KBSG. Or any Northwest artist beyond The Kingsmen (and ONLY "Louie Louie"), Paul Revere & The Raiders or Merrilee Rush's anemic original version of "Angel Of The Morning". No Jimi Hendrix, no Heart (until the "B-97.3" improvement before the flip to KIRO-FM), No Wailers, nothing else but THESE few songs.

And the frustration was obvious amongst many oldies fans I encountered while working in some vintage vinyl record shops. They ALWAYS complained about KBSG. I didn't even bring KBSG up - THEY did.

 

[fordranger797]

That's more than just a mere assumption. And this is how Oldies/Classic Hits stations, with all the width and depth of the spectrum of pop music through the decades, can somehow condense it all to 400 (or less) burnt to a crisp songs that have coicidentally have also appeared on countless compilation albums.

And only when a song has been used in movies or a TV ad (I NEVER heard "Sign Of The Times" Petula Clark on the oldies stations until Target began using it in their TV ads. Usually it was always "Downtown" or maybe an occasional spin of "Don't Sleep In The Subway" or "This Is My Song" when it came to Clark's respresentation on oldies stations), does a song get added to the typical Oldies/Classic Hits format.

Familiarity is essential to that format. But too much familiarity breeds contempt. And that was well known amongst oldies fans during KBSG's run. Pretty much anyone outside a focus group, an Arbitron diary keeper or the musically ambivilant absolutely HATED KBSG because they had such a narrow playlist (300 songs, as a GENEROUS guess. When you play "Sweet Pea" Tommy Roe more than once a day, there might need to be some expansion.) Besides, I think it doesn't do the format any favors because it grows especially stale amongst younger listeners. Besides, there are always surprises.

For example, beyond "Louie Louie", the pre-grunge Northwest rock scene of the '60s was one of the most influential outside of The British and San Fransisco scenes (even The Beatles were blown away by The Sonics and you'd hear their influence in songs like "Revolution") They opened the door to heavy metal and punk - both of what this area is known for musically. But you NEVER heard The Sonics on KBSG. Or any Northwest artist beyond The Kingsmen (and ONLY "Louie Louie"), Paul Revere & The Raiders or Merrilee Rush's anemic original version of "Angel Of The Morning". No Jimi Hendrix, no Heart (until the "B-97.3" improvement before the flip to KIRO-FM), No Wailers, nothing else but THESE few songs.

And the frustration was obvious amongst many oldies fans I encountered while working in some vintage vinyl record shops. They ALWAYS complained about KBSG. I didn't even bring KBSG up - THEY did.

Thankfully I discovered CISL 650AM back then, and was able to listen to their true oldies format before they morphed into a classic hits format.

 

[TheBigA]

And the frustration was obvious amongst many oldies fans I encountered while working in some vintage vinyl record shops. They ALWAYS complained about KBSG. I didn't even bring KBSG up - THEY did.

I once worked in a record store. I learned then that what you hear in record stores is far from being popular opinion. The most amazing thing happened when record sales figures changed from reports written by store employees to actual bar codes from product sold. That's when you saw the truth. Very different from what had been assumed.

 

[LITTLEBOYBLUE]

I was at KVI on the first iteration of oldies there...even did the music for awhile. It was amazing that the staff had one expectation for the format...and the management had another. Airstaff mindset was "awesome...oldies...we'll have EVERYTHING available here" ... and management was "just keep the numbers up". When the numbers would dip...the library got the belt cinched. Still...that library had more in rotation than any other oldies station I have heard since, including special treatment of Northwest Rock History; deeper for Elvis + Beatles cuts, and a pretty healthy library of hits that were in slow rotation behind the "powers" (in that case, same songs that almost every oldies station burns). When the station launched under PD Scott Burton, the music was even MORE open and more generous to younger listeners...much more 70's depth and I thought it sounded awesome; but wasn't delivering the deliciously 25-54 the station wanted to sell at the time (keep in mind the FM was doing CHR so its target was the opposite end of the spectrum).