Would this playlist work?

[ftballfan]

Would this playlist work on a Country station?

Dan Seals – Bop
Brantley Gilbert – Country Must Be Country Wide
Reba McEntire – The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia
Trace Adkins – Honky Tonk Badonkadonk
Colt Ford w/ Jake Owen – Back
Diamond Rio – Beautiful Mess
Sammy Kershaw – Queen of My Double-Wide Trailer
KT Oslin – 80s Ladies
Alabama – My Home’s in Alabama
Ronnie Milsap – Lost in the Fifties Tonight
Randy Travis – 1982
Little Texas – Amy’s Back in Austin
Highwaymen – Highwayman
Steve Wariner – Holes in the Floor of Heaven
Kenny Chesney – She’s Got It All
Tim McGraw – One of Those Nights
Alan Jackson w/ Jimmy Buffett – It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere
Ricky Skaggs – Heartbroke
Blake Shelton – Austin
Atlanta – Sweet Country Music
Charlie Daniels – The Devil Went Down to Georgia
Keith Whitley – Homecoming ‘63
Pam Tillis – Mi Vida Loca
Billy Ray Cyrus – Achy Breaky Heart
Brad Paisley – Old Alabama

 

[TheBigA]

For what audience? For people under 40, there's too much old music. For people over 50, there's too much new music.

This might be a fine mix tape for someone to program their iPod or play in the car. But it's way to broad for the radio.

 

[jh]

I'm 56 and it sounds good to me. Maybe a little more new music, plus some even older stuff: Conway, Loretta, Patsy. Maybe even a country gospel song once an hour.

Of course there will probably never be a station designed for me. The closest I've found is ABC's "Real Country" satellite format... sort of classic country with all the currents.

I've been listening to country since the mid-60s, and like it all.

 

[TheBigA]

I'm 56 and it sounds good to me.

You'd sit through Colt Ford and Brantley Gilbert? Most people your age never heard of them, or don't think they're country.

 

[allenv]

This is a nice mix of songs but for me personally there's no WOW factor and occasionally you need a WOW and there are 100's of WOW songs..This is just me but if I never here The Devil Went Down To Georgia again my life will be just fine.

 

[Whiplash]

Not bad and works just fine on my stations. www.catcountry.org

 

[radioboy]

I'm 54 and also like most of them. I grew up listening to country instead of Top 40..liked it better.

This playlist is probably best suited for a noncomm/LPFM station rather than commercial radio.

I pretty much agree with jh above and imagine our tastes are similar.

 

[Nostalgia]

Would this playlist work on a Country station?

I'd listen to it for the 1 1/2 to 2 hours it was playing, but then what???

 

[amfmxm]

I agree with Big A & Nostalgia--

Like Big A says, the Under-40 crowd ain't gonna tune in, anyway, so why risk the 40+ audience by playing tunes they don't know-or-want to hear. Hitting 45-54 is the key. Adults 55+ might be nice folks, they're just not worth anything to advertisers. So that means the 50-year-old is your target. How far back is too far back for a 50-year-old? And how far back do you have to go before a 50-year old considers a song "classic/gold/legend/oldie?" Taylor Swift's "Love Song?" Jamie O'Neal's "There is No Arizona?" Merle Haggard's "Working Man Blues?"

What's the chronology? 1980-1990? 1975-1995? 1940-2012? (Just jokin').

Besides, the new stuff puts the lie to the (presumed) promise you're making to the audience--that you're gonna play Country Classics/ Gold/Oldies/Legends/Whatever. As in any format, playing the right songs is crucial, and playing the wrong songs is death.

And like Nostalgia says, where are the other 500 songs? (600? 700? 800? What's the magic number)?

 

[TheBigA]

How far back is too far back for a 50-year-old? And how far back do you have to go before a 50-year old considers a song "classic/gold/legend/oldie?" Taylor Swift's "Love Song?" Jamie O'Neal's "There is No Arizona?" Merle Haggard's "Working Man Blues?"

That's a good question, and it varies by individual. But radio doesn't program to individuals, unless we're talking about a subscription-based online station. Most of the responders here who like this playlist do that kind of radio, and it's a very different ballgame.

Generally we're seeing that 15 years ago is the cut-off for a currents based country station. If it's older than 1997, it's too old. Most currents based stations, the ones that play Brantley Gilbert, are 50% currents. But those stations are appealing to audiences that are 60% female under 40.

On the other end of the spectrum, the absolute bottom for a 50 year old is 1970. However, it's not out of the question to throw in a 60s classic by a major artist once every 4 hours, like Mama Tried or I Walk The Line for men, and a Patsy Cline for women. That's the "wow" song.

The real sweet spot isn't age, but gender. Typically, a male listener around 50 has formed an opinion about country, and it's built around the music in the 80s. That means they will be violently opposed to Colt Ford, Rascal Flatts, and Taylor Swift. He'll put up with it to make the female in his world happy. Females are more open to current female artists like Taylor, Carrie, and Miranda. Anyone who's associated with those women are OK too. Women tend to like Cash but not Haggard or Jones. They prefer Loretta and Tammy. Men absolutely don't get K.T. Oslin. Women don't get Waylon. Everybody likes Willie. Or at least say they do. The easiest way to empty a room is play Achy Breaky Heart.

 

[vchimpanzee]

Trace Adkins – Honky Tonk Badonkadonk

There are a few songs on this list I don't know, but to this one ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY NEVER NOT GONNA HAPPEN WOULDN"T BE PRUDENT AT THIS JUNCTURE

 

[vchimpanzee]

Of course there will probably never be a station designed for me. The closest I've found is ABC's "Real Country" satellite format... sort of classic country with all the currents.

Surely not all of them.

It is truly disturbing that the one Real Country affiliate I get the opportunity to listen to has a bunch of males that are popular these days on its web site. We're supposed to be de-emphasizing the present on classic-leaning stations.

 

[vchimpanzee]

On the other end of the spectrum, the absolute bottom for a 50 year old is 1970. However, it's not out of the question to throw in a 60s classic by a major artist once every 4 hours, like Mama Tried or I Walk The Line for men, and a Patsy Cline for women. That's the "wow" song.

The real sweet spot isn't age, but gender. Typically, a male listener around 50 has formed an opinion about country, and it's built around the music in the 80s. That means they will be violently opposed to Colt Ford, Rascal Flatts, and Taylor Swift. He'll put up with it to make the female in his world happy. Females are more open to current female artists like Taylor, Carrie, and Miranda. Anyone who's associated with those women are OK too. Women tend to like Cash but not Haggard or Jones. They prefer Loretta and Tammy. Men absolutely don't get K.T. Oslin. Women don't get Waylon. Everybody likes Willie. Or at least say they do. The easiest way to empty a room is play Achy Breaky Heart.

I just turned 52 and I hear a lot of 60s and even 50s songs I like on the classic country station I listen to when I'm in the area where it's located. I am opposed to Taylor Swift and Rascal Flatts but don't know anything about Colt Ford, who sure has a country-sounding name. I also don't get K.T. Oslin but I do like that one musical instrument on "Hey Bobby". Just not her. I'm more open to Miranda than Taylor or Carrie. I like Haggard, Jones, Loretta, Tammy, Waylon and Willie.

 

[Whiplash]

I'm not talking about playing currents. But the early Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley and even Rascal Flatts have earned a spot carefully into a Country Legends format.

 

[scott salvatori]

This playlist is probably best suited for a noncomm/LPFM station rather than commercial radio.

ya think so, really, ya sure, come on seriously, no way jose? if im gonna search around, and listen for some faint scratchy LPFM broadcast on the left end of the digital tuner, it better be worth it with something country/alt, or bluegrass acoustic deep. achey breaky, and badonkacrap may send me fleeing never to return! but, that kieth whitley sounds good. one of the all time greats.

 

[radioboy]

Scott,

I say that because the one commercial classic country station we had left was sold a year ago and switched to talk. There are no mom and pop owners left here that don't have religious stations. The owner was 74, in declining health, and said he couldn't hold on much longer. His as sales were also lower than they had been in the past. It WAS a great little station. I understand the frustration over being relegated to poor signals, though.

The demo for traditional advertisers is too old for it to be commercially viable. So I understand where you are coming from as far as format. Getting it paid for..that is another matter. I have been in the manager's position of making payroll and such.

Even the aforementioned classic country station was a rimshot that did not put a city grade signal over the area where I live..but lots of folks put up with it just to be able to listen. For us now, it's LPFM, maybe, or relegated to streaming. We have no classic country, or oldies for that matter. So I stand by my original premise. the big boys are going to do less and less of classic country as the audience ages.

I mix classic and current country and have plenty of listeners as Internet-only. Seems a locally branded signal would only help. Folks here are abandoning radio in droves..period. They would like something besides satellite fed dreck and religious networks.

But, I live below the poverty level and don't have that many resources. Hence, LPFM or nothing.

For what it's worth, I'm not playing Colt Ford, or Achy-Breaky, or Badonkadonk. But I've been playing country as web-only since July of 2003..so something must be working.

 

[TheBigA]

Folks here are abandoning radio in droves..period. They would like something besides satellite fed dreck and religious networks.

Not exactly. 94% of the public still listens to OTA nationwide. Maybe not exclusively, but for a portion of their day. The point you make is correct, that people want what they want, and don't want to pay for it. Mom & pops can't survive with that, and neither can anyone else. So you get internet-only stations that are run by hobbyists who have full time jobs elsewhere, and do radio on the side for fun. That's not good for the future of the industry, or the future of music. At some point, someone has to pay for this to work.

 

[radioman1969]

My thoughts,

too old and more than anything, Unfamiliar. Most people wouldn't remember, the Pam Tillis, The Little Texas or Sammy Kershaw songs in this list. Keep in mind that the music you have here is for an older demo. Do you want 60 plus? I don't know many people that age buying new houses and making payments for 30 years! Most want the 35 plus or even younger today. Also, Brooks and Dunn,Boot Scootin Boogie came out in 1990, A 44 year old female in 1990 is 67 today. Today is about Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, Jason Aldean and Eric Church.

 

[Whiplash]

BS Radioman! Are you in the radio business? There are many successful classic country stations generating good ratings, and selling their demo.

My stations have been highly researched with the music, and help of the best consultant in country radio.

 

[radioman1969]

BS Radioman! Are you in the radio business? There are many successful classic country stations generating good ratings, and selling their demo.

My stations have been highly researched with the music, and help of the best consultant in country radio.

Yep I;m in the business, 27 year program director, programmed some very successful country stations with Older country and new country and everything in the middle. If you were to put that station on the air today, I will bet you millions it would flop and fall flat on its face and the format would be changed in a year. I just changed one from a legends based to today's based, ratings are already up, revenue is already up. right now the format is about today's artist. You will not find a listener on the younger end that will sit through that old music to hear, Jason, Luke and Carrie. The old people will with through Jason Luke and Carrie to hear Waylon and Willie. Now if your a station like KFKF in Kansas City, that has been doing new country and the legends for 20 plus years, yea it works. If you put that list on a station today. It will not work. Having just seen a local research project, the bottom of the list, BILLY RAY's Breaky heart, the only way this would work is if your in a small town somewhere, and the owners don't care about ratings and call see the swap shop and obits to make their money. Put that in a Market with a heritage country leader and even with a second country, it will flip. I've seen over flop over the past 5 years alone.