. In 2004, when most Oldies stations made their move away from pre-Beatles, I talked to my wife about this and while I had great appreciation for the older songs, from hearing them as Oldies, when I was a kid, my wife really couldn't relate to them, even though we are the same age. I suspect that her situation is far more common than mine. We are both nearly 64 now so you can probably figure the upper limit for music at 1973.
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The point this definitely over 70 oldster sees David making (and unfortunately I think correctly) is that radio today is programmed by most owners to attract advertisers, not please their own tastes. Given the debt load of the conglomerators they have no choice. When Earle C Anthony founded KFI it was an audio service from his auto dealership intended for his primarily farmer Packard owners. Even after it grew to a 50,000 watt clear channel station it was "his" station with fruit frost warnings pre-empting NBC network programming during the fall cold snaps. He refused to let his sales department use Hooper or any other ratings service - and pre WW2 all commercials were aired "live" by stsff announcers. it was a privilege to be a KFI advertiser because it was "his" station programmed as he wanted it. That's why the Boy Scout Jamboree, Salvation Army's Heartbeat Theater and the Young America Speaks/Sings programs were carried commercial free on Sunday evenings. He and KHJ owner Don Lee at the end of prohibition mandated that hard liquor would bot be sold on their stations - effectively preventing both NBC and CBS from carrying network ads for distillers (the Don Lee network was linkedto CBS at the time before Paley bought KNX). Some station owners in the late twenties unsuccessfully tried to make it mandatory that certain evening hours be commercial free!
KFAC played classical music on AM in the fifties and sixties regardless of ratings because the station's owner wanted it that way. The Beaton's with KIEV featured WW@ veterans George Putnam and Dick Sinclair long after their careers on larger stations and television were over. Radio stations sixty years ago were still in large part extensions of their owner's personalities and preferences -- but those days are gone. So are the programming styles and the audiences they attracted. FM and a myriad of other entertainment options (television, FM sound quality, CDs and most recently social media) have replaced AM radio just as movie talkies displaced vaudeville.
Have we lost something in the transition? As one who still attends organ accompaniment to silent movies in San Gabriel's Mission Playhouse I have to say yes. But time has marched on and David, although we may not personally like it, is correct. Radio today is about catering to audience preferences, not owner preferences, because of the imperative of generating revenue., Saul Levin is in the unique position of being able to be an exception, but the conglomerators aren't.
KFAC played classical music on AM in the fifties and sixties regardless of ratings because the station's owner wanted it that way. The Beaton's with KIEV featured WW@ veterans George Putnam and Dick Sinclair long after their careers on larger stations and television were over. Radio stations sixty years ago were still in large part extensions of their owner's personalities and preferences -- but those days are gone. So are the programming styles and the audiences they attracted. FM and a myriad of other entertainment options (television, FM sound quality, CDs and most recently social media) have replaced AM radio just as movie talkies displaced vaudeville.
Have we lost something in the transition? As one who still attends organ accompaniment to silent movies in San Gabriel's Mission Playhouse I have to say yes. But time has marched on and David, although we may not personally like it, is correct. Radio today is about catering to audience preferences, not owner preferences, because of the imperative of generating revenue., Saul Levin is in the unique position of being able to be an exception, but the conglomerators aren't.
I understand fully what you are describing in regards to the earlier generation of radio owners. Some, also, were radio manufacturers or insurance companies and such and theyand saw their mission to be public relations and company image enhancement, not the sale of advertising.
By the time I had the ability to decide on programming, 100% of the motivation was to get a large audience that ad agencies and advertisers wanted to speak to. Markets had grown from a few stations to "too many". In my case, there were 31 stations licensed to the market, all full coverage and all full-time, so there was no way to be magnanimous or altruistic. Those of us who programmed and owned in the 60's, for the most part, were landsharks.
The bands have become more crowded since then. FM came into its owned and effectively doubled or tripled the number of viable stations in every market. So we fight for audience knowing that listeners have so many choices...
And it's just going to keep creeping upward until all of them are dead. It's amazing how some just assume that as we age, we'll eventually like sleepy instrumental versions of popular songs from our youth and "safe" versions of current pop hits, as our parents did. It's not happening, and won't. Some of us hang on to our 40-to-60-year music, others have found current music they like, still others have become fans of other genres.
Beautiful Music stations used to play soft orchestral versions of "Yesterday," "Ruby Tuesday," even '70s hits like "Daniel" and "If You Could Read My Mind." But they were mixed in with standards of the '40s and pre-rock '50s, because the audience consisted primarily of people who grew up in the Big Band/crooner era who hated rock 'n' roll and were repulsed when their favorite pop music stations started playing Bill Haley, Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry and Little Richard. They had no use for doo-wop or songs of puppy love or hot rodding. So the BM format gave them the songs they fondly remembered in a style (orchestral) they were comfortable with, as well as similar versions of songs that represented the softer side of artists they thought they hated. (My dad always grudgingly gave Lennon/McCartney credit for coming up with a nice melody occasionally, but he hated the Beatles "sound," vocally and instrumentally.) Most of these people are dead.
Pop music really hasn't had much of a softer side for nearly 20 years now, as tastes have changed and people prefer a relentlessly uptempo, rhythmic background to their relentlessly uptempo lives, so that leaves anyone trying Beautiful Music to lean largely on older material from the rock era. People who liked that music growing up are as likely to "age into" Beautiful Music as today's Ed Sheeran/Lady Gaga fan is to "age into" classic rock. It ain't happening and ain't gonna happen.
In San Francisco, I can think of 2 FM station owners of lore. Pat Henry, the founder and (I think) sole owner of K-Jazz (KJAZ). He kept the station going from the mid 50s to the early 90s (IIRC) with a pure jazz format. Even though it was a commercial station, he thought advertisers were only a necessary evil - so ultimately, the station couldn't support itself.
James Gabbert - an FM and stereo broadcasting pioneer turned little KPEN on the Peninsula into FM powerhouse K-101 (KIOI). I think he had one partner. It was a big success, and he sold it in the early 80s to go into TV...KOFY-TV was the first stereo TV station in the Bay Area. But I do recall that K-101's playlist was kind of odd - "chicken rock" - but some odd choices. I always had the feeling that the playlist was heavily influenced by songs he was fond of.
When I first read this post I must admit I felt a bit "out of it" as I didn't recognize some of these new artists you mentioned. I don't listen to very much new stuff, not because I am chained to the past, quite the contrary, I enjoy finding a new artist or new music to like, but mostly because I find the new stuff just isn't that good, particularly the pop music. It is nearly universally rhythmic with very similar beats and some of the lyrics, let's just say, leave a lot to be desired. There is very little variety of style and certainly the talent level is far below the artists of the last century. My opinion only, YMMV.
That said, since you mentioned them, I made a mental note to look into their music when I had the time to see if there was anything there. Well, before I ever got the chance, I ran into this story today that discusses Wiz Khalifa going to Colombia and paying his respects to one of the most murderous thugs of all time, Pablo Escobar by putting flowers on his grave and posing for pics smoking a joint nearby. (http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/27/world/wiz-khalifa-pablo-escobars-grave-trnd/index.html). Oh so very hip; Oh so very edgy, Ooh how cool!!.
I don't generally have much use for CNN, but I can thank them this time for saving me the time I was otherwise planning to spend with this guy's music. If this is "moving on", then thank you very much I will be glad to stay in the past. I have no problem sharing the absolute talent, classiness, and yes, timelessness of the Platters and their music to my kids and the new generation. The kids cannot present Wiz Khalifa and what he stands for to me. The amazing thing is, I have found when you expose the new generation to this timeless music, they enjoy it very much. I am not saying they become oldies fans and leave their music behind (of course not), but even kids not raised on this music usually take to it readily and inherently understand and appreciate it for what it is.
. I stopped in at a local McDonalds today and all the music was between 50 and 60 years old. I mentioned it to the clerk and he thought it was all from the 80s!
I've had that conversation too. No frame of reference. The 80s or the 60s are the same when there's no frame of reference.
I don't vote for artists' politics, as otherwise I would never listen to Barbra Streisand again, see another Brad Pitt movie, look at another Andy Warhol painting.
One of the best renditions of a pop song in the last decade is Khalifa along with Charlie Puth and the amazing Lindsey Sterling doing the song from the last Fast and Furious movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6HnoX48JX4
That said, I just arrived home from a "Tribute to Glenn Miller" show with the Four Aces and the Four Lads; that was mostly music from before my time and of a genre I generally dislike. It turns out to have been one of the better shows I've seen in the last 6 months. But also among my three favorites are the Pitbull concert and last week's Alan Jackson show. Musical diversity is fun.
I guess that mostly what the two decades have in common is he wouldn't be able to remember either of them.
I strongly agree with that sentiment and practice it myself with a lot of artists whose work I enjoy but not their politics. My point is that in this case, this is beyond politics, this is just simply vulgarity and classlessness for its own sake. The number of lives Pablo Escobar took, the people who were tortured by his thugs, and the ruin he brought to an entire country and culture is nothing short of evil and barbaric. That this Mr. Khalifa would pay tribute to him is simply beyond the pale.
I did take a look at the video you posted. I am so out of it I guess, but, this is the number one Billboard song of the year? Wow. My take on the video is summed up by one of the commenters below the vid: "charlie puth can perform this song without wiz khalifa's part but wiz won't be able to (reciprocate)". The violin player is fantastic.
Lastly, I agree with you that musical diversity is fun. I grew up with what is now known as classic rock, but I love classical, jazz (especially big bands), standards, oldies, country, blues, some R&B, good (and sometimes even bad) pop music and even novelty songs (Long live the good Dr. D!) as well. I would have loved the tribute to Glenn Miller show you went to. Sounds awesome.
Khalifa has been criticized from all sides here. He got what he deserved. Like pro athletes, artists are hired to perform. There is no culture, education or intelligence test required. Khalifa was seeking street cred, and he got into a street fight instead.
I think the combination of a ballad with hip hop is actually the secret to the song. The "Furious" movies include acting performances by hip hop and reggaetón artists, so that fits the image of the movies (I already reserved tix for the April premier night of the new release in the Furious franchise). Lindsey is just amazing always... there are many great videos of her on youtube, too. Most folks don't realize what a skill there is in playing the violin very well while dancing!
It's nice to live in a smaller market where there are 4 accessable Indian Gaming casino showrooms with great talent as well as a community theatre / showplace. This Friday I had to choose between Art Garfunkel and Dwight Yoakum... and the streets of Bakersfied won!
Exactly Channel Flipper, you could not have explained your thoughts better here. I totally agree and with your whole post. "Black and Yellow" over "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes"? I will have to really think an eternity and a half on that one.
Bingo.
There's a wonderful old-school restaurant here in Sacramento, dates back to the 1940s. There's a Yelp review for it from a woman in her 20s. First thing she does is bust the decor ("It's like from the ---EIGHTIES or something!").
Without that point of reference, old is just---old.
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I wonder what she would think of a log cabin.
A few years back one of the local high schools hosted a dance which was supposed to be a sampling of music from each decade 1930's onward. The two genre's getting the biggest participation, by far, were Disco and ...... Swing.
Probably that it was from the 50s...."...because during the Chuck Berry obit a week and a half ago, they played this song called "Johnny B. Goode"....a dude who lived in an old cabin made of dirt and wood."
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It's a matter of taste. Two thirds of Americans are NOT Boomers, and likely would reject "Smoke" before rejecting "Black and Yellow".
Of course, in the last 5 decades, music tastes have been so fragmented that, in general, far less than half of music consumers even listen to Top 40 or CHR stations.
Rap music is a genre that many people dislike (including myself), compared to regular pop music, rock or even country. Rap / hip hop appeals more to a certain crowd and those are the ones that enjoy that kind of music more than others. It's true that the vast majority are not boomers, as you mentioned, but if you're talking about the entire population as a whole, most would take simple rock and roll type pop the Platters provide, vs. recent rap type music that a few would enjoy as a whole.
I believe more would reject Wiz Khalifa and others in that genre than simple rock and roll from any time period, including the Platters, based on the attractiveness and appeal of such music. As Channel Flipper said above, kids appreciate the older sound, in conjunction with their current musical tastes and I believe it. It's all over.....from renewed vinyl sales to the use of instruments in music that have not been present in general for the last 20 years it seems. Heck, when I discuss musical preferences among young people, Johnny Cash, Led Zeppelin, the Beatles and the Stones are usually mentioned, among others.
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