Decline of Alternative Songs on CHR/Pop

[Dvorak]

Has anyone else noticed how few alternative songs are charting on CHR/Pop. None of the current top 15 alternative songs are in the CHR/Pop Top 40. The highest is #16 alternative song "Use Somebody". Alternative songs used to place regularly in the Top 40 beside Rhythmic and Hot AC type songs. Why is this happening?

[gin]

It's jurst the dawrn of a new age. Dearth harpens.

[nighttime]

ik, right? ugh.
dearth to autone

[Matt4319]

Nov 7, 2009 16:56:01 GMT -5 Dvorak said:

Alternative songs used to place regularly in the Top 40 beside Rhythmic and Hot AC type songs.

Yeah, like 10 years ago maybe. This isn't new at all.

[G-Reg]

OMG *deard*

[@Fifteen]

Alternative acts can only crossover if they release a ballad.

[Love Plastic Love]

Yay GRE word!

[Dvorak]

For example, wouldn't a song like Uprising by Muse chart easily a couple of years ago?

[onefrayedrepublic]

But it's Muse -- pop doesn't want to waste the effort pushing a band who mostly makes uncommercial noise. If CHR is going to push a rock band, like say Nickelback, they want more than one hit out of them.

[Cody]

Nov 7, 2009 19:02:21 GMT -5 @Fifteen said:

Alternative Active Rock acts can only crossover if they release a ballad.

Alternative acts need a generic catchy beat to them

[onefrayedrepublic]

Does Fireflies count? Owl City should have been broken in 2007 but alternative missed that boat, so MySpace and CHR had to do the trick instead. The only chart-topping alternative act that really needed to have broken on pop this year that didn't was Anberlin with either Feel Good Drag or Breaking... and pop has been taking some refuse in from alternative like Kings of Leon that they'd be better off sending to a landfill.

Actually yeah, alternative really isn't blowing up a lot of stuff that they should be: Fray (2005-era), Carolina Liar, 3OH!3, etc. and so pop or HAC for CL had to do the trick. All should be staple alternative acts, but no. As alternative goes more into Active Rock, Alternative will go away from CHR. Bands like Lifehouse, Hoobstank, Matchbox 20/Rob Thomas, etc. don't have a prayer at alternative anymore and those are the alternative acts pop will play from time to time

[G-Reg]

"Alternative" is such an ambiguous term when applied to pop radio so it's kinda hard to say...

[jonathan]

I would have expected Creed to get more radio airplay with "Rain". Obviously with a #2 debut on the billboard there is a demand still out there. With Nickelback and Daughtry struggling i guess it shouldn't come as a surprise.

[Minor Scratch]

I think Alternative radio can blame Top 40 for the death of its own format. More pop-based Alt singles that once had success on the Alternative format in the late 90s and early 00s started going straight for CHR adds towards the middle of the decade and bypassing Alternative radio completely. CHR became much more lenient with harder-edged rock tunes and Alternative became much less melodically inclined and less likely to play artists and bands that had big CHR hits. Unlike Rhythmic and Urban acts, it was much more of a 'sellout' deal to a fan if an Alternative rock act had a huge CHR hit. Towards the end of the 00s, #1 Alternative radio singles were mostly big bands with singles that simply weren't suited for Pop radio and would shoot up to the top in a matter of weeks or even days.

The whole Alternative rock scene changed up as well (for the absolute worst), with poppy nu-metal crossing over and diluting whatever was left of the nu-metal scene that conquered the Alt format in the late 90s/early 00s. The thousands of bands that Alternative rock fans now have access to on the Internet probably also hurt Alternative radio and the CHR crossovers that came with it as well.

[Au$tin]

Nov 8, 2009 12:21:05 GMT -5 G-Reg said:

"Alternative" is such an ambiguous term when applied to pop radio so it's kinda hard to say...

Yeah, I've heard people say "Fireflies" is "alternative," but so are songs like "Uprising" and "CrushCrushCrush," which both sound completely different from "Fireflies" or any of Lil Allen's material which is also deemed "alternative," along with The Ting Tings. It's just such a loose term.

[Deleted]

at nobody realising that 'dearth' is a real word and the OP was using it correctly. Only on Pulse.

[Rodze]

Nov 7, 2009 18:14:34 GMT -5 Matt4319 said:

Nov 7, 2009 16:56:01 GMT -5 Dvorak said:

Alternative songs used to place regularly in the Top 40 beside Rhythmic and Hot AC type songs.

Yeah, like 10 years ago maybe. This isn't new at all.

Yeah... I don't think it's a new trend.

This year, All-American Rejects, The Fray, Daughtry, Shinedown, Kings of Leon all went top 10, that I can think of the top of my head. (LOL one every two months)

Two of them being no. 1 hits and one of them sitting atop the Mediabase CHR YTD chart.

[shanz88]

Nov 8, 2009 14:27:47 GMT -5 @backintime said:

at nobody realising that 'dearth' is a real word and the OP was using it correctly. Only on Pulse.

LOL I know, right? People's responses about had me in laughing fits.

[gin]

"Dearth" is a real word? Boy, do I feel silly! NOT.

[Cody]

Nov 8, 2009 14:56:00 GMT -5 Rodze said:

Nov 7, 2009 18:14:34 GMT -5 Matt4319 said:

Yeah, like 10 years ago maybe. This isn't new at all.

Yeah... I don't think it's a new trend.

This year, All-American Rejects, The Fray, Daughtry, Shinedown, Kings of Leon all went top 10, that I can think of the top of my head. (LOL one every two months)

Two of them being no. 1 hits and one of them sitting atop the Mediabase CHR YTD chart.

Yeah and don't forget Owl City is technically an alternative crossover

[Flashing Lights]

Nov 7, 2009 17:27:28 GMT -5 gin said:

It's jurst the dawrn of a new age. Dearth harpens.

*Detects Maturity level*

Low. Yeah, I thought so.

How can you say that the popularity of alternative music is declining after "Use Somebody" just hit #1?

[gin]

Nov 8, 2009 19:58:14 GMT -5 Flashing Lights said:

Nov 7, 2009 17:27:28 GMT -5 gin said:

It's jurst the dawrn of a new age. Dearth harpens.

*Detects Maturity level*

Low. Yeah, I thought so.

How can you say that the popularity of alternative music is declining after "Use Somebody" just hit #1?

I'm sorry I was unable to meet your maturity standards! I'm gonna go slit my wrists now. And if you want to make a toddleresque remark back to me, please make it in the NEW Dearth thread, started by yourself 0.0002 seconds from now. Turd-eater.

[Flashing Lights]

Nov 8, 2009 20:04:14 GMT -5 gin said:

Nov 8, 2009 19:58:14 GMT -5 Flashing Lights said:

*Detects Maturity level*

Low. Yeah, I thought so.

How can you say that the popularity of alternative music is declining after "Use Somebody" just hit #1?

I'm sorry I was unable to meet your maturity standards! I'm gonna go slit my wrists now. And if you want to make a toddleresque remark back to me, please make it in the NEW Dearth thread, started by yourself 0.0002 seconds from now. Turd-eater.

I don't mind it. :)

[atlantaboy]

Nov 8, 2009 13:09:15 GMT -5 Minor Scratch said:

I think Alternative radio can blame Top 40 for the death of its own format. More pop-based Alt singles that once had success on the Alternative format in the late 90s and early 00s started going straight for CHR adds towards the middle of the decade and bypassing Alternative radio completely. CHR became much more lenient with harder-edged rock tunes and Alternative became much less melodically inclined and less likely to play artists and bands that had big CHR hits.

Yeah completely agree...Alternative completely bypassed the AAR/Yellowcard/Simple Plan sound, so bands like Boys Like Girls became pure pop instead of pop/alternative - and unlike the early 2000s, IMO there just isn't enough hard-edged stuff out there to fuel a format anymore

[G-Reg]

Pop music is better nowadays. Alternative is worse. Of course I'm speaking in GENERAL terms. It's the natural cycle of radio. Instead, Alt is playing pop crossovers (Ting Tings, Owl City etc).