What would the HAC chart look like if…

[tomgsinger]

I’ve always wondered how hot AC would sound if it followed the same musical formula as it did 15, 20 or 25 years ago — so I decided to take a stab at what it would look like, based on how separate the format was from CHR back then, and what more traditional-sounding hot ACs (think KTCZ in the Twin Cities, KLTG in Corpus Christi, or the Pulse on SiriusXM) are adding and not playing. Rather than having a pop rock heavy sound, as there really isn’t a ton of that on the chart right now, this chart will have more separation from CHR by not taking rhythmic songs as high on the chart, being more cautious around newer CHR artists (remember, HAC was only sending Pink songs into the teens at first), and having a higher emphasis on songs exclusive to the format or by established pop artists (Taylor, Gaga, etc). I also used the Pop Radio Top 20 website to make sure that the average overlap with the CHR top 5, 10 and 20 were generally aligned with charts from the 2000s. This is what you get for the week of 10/27/24.

1. Myles Smith - Stargazing (2nd week)
2. Hozier - Too Sweet (former #1)
3. Teddy Swims - The Door
4. Post Malone - I Had Some Help (former #1)
5. Taylor Swift - I Can Do it With a Broken Heart
6. Benson Boone - Beautiful Things (former #1)
7. Lady Gaga - Die With a Smile
8. Dasha - Austin
9. Shaboozey - A Bar Song
10. Jelly Roll - I’m Not OK
11. Gwen Stefani - Somebody Else’s
12. Mark Ambor - Belong Together
13. Sarah Reeves - More Than Enough
14. Alex Warren - Carry You Home
15. Coldplay - We Pray
16. Sabrina Carpenter - Espresso
17. Papa Roach - Leave a Light On
18. OneRepublic - Sink or Swim
19. Billie Eilish - Birds of a Feather
20. The Fray - Time Well Wasted
21. Bon Jovi - Living Proof
22. Sabrina Carpenter - Taste
23. MGK - Lonely Road
24. Chapell Roan - Good Luck Babe
25. Nya - Jaded
26. Falling in Reverse - All my Life
27. The Script - At Your Feet
28. Zach Bryan - Pink Skies
29. Jay Putty - On my Way
30. Chayce Beckham - 23
31. Meghan Trainor - Criminals
32. Koe Wetzel - High Road
33. Andy Grammer - Magic
34. Teddy Swims - Bad Dreams
35. Morgan Wallen - Love Someone
36. Sabrina Carpenter - Please Please Please
37. Lenny Kravitz - Honey
38. Gracie Abrams - I Love You, I’m Sorry
39. John K - Lost
40. James Bay - Up All Night

[RoseColoredGirl]

KTCZ is actually one of my local Hot AC stations, and I love how they've stuck to the traditional Hot AC format after all these years. Their playlist of gold tracks particularly stands out to me as being cool. Most of the Hot AC stations in my area's golds are almost indistinguishable from whatever the biggest Pop hits of last 10 years have been, but KTCZ's golds are full of obscure tracks you'd never hear on any Hot AC station anymore. Their golds are a mix of 90s and 2000s pop-rock tracks (i.e. Green Day, Alanis Morrisette, Matchbox 20), obscure Hot AC staples from the past couple decades (Quietdrive's cover of "Time After Time" stands out as one of the most unique golds they play), and just a few of the biggest hits of the past decade that fit in with the traditional Hot AC sound. Although Pop is still the format I listen to the most, I find myself turning on KTCZ far more often than any other Hot AC station for how unique they sound.

[goodcatch]

By traditional Hot AC, I'm guessing you're referring to the pop-alternative or modern AC sound which this format was known for beginning in the mid-late '90s into much of the '00s. In reality, traditional Hot AC is a halfway point between mainstream AC and CHR.

I noticed this thread primarily because something interesting has happened on Mix 96.9 in Phoenix this last summer. It was a Hot AC for many years, but their playlist was getting a bit stale. After a noticeable drop in their ratings, Mix 96.9 altered their format to a pop-alternative sound with a much heavier emphasis on artists like Myles Smith, Hozier, Gwen Stefani, Green Day, and Imagine Dragons. Gone from their playlist is Sabrina Carpenter, Bruno Mars, Taylor Swift, and Selena Gomez, which largely makes up many Hot AC playlists these days.

So stations like Mix 96.9 and Cities 97.1 lean pretty heavily in the modern AC direction, but Cities has more of a pop sound, and Mix is definitely more alternative-sounding than it used to be. I'd even say Mix 96.9 is borderline Triple A.

[beejus]

If you want another good Modern AC station, check out Planet 106.7 in Billings, MT. The do mix in some of the poppier stuff (Sabrina Carpenter, Katy Perry, Chappel Roan), but then you'll get stuff like Foo Fighters- Everlong, and Cage the Elephant- Rainbow. A pretty unique mix in this day and age.

www.planet1067.com

[goodcatch]

Nov 25, 2024 18:42:28 GMT -5 beejus said:

If you want another good Modern AC station, check out Planet 106.7 in Billings, MT. The do mix in some of the poppier stuff (Sabrina Carpenter, Katy Perry, Chappel Roan), but then you'll get stuff like Foo Fighters- Everlong, and Cage the Elephant- Rainbow. A pretty unique mix in this day and age.

www.planet1067.com

It sounds similar to Mix 96.9, only with a bit more Sabrina, Rihanna, and Taylor.  Planet definitely has more variety to offer.

I like the modern AC sound, especially when it was new in the '90s.  It became a bit tiresome by the mid 2000s, and that's about the time when a lot of the modern ACs started going back to a more "traditional" Hot AC playlist. By 2010, most Hot ACs were spinning Katy Perry and Lady Gaga pretty heavily, and the format was getting much more poppy around that time which continues to this day.  

As a side note, Hot AC did a good job of playing a lot of the crossover indie songs in the 2010s by Foster the People, Of Monsters and Men, Lorde, and Walk the Moon.