70jack90
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Post by 70jack90 on Apr 3, 2023 15:27:42 GMT -5
I know I've said this statement before, but lately when I was following the Mediabase top 50 on CHR Pop, I've noticed that the top 50 position is hovering around less than 200 spins, at around 100 spins, which brings to me to my concern is that Pop radio stations have a severe lack of product of current new songs. I've read an article that many of those stations are being song driven, unlike in Country radio it's artist driven, and many of the newcomers who put out a massive hit, but then they disappeared without a follow up song on the radio, and also big albums that only had two or three hit singles (Like Adele's 30, Harry Styles' Harry's House and Taylor Swift's Midnights) and they don't promote any more other great tracks from those albums as singles. All I know is that I'm getting really tired of this trend of overplaying already big hits to death and with the chart being stagnant as ever, what I also miss is format hits crossing over to pop such as big hits on Hot AC, Alternative, Active Rock or any other formatted stations. To me, Pop radio is in a state of identity crisis with a serious lack of new product filling up the stations, such as future releases having no impact date or any thing. I think that in my opinion, pop radio promotion really needs to step up their game and pretty much move away from TikTok-driven hits (Which I hear it's under big scrutiny from the government) and put out music like what they did in the past. I think that Pop radio needs something new to increase their falling ratings.
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Post by Devil Marlena Nylund on Apr 3, 2023 15:35:10 GMT -5
The pop radio format is on its last breath. That's not to say pop music is dying but pop radio doesn't really have much of a purpose anymore. The format will cease to exist by the end of the decade. Mark my words. In its place will be a Hits Radio format that focuses on the big hits of the last 20 years, with some 80s and 90s throwbacks added in, and the biggest of the current hits - songs already established, rather than up-and-comers. It'll be the new model. It's already in progress.
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Post by IndieAdvocate / Spectrum on Apr 3, 2023 20:46:16 GMT -5
Personally, I stopped getting into pop radio once I got tuned into the alternative stuff a few years ago (which evolved into the AAA stuff). And the one family member who was into it, also became out of touch with pop music. But opinions on the music aside, I do share the same sentiment of how pop radio goes for the safe, played-out option (whether it'd be on popularity, name recognition, or lack of diversity), especially given the last time I remember a song that didn't hit the Hot 100 but had format traction, was TOP's "Saturday". I don't even recall seeing many oddball impacts recently that didn't rely on popularity or song debut culture getting radio traction there. I'm also tired of the same five-ish heavies, alongside the lack of creativity within the format's general curation. I would say more (include stuff about radio conglomerate restructuring, etc.), but I think industry veteran, Sean Ross, summed it up pretty well last year with his take on the matter. Article: IN SEARCH OF βBIG HIT ENERGYβ
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SPRΞΞ
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Post by SPRΞΞ on Apr 3, 2023 21:50:02 GMT -5
The pop radio format is on its last breath. That's not to say pop music is dying but pop radio doesn't really have much of a purpose anymore. The format will cease to exist by the end of the decade. Mark my words. In its place will be a Hits Radio format that focuses on the big hits of the last 20 years, with some 80s and 90s throwbacks added in, and the biggest of the current hits - songs already established, rather than up-and-comers. It'll be the new model. It's already in progress. isn't that already Hot AC?
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Post by Devil Marlena Nylund on Apr 3, 2023 21:51:47 GMT -5
The pop radio format is on its last breath. That's not to say pop music is dying but pop radio doesn't really have much of a purpose anymore. The format will cease to exist by the end of the decade. Mark my words. In its place will be a Hits Radio format that focuses on the big hits of the last 20 years, with some 80s and 90s throwbacks added in, and the biggest of the current hits - songs already established, rather than up-and-comers. It'll be the new model. It's already in progress. isn't that already Hot AC? Pretty much, but Hot AC has been heading there for a bit anyway. They just do it without as much emphasis on hip-hop and related genres.
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wjr15
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Post by wjr15 on Apr 4, 2023 11:59:32 GMT -5
I stopped listening to radio regularly a few years ago. Pop radio seems to have been pretty stagnant this entire decade, replaying the same 5-6 songs to death for months on end. I might turn on the radio in my car once in a blue moon just to hear whatβs being played but itβs the same stuff thatβs been in TTH playlist for months, played in public settings like stores or restaurants, and played at every bar each weekend.
Like Iβm tired of constantly hearing Unholy, Anti Hero, and Iβm Good everywhere, so why would I subject myself to that by turning on the radio? 95% of my listening comes from Spotify and if I want to see whatβs popular, I check out TTH. Thereβs so many great pop songs out there that is ignored by radio (P!nk, Ava Max, Calvin/Ellie)
Plus, I find myself revisiting a lot of music that I enjoyed from years ago, especially 2009-2016. Other than the anomaly of 2020-2021, I find myself enjoying popular music less and less. Granted, there are current artists Iβll always check out like Dua, Doja, Lizzo, Harry, The Weeknd, but even then I can get tired of the overplay of their songs and it eventually becomes white noise to me.
*ends rant*
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SabrinaFan
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Post by SabrinaFan on Apr 4, 2023 15:10:58 GMT -5
I agree with others that they are moving to a more Hot AC model, and that there is too much holding onto of the biggest hits forever without playing new music. There's no reason "Unholy" should still be in the top 10 IMO.
It's crazy to me that the spin count threshhold is so low that a couple songs have literally made top 50 on Sirius XM/syndicated spins alone. Around 110 of the 160 spins for NOTD's "AM:PM," which is currently #45, are from SiriusXM. Mae Stephens' "If We Never Broke Up" also only made top 50 because it's getting tons of syndicated spins every night on a new nightly one-hour syndicated show "The iHeartRadio New Hit List."
As I feel like I've said in another thread, I believe pop radio is moving towards a "comfort" model. They know the majority of people aren't seeking out radio to hear new songs anymore in the age of streaming. I think this is why they're playing so many throwbacks now, and sticking to playing only the biggest of the big hits for the most part. A lot of CHR's marketing strategies seems to have shifted to trying to appeal to the familiarity aspect, where listeners can turn on the radio and immediately hear songs they are familiar with. To this point, I've noticed they also play new music bumpers more frequently for songs that aren't all that new, but listeners might not be familiar with yet (such as The Kid Laroi's "Love Again" and Kane & Katelyn Brown's "Thank God" for my CHR, which have both been charting for months). Almost as if to say "you might not know this song we're about to play, but everything will be okay! For the love of god, don't change the station, we'll keep playing familiar hits after this!" lol.
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JukeboxJacob
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Post by JukeboxJacob on Apr 4, 2023 18:11:07 GMT -5
the only reason people still listen to FM radio is out of convenience on car rides
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SPRΞΞ
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Post by SPRΞΞ on Apr 5, 2023 0:48:02 GMT -5
yea sometimes it's easier to just press the on/off button and choose your already programmed station instead of hooking up your phone, thinking about what to listen to, messing with the cords, etc.
AC and Classic Rock are where it's at anyways.
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Post by Devil Marlena Nylund on Apr 5, 2023 7:13:55 GMT -5
Classic Rock radio is my biggest nightmare. The same 20 songs in rotation since 1982? No thanks π
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bat1990
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Post by bat1990 on Apr 5, 2023 7:52:41 GMT -5
Spotify auto-play does a better job now that it's algorithm is learning my tastes.
I'd love a station where I can hear alt-pop and indie artists interspersed with artists I don't know and the occasional big hit. (e.g., it would play Marina, Janelle, Rina, Lana, but also Taylor & Miley)
I miss WEQX the independent alternative station based in Vermont from when I lived in Albany for this reason. They played more women and more interesting stuff than corporate-owned Alt stations.
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SPRΞΞ
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Post by SPRΞΞ on Apr 5, 2023 8:39:52 GMT -5
Classic Rock radio is my biggest nightmare. The same 20 songs in rotation since 1982? No thanks π no it's not, i've never once thought that in my life. You just don't like classic rock.
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Post by Devil Marlena Nylund on Apr 5, 2023 8:50:32 GMT -5
Classic Rock radio is my biggest nightmare. The same 20 songs in rotation since 1982? No thanks π no it's not, i've never once thought that in my life. You just don't like classic rock. Or maybe it's just the classic rock stations I've heard. 20 was an obvious exaggeration but I always found it funny how people I've known who had favoured classic rock radio stations complained about pop stations overplaying the same songs. They don't lie but pop station playlists change gradually over time. π
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SPRΞΞ
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Post by SPRΞΞ on Apr 5, 2023 8:53:05 GMT -5
no it's not, i've never once thought that in my life. You just don't like classic rock. Or maybe it's just the classic rock stations I've heard. 20 was an obvious exaggeration but I always found it funny how people I've known who had favoured classic rock radio stations complained about pop stations overplaying the same songs. They don't lie but pop station playlists change gradually over time. π so do classic rock stations. In fact, the other day I heard Smells Like Teen Spirit on one. And Blink 182. Are we that old? **granted those were heard on Spotify or Pandora classic rock playlists, not radio. I don't think radio would go that far.....yet.
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Glass Joe
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Post by Glass Joe on Apr 5, 2023 10:44:24 GMT -5
The merging of Pop and Hot AC is actually a pretty good idea. Since around 2018, so many songs are spending 50+ weeks on the charts. In the 90s and 2000s, there was such a wide variety of songs with lots of crossovers from Rock and other genres and songs that spent 25 weeks on the chart was considered a long run. In the current era, any Top 10 song is guaranteed at least 30 weeks on the charts and 25-30 weeks isnβt even considered much of a run now. This new format seems long overdue actually.
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bat1990
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Post by bat1990 on Apr 5, 2023 11:00:21 GMT -5
^Adding to the above, what's the point of an AC chart as well when it doesn't even take 100 spins to break the top 20?
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trustypepper
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Post by trustypepper on Apr 5, 2023 22:40:20 GMT -5
A quick glance at the 2022 YE Hot 100 is all the proof we need to see that big pop radio hits are more rare than ever. At this point Iβd be fine with Tik Tok digging up other deserving old songs like Die for You or Unstoppable and turning them into pop radio hits since the format is so stale.
Also, can we please bring back true HAC radio where they play their own hits. π© It was way more fun when HAC didnβt just play popβs leftovers and actually had a separate identity.
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SPRΞΞ
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Post by SPRΞΞ on Apr 5, 2023 23:14:13 GMT -5
A quick glance at the 2022 YE Hot 100 is all the proof we need to see that big pop radio hits are more rare than ever. At this point Iβd be fine with Tik Tok digging up other deserving old songs like Die for You or Unstoppable and turning them into pop radio hits since the format is so stale. Also, can we please bring back true HAC radio where they play their own hits. π© It was way more fun when HAC didnβt just play popβs leftovers and actually had a separate identity. you mean the place where Pink and Kelly Clarkson can still go Top 10.
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bat1990
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Post by bat1990 on Apr 6, 2023 8:05:49 GMT -5
Here's a timeline of how radio kept splintering in the US, moreso based on when Billboard launched genre radio charts. Radio & Records launched charts at different times but only months or years apart.
1940s- Pop, R&B, Country 1960s- Pop, R&B, Country, AC 1970s- Pop, R&B, Country, AC, Album Rock 1980s- Pop, R&B, Country, AC, Rock, Smooth Jazz 1987 - Pop, R&B, Country, AC, Rock, Smooth Jazz, Rhythmic 1988 - Pop, R&B, Country, AC, Rock, Smooth Jazz, Rhythmic, Alternative 1993 - Pop, R&B, Country, AC, Rock, Smooth Jazz, Rhythmic, Alternative, Adult R&B 1994 - Pop, R&B, Country, AC, Rock, Smooth Jazz, Rhythmic, Alternative, Adult R&B, Adult Top 40, Latin Pop, Latin Tropical, Regional Mexican 1996 - Pop, R&B, Country, AC, Rock, Smooth Jazz, Rhythmic, Alternative, Adult R&B, Adult Top 40, Latin Pop, Latin Tropical, Regional Mexican, AAA 2003 - Pop, R&B, Country, AC, Rock, Smooth Jazz, Rhythmic, Alternative, Adult R&B, Adult Top 40, Latin Pop, Latin Tropical, Regional Mexican, AAA, Dance, Christian 2005 - Pop, R&B, Country, AC, Rock, Smooth Jazz, Rhythmic, Alternative, Adult R&B, Adult Top 40, Latin Pop, Latin Tropical, Regional Mexican, AAA, Dance, Christian, Latin Rhythm, Gospel
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π
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Ύ
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Post by π
³π
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Ύ on Apr 6, 2023 8:38:23 GMT -5
With the radio, the main purposes of it have always been to get the advertising herd, and if the people are entertained by the music played between the ads, thatβs just a consequence of it.
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bat1990
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Post by bat1990 on Apr 6, 2023 10:11:37 GMT -5
With the radio, the main purposes of it have always been to get the advertising herd, and if the people are entertained by the music played between the ads, thatβs just a consequence of it. True - speaking for myself, I often forget the audiences that talk radio and classical stations grab, the former of which can bring in more listeners than FM music stations. (Though I wonder if podcasts are eroding talk radio audience impressions.)
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irice22
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Post by irice22 on Apr 6, 2023 12:40:46 GMT -5
It does seem like pop radio figured out they get the most listeners if they just loop "As It Was" and "Blinding Lights" non-stop and for forever.
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Joe1240
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Post by Joe1240 on Apr 6, 2023 14:17:51 GMT -5
There is a lot of good pop music out there it is just if you want to find it you can listen on Spotify and other streaming services. Radio is just going to put what people are familiar with.
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rnb
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Post by rnb on Apr 6, 2023 14:39:33 GMT -5
i stopped listening to the radio a while ago, mainly use spotify, twitter and this board to discover new music and it has helped a lot, finding new music that I loved that I could never find playing on the radio!
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π
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Ύ
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Post by π
³π
Έππ
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Ύ on Apr 6, 2023 16:28:30 GMT -5
With the radio, the main purposes of it have always been to get the advertising herd, and if the people are entertained by the music played between the ads, thatβs just a consequence of it. True - speaking for myself, I often forget the audiences that talk radio and classical stations grab, the former of which can bring in more listeners than FM music stations. (Though I wonder if podcasts are eroding talk radio audience impressions.) If I do listen to radio, itβs usually one of those news/traffic/weather every x minutes stations.
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leonagwen
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Post by leonagwen on Apr 7, 2023 1:11:38 GMT -5
It does seem like pop radio figured out they get the most listeners if they just loop "As It Was" and "Blinding Lights" non-stop and for forever. My local station is still spinning As It Was 55 times a week almost 1 year after it got released.
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irice22
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Post by irice22 on Apr 7, 2023 1:18:48 GMT -5
Z100 has it 59 times a week.
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bat1990
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Post by bat1990 on Apr 7, 2023 7:16:07 GMT -5
#JusticeForNoScrubs
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Post by IndieAdvocate / Spectrum on Apr 7, 2023 14:16:18 GMT -5
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Post by Devil Marlena Nylund on Apr 7, 2023 14:32:59 GMT -5
So if anyone wants a follow-up article that pertains to this discussion (if people find this insightful in any way)... DID RADIO NOT LISTEN TO THE LISTENERS?
NOTE: This is an article that got released last week for Sean's newsfeed subscribers, and today for everyone. Thereβs no link, but itβs sean rossβ radio blog right?
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