Far East Movement - Like a G6 (ft. Cataracs & Dev)

[erzo01]

From the Hot AC Taking Off chart

FAR EAST MOVEMENT Like A G6 f/Cataracs & Dev 1 7

Total of 37 spins from 4 stations

[countryfan2002]

It really is hilarious. Every time I see a new thread for a horrid pop song charting on Hot AC, I think that there couldn't possibly be a worse addition to the format.

Then songs like this come along and prove me wrong.

[erzo01]

Top 50 in Hot AC!

60 49 FAR EAST MOVEMENT Like A G6 f/Cataracs... 183 128 55 0.6

[Hook]

This doesn't make much sense for Hot AC. I can't see where it has the crossover appeal of "Airplanes" or "Love The Way You Lie."

[abc]

Oct 20, 2010 9:02:45 GMT -5 erzo01 said:

Top 50 in Hot AC!

60 49 FAR EAST MOVEMENT Like A G6 f/Cataracs... 183 128 55 0.6

wow.

[marv1978]

Oct 20, 2010 10:42:45 GMT -5 Hook said:

This doesn't make much sense for Hot AC. I can't see where it has the crossover appeal of "Airplanes" or "Love The Way You Lie."

Unless it makes it on atleast 35-40 stations i'm not even gonna look past the misplaced chr stations in the hot ac panel and the misplaced ones on the chr panel that need to be hot ac! "Dynamite" by Taio Cruz is a crossover, Emenim to me has still did nothing on hot ac

[musicfanpete]

Oct 20, 2010 9:02:45 GMT -5 erzo01 said:

Top 50 in Hot AC!

60 49 FAR EAST MOVEMENT Like A G6 f/Cataracs... 183 128 55 0.6

This has got to be either some sort of April fools joke, or a Halloween horror movie gone wrong! :o :o

[atlantaboy]

This is actually getting pretty funny lol - if you play Like A G6 and your listeners are lovin it, you're not Hot AC by any definition (in my opinion)

[marv1978]

Oct 20, 2010 20:30:27 GMT -5 atlantaboy said:

This is actually getting pretty funny lol - if you play Like A G6 and your listeners are lovin it, you're not Hot AC by any definition (in my opinion)

EXACTLY

[mrclimbfall20]

Oct 1, 2010 22:35:11 GMT -5 @countryfan2002 said:

It really is hilarious. Every time I see a new thread for a horrid pop song charting on Hot AC, I think that there couldn't possibly be a worse addition to the format.

Then songs like this come along and prove me wrong.

I know exactly what you mean. Ke$ha? Come on now....

[marv1978]

Oct 21, 2010 16:36:03 GMT -5 mrclimbfall20 said:

Oct 1, 2010 22:35:11 GMT -5 @countryfan2002 said:

It really is hilarious. Every time I see a new thread for a horrid pop song charting on Hot AC, I think that there couldn't possibly be a worse addition to the format.

Then songs like this come along and prove me wrong.

I know exactly what you mean. Ke$ha? Come on now....

this is on only 12 stations last time i checked, all of them misclassified chr's too i bet you anything without having to check, same with emenim

[MostInterestingManInTheWorld]

let's see... a dozen Hot AC stations are playing a song many on here don't like. The world must be coming to an end... no wait, that's too drastic... maybe the stations aren't really Hot AC. Oh, that must be it, makes tons of sense, let's purify the chart so we only hear Train, Lifehouse, Bon Jovi and Pink, or those just like them. Yeah, the format will be so much better in that case.

[marv1978]

Oct 22, 2010 0:02:44 GMT -5 MostInterestingManInTheWorld said:

let's see... a dozen Hot AC stations are playing a song many on here don't like. The world must be coming to an end... no wait, that's too drastic... maybe the stations aren't really Hot AC. Oh, that must be it, makes tons of sense, let's purify the chart so we only hear Train, Lifehouse, Bon Jovi and Pink, or those just like them. Yeah, the format will be so much better in that case.

for the demographic that want a radio format they can be comfortable with and play they're favorite artists and alot of the older demo don't want to hear rap/hip hop so they listen to hot ac. that's just the way it is :) and those stations are misclassified chr's

[marv1978]

Today's update:

FAR EAST MOVEMENT Like A G6 f/Cataracs & Dev 54 12

Up +54 on 12 stations out of 110+ stations, Looks like a smash not waiting to happen! ;)

[Adam (UTR)]

About half the leaders for this are putting it solely in nights/overnights, which I guess is OK (a lot of them are Hot AC/CHR hybrids), but stations like KLCA/Reno and WWMX/Baltimore that have it in all dayparts need to be moved to CHR and KVLY/McAllen should put on the CHR extended panel (that one is a mess of a station.)

[musicfanpete]

Oct 22, 2010 0:02:44 GMT -5 MostInterestingManInTheWorld said:

let's see... a dozen Hot AC stations are playing a song many on here don't like. The world must be coming to an end... no wait, that's too drastic... maybe the stations aren't really Hot AC. Oh, that must be it, makes tons of sense, let's purify the chart so we only hear Train, Lifehouse, Bon Jovi and Pink, or those just like them. Yeah, the format will be so much better in that case.

Well again, I've said this many times on here before that I don't mind hearing pop music played on Hot AC stations. I have been one of the most vocal defenders of the likes of Lady Gaga, Beyonce and Black Eyed Peas being played on Hot AC radio, to break up the constant Train, Lifehouse, Bon Jovi and Pink sound that has been drilled into our heads. But my issue is that the pop-crossovers played on this format have to be carefully selected and screened so we don't get songs like "Love The Way You Lie" and "Like a G6" polluting this format.

The last time I checked, Hot AC is a format for adults (or even for teens with more mature musical tastes) that want to hear music that is comfortable to listen to without the obnoxious sounding musical "flavor of the moment" that CHR stations promote towards a younger audience. Now NOBODY in their right mind can persuade me that this "G6" song belongs on this format! Not one person! There has to be some limits as to what gets played here, and if a "Hot AC" reporter plays a song like G6 and their listeners like it, fine. But that is NOT a Hot AC station. It is a misclassifed station that needs to be moved to the proper format. If I come across sounding a bit upset, that is not my intent, and I'm not aiming this at any posters in particular. But both Mediabase and BDS really need to look into some series format reclassification amongst several stations on their panel.

To sum things up, Lady Gaga, BEP, Enrique Iglesias (minus Pitbull) are Hot AC (in addition to CHR). Eminem, Far East Movement, Pitbull, and probably even B.O.B. are not. If adults like the latter group, fine. But that means they are CHR fans, not Hot AC fans who are looking for an outlet to get away from this type of music. I personally don't think I could make this any simpler.

[Hot AC Archiver]

Oct 22, 2010 0:02:44 GMT -5 MostInterestingManInTheWorld said:

let's see... a dozen Hot AC stations are playing a song many on here don't like. The world must be coming to an end... no wait, that's too drastic... maybe the stations aren't really Hot AC. Oh, that must be it, makes tons of sense, let's purify the chart so we only hear Train, Lifehouse, Bon Jovi and Pink, or those just like them. Yeah, the format will be so much better in that case.

Hot AC evolved in part from CHR stations that didn't play rap/hip hop/etc. That's why I came to HAC is to get away, so please forgive us who want to keep a format that they enjoy

[Devin]

I thought "Love the Way You Lie" was kind of HAC appropiate (aside from Eminem's aggressive rapping). And I also think out of most rappers, B.o.B. is probably the most appropiate for HAC. His songs ("Nothin' On You", "Airplanes", "Don't Let Me Fall") sound just at home on HAC as they do on CHR.

[marv1978]

Oct 22, 2010 17:58:25 GMT -5 musicfanpete said:

Oct 22, 2010 0:02:44 GMT -5 MostInterestingManInTheWorld said:

let's see... a dozen Hot AC stations are playing a song many on here don't like. The world must be coming to an end... no wait, that's too drastic... maybe the stations aren't really Hot AC. Oh, that must be it, makes tons of sense, let's purify the chart so we only hear Train, Lifehouse, Bon Jovi and Pink, or those just like them. Yeah, the format will be so much better in that case.

Well again, I've said this many times on here before that I don't mind hearing pop music played on Hot AC stations. I have been one of the most vocal defenders of the likes of Lady Gaga, Beyonce and Black Eyed Peas being played on Hot AC radio, to break up the constant Train, Lifehouse, Bon Jovi and Pink sound that has been drilled into our heads. But my issue is that the pop-crossovers played on this format have to be carefully selected and screened so we don't get songs like "Love The Way You Lie" and "Like a G6" polluting this format.

The last time I checked, Hot AC is a format for adults (or even for teens with more mature musical tastes) that want to hear music that is comfortable to listen to without the obnoxious sounding musical "flavor of the moment" that CHR stations promote towards a younger audience. Now NOBODY in their right mind can persuade me that this "G6" song belongs on this format! Not one person! There has to be some limits as to what gets played here, and if a "Hot AC" reporter plays a song like G6 and their listeners like it, fine. But that is NOT a Hot AC station. It is a misclassifed station that needs to be moved to the proper format. If I come across sounding a bit upset, that is not my intent, and I'm not aiming this at any posters in particular. But both Mediabase and BDS really need to look into some series format reclassification amongst several stations on their panel.

To sum things up, Lady Gaga, BEP, Enrique Iglesias (minus Pitbull) are Hot AC (in addition to CHR). Eminem, Far East Movement, Pitbull, and probably even B.O.B. are not. If adults like the latter group, fine. But that means they are CHR fans, not Hot AC fans who are looking for an outlet to get away from this type of music. I personally don't think I could make this any simpler.

you just nailed it on the head, perfect example of what hot ac radio is

[atlantaboy]

Oct 22, 2010 0:02:44 GMT -5 MostInterestingManInTheWorld said:

let's see... a dozen Hot AC stations are playing a song many on here don't like. The world must be coming to an end... no wait, that's too drastic... maybe the stations aren't really Hot AC. Oh, that must be it, makes tons of sense, let's purify the chart so we only hear Train, Lifehouse, Bon Jovi and Pink, or those just like them. Yeah, the format will be so much better in that case.

It's not just that we don't like it - it's that there's absolutely no way IMO that it appeals to the Hot AC demographic - like Adam said, most stations playing it are either HAC/CHR hybrids playing it only at night, or stations that used to be HAC that have evolved back into CHR, and are playing songs like this to appeal to a younger demo

If the entire Hot AC panel were to follow your line of thinking, and play every single rap/hip-hop hit in the CHR Top 20, I don't see what the point would be of having a Hot AC chart, or even a Hot AC format altogether

[MostInterestingManInTheWorld]

I would just like to remind everyone that Eminem is 37 years old. Think about that for a second. He's been around long enough that many high school kids who enjoyed "My Name Is..." are holding down full-time jobs, are married, and have kids. Some of them might even be part of the Hot AC demographic.

I think that one of the primary differences between CHR and HAC is that, as mentioned earlier, CHR is more-or-less spur of the moment, whereas HAC has core artists that generally appeal to upper and middle-class women aged 25-54 (or something like that). But remember that this group is itself changing over time, it is not stagnet. I venture to say that you can take a pop chart from almost any year, find the most objectionable artist, and find that ten years later they're well-entrenched on Hot AC, if not AC. Many of you might recall that Pink's first several pop hits failed to do anything on HAC. Actually, I wonder how many HAC stations are playing "There You Go" and "Most Girls" as recurrents?

As to "Like A G6" itself, some thoughts:

1) This song isn't nearly as awful as you guys make it out to be. No, it's not a pop masterpiece by any stretch, but I certainly think it's more HAC-appropriate than Iyaz's "Replay". It probably is at about the same level as "I Know You Want Me" (for which I thought had a place, if limited, in this format).

2) Is this the first top 40 pop hit to come from an act that is exclusively Asian-American? I'm probably forgetting somebody obvious, but I can't name too many Asian-American solo acts either.

3) Would you find the song more tolerable without the featured artists? If the wanna-be rappers are excluded, I could see this as being a sorta fun tune.... and I'm wondering if some programming directors are thinking the same thing.

[marv1978]

Oct 22, 2010 20:59:50 GMT -5 atlantaboy said:

Oct 22, 2010 0:02:44 GMT -5 MostInterestingManInTheWorld said:

let's see... a dozen Hot AC stations are playing a song many on here don't like. The world must be coming to an end... no wait, that's too drastic... maybe the stations aren't really Hot AC. Oh, that must be it, makes tons of sense, let's purify the chart so we only hear Train, Lifehouse, Bon Jovi and Pink, or those just like them. Yeah, the format will be so much better in that case.

It's not just that we don't like it - it's that there's absolutely no way IMO that it appeals to the Hot AC demographic - like Adam said, most stations playing it are either HAC/CHR hybrids playing it only at night, or stations that used to be HAC that have evolved back into CHR, and are playing songs like this to appeal to a younger demo

If the entire Hot AC panel were to follow your line of thinking, and play every single rap/hip-hop hit in the CHR Top 20, I don't see what the point would be of having a Hot AC chart, or even a Hot AC format altogether

very good points! and very important ultimately like you said of the reason hot ac was designed and programmed for!

[atlantaboy]

Oct 22, 2010 22:48:18 GMT -5 MostInterestingManInTheWorld said:

I would just like to remind everyone that Eminem is 37 years old. Think about that for a second. He's been around long enough that many high school kids who enjoyed "My Name Is..." are holding down full-time jobs, are married, and have kids. Some of them might even be part of the Hot AC demographic.

L. L. Kool J., Coolio, Will Smith, M. C. Hammer, etc. are all pretty old too (some are older than Eminem), but their songs aren't played as recurrents on Hot AC just b/c of their age - and I don't know too many HACs that play old Eminem songs as recurrents either - it's like saying that Hot AC should be playing old New Kids On The Block hits cause their listeners loved them when they were teenagers - people's musical taste changes with time

Some adults def. still like hip-hop and rap, but that's why there's CHR - If Hot AC and CHR play the same songs (because there's now no difference in what appeals to teens vs. what appeals to adults), I don't see the point in classifying any stations as Hot AC

Pink, BTW, started out as R&B in her first CD and then decided to switch to pop/rock somewhere through her second - I don't think many HACs replay Most Girls and There You Go b/c they're basically R&B songs

[MostInterestingManInTheWorld]

Oct 23, 2010 8:39:33 GMT -5 atlantaboy said:

Oct 22, 2010 22:48:18 GMT -5 MostInterestingManInTheWorld said:

I would just like to remind everyone that Eminem is 37 years old. Think about that for a second. He's been around long enough that many high school kids who enjoyed "My Name Is..." are holding down full-time jobs, are married, and have kids. Some of them might even be part of the Hot AC demographic.

L. L. Kool J., Coolio, Will Smith, M. C. Hammer, etc. are all pretty old too (some are older than Eminem), but their songs aren't played as recurrents on Hot AC just b/c of their age - and I don't know too many HACs that play old Eminem songs as recurrents either - it's like saying that Hot AC should be playing old New Kids On The Block hits cause their listeners loved them when they were teenagers - people's musical taste changes with time

Some adults def. still like hip-hop and rap, but that's why there's CHR - If Hot AC and CHR play the same songs (because there's now no difference in what appeals to teens vs. what appeals to adults), I don't see the point in classifying any stations as Hot AC

Pink, BTW, started out as R&B in her first CD and then decided to switch to pop/rock somewhere through her second - I don't think many HACs replay Most Girls and There You Go b/c they're basically R&B songs

But new material from Coolio, Hammer and the like aren't really being played anywhere. By the way, 1990's "U Can't Touch This", as well as several of the NKOTB hits, along with "Going Back To Cali" do get some airplay as "Remember Whens", although that really wasn't my point.

[atlantaboy]

^IMO that's the difference though - adults like to hear rap/hip-hop/teen pop songs they grew up with on flashback shows for nostalgia purposes, but it's not part of their regular music taste anymore (i. e. that's why MC Hammer, NKOTB, LL Kool J, Will Smith, etc. aren't played during regular programming)

[musicfanpete]

Oct 22, 2010 22:48:18 GMT -5 MostInterestingManInTheWorld said:

I would just like to remind everyone that Eminem is 37 years old. Think about that for a second. He's been around long enough that many high school kids who enjoyed "My Name Is..." are holding down full-time jobs, are married, and have kids. Some of them might even be part of the Hot AC demographic.

I think that one of the primary differences between CHR and HAC is that, as mentioned earlier, CHR is more-or-less spur of the moment, whereas HAC has core artists that generally appeal to upper and middle-class women aged 25-54 (or something like that). But remember that this group is itself changing over time, it is not stagnet. I venture to say that you can take a pop chart from almost any year, find the most objectionable artist, and find that ten years later they're well-entrenched on Hot AC, if not AC. Many of you might recall that Pink's first several pop hits failed to do anything on HAC. Actually, I wonder how many HAC stations are playing "There You Go" and "Most Girls" as recurrents?

As to "Like A G6" itself, some thoughts:

1) This song isn't nearly as awful as you guys make it out to be. No, it's not a pop masterpiece by any stretch, but I certainly think it's more HAC-appropriate than Iyaz's "Replay". It probably is at about the same level as "I Know You Want Me" (for which I thought had a place, if limited, in this format).

2) Is this the first top 40 pop hit to come from an act that is exclusively Asian-American? I'm probably forgetting somebody obvious, but I can't name too many Asian-American solo acts either.

3) Would you find the song more tolerable without the featured artists? If the wanna-be rappers are excluded, I could see this as being a sorta fun tune.... and I'm wondering if some programming directors are thinking the same thing.

I don't get why you are so hung up with someone's age being the predominent factor as to who gets played on Hot AC radio. Yes, Eminem is 37 years old, but so what? His music still appeals primarily to CHR listeners. And most core listeners of the Hot AC format outgrew Eminem many years ago. That's why the Hot AC format exists in the first place.

Also, agreed that Hot AC listeners' tastes are constantly changing. That's why Hot AC has come to embrace Lady Gaga, Enrique Iglesias and Taio Cruz to name a few. Those artists along with their dance pop sound do appeal to adult listeners. But start playing too much (even just a little) rap and hard core hip-hop, and as has been said, why even bother having a Hot AC format to begin with, considering CHR already covers this type of music?

And regarding G6 and other similar songs featuring rappers. Yes, I do agree many of these songs do sound more tolerable without the rap bridge, though the G6 song still sounds terrible even without it. My pet peeve with some Hot AC stations is that they play versions of otherwise very Hot AC appealing songs with the rap in them. My Chicago station is playing the Snoop Dogg version of "California Gurls", the Pitbull version of "I Like It", and the rap version of "DJ Got Us Falling In Love". There are edits of each of these songs without the rap. So why do they play the rap versions of these songs, when there are "Hot AC" edits already out there? It's just simple little tweaks like this that can make a big difference between sustaining their core audience or losing it to a younger demographic.

So these are just a few things that the Hot AC format needs to be careful with. If "so many" 25 to 54 year old women love "Love The Way You Lie", then why is it being played on only 19 out of 100 Hot AC stations? That doesn't sound like many adults like this song, and most who do are already listening to CHR stations or misclassified Hot AC stations on the panel. Just my few cents.

[marv1978]

Oct 23, 2010 16:17:40 GMT -5 musicfanpete said:

Oct 22, 2010 22:48:18 GMT -5 MostInterestingManInTheWorld said:

I would just like to remind everyone that Eminem is 37 years old. Think about that for a second. He's been around long enough that many high school kids who enjoyed "My Name Is..." are holding down full-time jobs, are married, and have kids. Some of them might even be part of the Hot AC demographic.

I think that one of the primary differences between CHR and HAC is that, as mentioned earlier, CHR is more-or-less spur of the moment, whereas HAC has core artists that generally appeal to upper and middle-class women aged 25-54 (or something like that). But remember that this group is itself changing over time, it is not stagnet. I venture to say that you can take a pop chart from almost any year, find the most objectionable artist, and find that ten years later they're well-entrenched on Hot AC, if not AC. Many of you might recall that Pink's first several pop hits failed to do anything on HAC. Actually, I wonder how many HAC stations are playing "There You Go" and "Most Girls" as recurrents?

As to "Like A G6" itself, some thoughts:

1) This song isn't nearly as awful as you guys make it out to be. No, it's not a pop masterpiece by any stretch, but I certainly think it's more HAC-appropriate than Iyaz's "Replay". It probably is at about the same level as "I Know You Want Me" (for which I thought had a place, if limited, in this format).

2) Is this the first top 40 pop hit to come from an act that is exclusively Asian-American? I'm probably forgetting somebody obvious, but I can't name too many Asian-American solo acts either.

3) Would you find the song more tolerable without the featured artists? If the wanna-be rappers are excluded, I could see this as being a sorta fun tune.... and I'm wondering if some programming directors are thinking the same thing.

I don't get why you are so hung up with someone's age being the predominent factor as to who gets played on Hot AC radio. Yes, Eminem is 37 years old, but so what? His music still appeals primarily to CHR listeners. And most core listeners of the Hot AC format outgrew Eminem many years ago. That's why the Hot AC format exists in the first place.

Also, agreed that Hot AC listeners' tastes are constantly changing. That's why Hot AC has come to embrace Lady Gaga, Enrique Iglesias and Taio Cruz to name a few. Those artists along with their dance pop sound do appeal to adult listeners. But start playing too much (even just a little) rap and hard core hip-hop, and as has been said, why even bother having a Hot AC format to begin with, considering CHR already covers this type of music?

And regarding G6 and other similar songs featuring rappers. Yes, I do agree many of these songs do sound more tolerable without the rap bridge, though the G6 song still sounds terrible even without it. My pet peeve with some Hot AC stations is that they play versions of otherwise very Hot AC appealing songs with the rap in them. My Chicago station is playing the Snoop Dogg version of "California Gurls", the Pitbull version of "I Like It", and the rap version of "DJ Got Us Falling In Love". There are edits of each of these songs without the rap. So why do they play the rap versions of these songs, when there are "Hot AC" edits already out there? It's just simple little tweaks like this that can make a big difference between sustaining their core audience or losing it to a younger demographic.

So these are just a few things that the Hot AC format needs to be careful with. If "so many" 25 to 54 year old women love "Love The Way You Lie", then why is it being played on only 19 out of 100 Hot AC stations? That doesn't sound like many adults like this song, and most who do are already listening to CHR stations or misclassified Hot AC stations on the panel. Just my few cents.

agree with every word! :)

[KelownaGuy20]

Oct 23, 2010 16:17:40 GMT -5 musicfanpete said:

If "so many" 25 to 54 year old women love "Love The Way You Lie", then why is it being played on only 19 out of 100 Hot AC stations? That doesn't sound like many adults like this song, and most who do are already listening to CHR stations or misclassified Hot AC stations on the panel. Just my few cents.

If a song like "Love The Way You Lie" or "Like A G6" fits somewhere into the rotation of a handful of HotACs, it doesn't automatically make the station a CHR. It just makes the station different than the HotAC stations that you're use to!

There are different demo breakdowns across the country, and the audience of a HotAC station in New York could be a lot different than a HotAC station in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Yes, it may not be the HotAC that you're used to, but it's the HotAC that a station's research says it is. Just let it be. It'll never be the majority.

[atlantaboy]

Oct 23, 2010 18:25:56 GMT -5 KelownaGuy20 said:

Oct 23, 2010 16:17:40 GMT -5 musicfanpete said:

If "so many" 25 to 54 year old women love "Love The Way You Lie", then why is it being played on only 19 out of 100 Hot AC stations? That doesn't sound like many adults like this song, and most who do are already listening to CHR stations or misclassified Hot AC stations on the panel. Just my few cents.

If a song like "Love The Way You Lie" or "Like A G6" fits somewhere into the rotation of a handful of HotACs, it doesn't automatically make the station a CHR. It just makes the station different than the HotAC stations that you're use to!

There are different demo breakdowns across the country, and the audience of a HotAC station in New York could be a lot different than a HotAC station in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Yes, it may not be the HotAC that you're used to, but it's the HotAC that a station's research says it is. Just let it be. It'll never be the majority.

Yeah this whole time I've been thinking about the Hot AC Canada thing, and I figured you would post something like this sooner or later

I have no clue why Hot AC's in Canada are basically CHRs with lower spin rotations, but I think you mentioned that most of them are in markets without CHRs, so they basically cover the entire 18-54 demographic - from what Adam posted, some of the U. S. Hot ACs playing Like A G6 are CHR/HAC hybrids that daypart the song to nights (when teens are their primary audience), but another handful are stations like WWMX, KLCA, and WKRQ that are labelled as Hot AC, but spin their powers 80 times a week and play the entire CHR Top 20 - it's those stations IMO that are CHR, no matter how you look at it - the only reason they're on the Hot AC panel is that they used to be Hot AC and just haven't been reclassified

[Hot AC Archiver]

Oct 23, 2010 16:17:40 GMT -5 musicfanpete said:

Oct 22, 2010 22:48:18 GMT -5 MostInterestingManInTheWorld said:

I would just like to remind everyone that Eminem is 37 years old. Think about that for a second. He's been around long enough that many high school kids who enjoyed "My Name Is..." are holding down full-time jobs, are married, and have kids. Some of them might even be part of the Hot AC demographic.

I think that one of the primary differences between CHR and HAC is that, as mentioned earlier, CHR is more-or-less spur of the moment, whereas HAC has core artists that generally appeal to upper and middle-class women aged 25-54 (or something like that). But remember that this group is itself changing over time, it is not stagnet. I venture to say that you can take a pop chart from almost any year, find the most objectionable artist, and find that ten years later they're well-entrenched on Hot AC, if not AC. Many of you might recall that Pink's first several pop hits failed to do anything on HAC. Actually, I wonder how many HAC stations are playing "There You Go" and "Most Girls" as recurrents?

As to "Like A G6" itself, some thoughts:

1) This song isn't nearly as awful as you guys make it out to be. No, it's not a pop masterpiece by any stretch, but I certainly think it's more HAC-appropriate than Iyaz's "Replay". It probably is at about the same level as "I Know You Want Me" (for which I thought had a place, if limited, in this format).

2) Is this the first top 40 pop hit to come from an act that is exclusively Asian-American? I'm probably forgetting somebody obvious, but I can't name too many Asian-American solo acts either.

3) Would you find the song more tolerable without the featured artists? If the wanna-be rappers are excluded, I could see this as being a sorta fun tune.... and I'm wondering if some programming directors are thinking the same thing.

I don't get why you are so hung up with someone's age being the predominent factor as to who gets played on Hot AC radio. Yes, Eminem is 37 years old, but so what? His music still appeals primarily to CHR listeners. And most core listeners of the Hot AC format outgrew Eminem many years ago. That's why the Hot AC format exists in the first place.

Also, agreed that Hot AC listeners' tastes are constantly changing. That's why Hot AC has come to embrace Lady Gaga, Enrique Iglesias and Taio Cruz to name a few. Those artists along with their dance pop sound do appeal to adult listeners. But start playing too much (even just a little) rap and hard core hip-hop, and as has been said, why even bother having a Hot AC format to begin with, considering CHR already covers this type of music?

And regarding G6 and other similar songs featuring rappers. Yes, I do agree many of these songs do sound more tolerable without the rap bridge, though the G6 song still sounds terrible even without it. My pet peeve with some Hot AC stations is that they play versions of otherwise very Hot AC appealing songs with the rap in them. My Chicago station is playing the Snoop Dogg version of "California Gurls", the Pitbull version of "I Like It", and the rap version of "DJ Got Us Falling In Love". There are edits of each of these songs without the rap. So why do they play the rap versions of these songs, when there are "Hot AC" edits already out there? It's just simple little tweaks like this that can make a big difference between sustaining their core audience or losing it to a younger demographic.

So these are just a few things that the Hot AC format needs to be careful with. If "so many" 25 to 54 year old women love "Love The Way You Lie", then why is it being played on only 19 out of 100 Hot AC stations? That doesn't sound like many adults like this song, and most who do are already listening to CHR stations or misclassified Hot AC stations on the panel. Just my few cents.

Thanks for this. I feel the same way. I know I had a bit of an attitude with my last post here; I apologize for it.