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Former Q101/Chicago DJ Laments Decline Of Alternative Rock Radio

The writer of this article wants commercial mainstream acceptance for a music that's simply not commercial or mainstream. And that's why its fans love it so passionately. In addition, what's hurt rock in the last ten years is it's divided into so many sub-genres, with very few recognizable superstars. My view on this subject is simple: The music has to get better, bigger, and more organized if it's going to get airplay. And doing that is that antithesis of the alternative culture. So they might achieve radio acceptance, but at the cost of their die-hard fans.
 
TheBigA said:
The writer of this article wants commercial mainstream acceptance for a music that's simply not commercial or mainstream. And that's why its fans love it so passionately. In addition, what's hurt rock in the last ten years is it's divided into so many sub-genres, with very few recognizable superstars. My view on this subject is simple: The music has to get better, bigger, and more organized if it's going to get airplay. And doing that is that antithesis of the alternative culture. So they might achieve radio acceptance, but at the cost of their die-hard fans.
Click to expand...

Actually, the onus is on radio stations to expand their pathetically limited playlists so Alt-Rock artists can garner greater exposure. Why would you say that the music "wants commercial mainstream acceptance" when it acquired just that 20 years ago with Nirvana's Nevermind album?
Today's indie music (the Alternative label isn't really used anymore) is actually quite good, but you wouldn't expect to hear any of it on commercial terrestrial radio with its ridiculously tight playlists.
 
MarcR said:
Actually, the onus is on radio stations to expand their pathetically limited playlists so Alt-Rock artists can garner greater exposure.
Click to expand...

Why is the "onus" on them? How do radio companies benefit from providing free exposure to unknown recording artists? The artists benefit, and the onus is on THEM to create better music and do more career development. Until they do, the radio stations benefit by playing hit songs by artists people know. So that's what they do.
 
TheBigA said:
MarcR said:
Actually, the onus is on radio stations to expand their pathetically limited playlists so Alt-Rock artists can garner greater exposure.
Click to expand...

Why is the "onus" on them? How do radio companies benefit from providing free exposure to unknown recording artists? The artists benefit, and the onus is on THEM to create better music and do more career development. Until they do, the radio stations benefit by playing hit songs by artists people know. So that's what they do.
Click to expand...

How would anyone know if the unknown artists are better if they're never exposed? Narrow playlists are not just a problem with rock stations, it tends to happen with many genres. I'll never understand why Lil Wayne gets played to death while many unknown, more skilled rappers never get their time of day. How much airtime an artist gets doesn't always have much to do with the quality of their music.
 
Jersey Maiden said:
How would anyone know if the unknown artists are better if they're never exposed?
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The RIAA feel that artists don't need OTA radio for exposure. In fact, they have a study that says OTA radio does more harm than good for recording artists. They use this data to justify their new performance royalty. So if all the recording industry cares about is money, they can use some of it to buy exposure.
 
Why would you say that the music "wants commercial mainstream acceptance" when it acquired just that 20 years ago with Nirvana's Nevermind album?
Click to expand...
Same could be said about rap. Why were great artists like Biggie and Tupac mainstream in the 90's but today's poetic rappers like Common are relegated to hipsterdom? But I did hear his new stuff on a Hot 97 mixshow which is a good sign.

TheBigA said:
Jersey Maiden said:
How would anyone know if the unknown artists are better if they're never exposed?
Click to expand...

The RIAA feel that artists don't need OTA radio for exposure. In fact, they have a study that says OTA radio does more harm than good for recording artists. They use this data to justify their new performance royalty. So if all the recording industry cares about is money, they can use some of it to buy exposure.
Click to expand...

I'm sure overplayed artists do get hurt a little but judging from their recxord and concert sales, the effect seems to be minimal. But as you pointed out on the WEMP thread, this has everything to do with corporate consolidation. Narrow playlists have little to do with the quality of an artist.

Back to the topic, how many artists in the past decade have crossed over from rock radio to CHR? Recently, Foster the People, Neon Trees and Kings of Leon have done it. While I'm not a fan of "Pumped Up Kicks," I'm hoping its success will make radio execs see that rock can be commercially viable.

Back in 2003, the Ataris crossed over with the overplayed "Boys of Summer." Ironically, an album track (Radio #2) criticizes the radio for playing the same songs over and over.
 
Jersey Maiden said:
Back to the topic, how many artists in the past decade have crossed over from rock radio to CHR?
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Or how many rock and pop acts are trying to cross over to country? Starting with Kid Rock, Hootie, and Bon Jovi.

Texas-based rock bands find they get more radio support, thus more money and exposure, by going country.
 
I'm not in the radio industry, but I've always assumed that payola was the main factor in what gets played. At least, it seems that way these days. God knows CHR stations aren't playing that crap because it's any good.

Why the Alt format is in such trouble is hard to figure. It seems like labels are just not willing to promote anything but lowest common denominator music, and the corporate radio ownership doesn't want to take any chances.

It's a shame because the format could be very viable if the right people were in charge of it.
 
RockMustLive said:
God knows CHR stations aren't playing that crap because it's any good.
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They're playing it because it's popular. Radio doesn't care if the music's good or bad. They care if the audience likes it. If they do, they play it, even if it's a dog barking Jingle Bells. You can't bribe a station to play unpopular music. I have sat in a room with a PD who told me he could make money by playing a song, but his testing says the audience would bolt. He tells the label that, and it's usually the end of the discussion.

In answer to your second point, I think the labels also don't know what's good or bad. They've mostly given up on radio in a lot of formats because they don't know what to push, and radio can't play everything. Labels used to do A&R and control the amount of product in the marketplace. No one does that any more. So radio is stuck making that decision. With alternative music, there's a real need for someone to tell some of these bands to find new work. Some of this music is awful. And labels need to invest money in good music, and learn how to do artist development. When there's demand for music, everyone benefits. You can see it with Bieber and Swift. They're selling records and getting airplay because of audience demand. That's more powerful and more profitable than payola.
 
RockMustLive said:
I'm not in the radio industry, but I've always assumed that payola was the main factor in what gets played. At least, it seems that way these days. God knows CHR stations aren't playing that crap because it's any good.

Why the Alt format is in such trouble is hard to figure. It seems like labels are just not willing to promote anything but lowest common denominator music, and the corporate radio ownership doesn't want to take any chances.

It's a shame because the format could be very viable if the right people were in charge of it.
Click to expand...

Payola was certainly the main factor about a decade ago, and the website Salon.com did an excellent expose about it around that time. As for today, you have a situation where labels aren't willing to invest the requisite million dollars to develop new acts, and where a risk-averse radio industry relies on ultra-tight playlists.
 
MarcR said:
As for today, you have a situation where labels aren't willing to invest the requisite million dollars to develop new acts, and where a risk-averse radio industry relies on ultra-tight playlists.
Click to expand...

That trend is also showing up in Christmas radio. And in New York, so far, the only station besides Lite FM to play X-mas music is WKTU (which consists of exactly the same songs). So far Hot 97 and 105.1 have not played "Christmas in Hollis" which I'm dying to hear. And this is why it sucks even more for New York to lack a rock station. Say what you will about WRXP, one thing they were really good at was playing the Xmas songs that get ignored by Lite FM (WDHA, why can't you step up to fill the void?).

http://www.thestreet.com/story/1130...-hear-on-all-holiday-radio.html?cm_ven=yahoop
 
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