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From: merchant@dartvax.UUCP (Peter Merchant)
Newsgroups: net.music
Subject: Re: In defense of musical snobbery
Message-ID: <1842@dartvax.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 14-Jun-84 10:07:56 EDT
Article-I.D.: dartvax.1842
Posted: Thu Jun 14 10:07:56 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 22-Jun-84 04:20:27 EDT
References: <246@tellab1.UUCP>
Organization: Dartmouth College
Lines: 40

{ DEE FENSE! }

Is it the radio stations fault?  Well, as someone so well put it
(and I'm terrible with names) "Radio Stations Are In The Market
To Make Money."

There are some people who are automatic adds at a radio station.
Bruce Springsteen.  Journey.  Michael Jackson.  These people get
added automatically because listenners want to hear the latest
music from them.  They like their style, their voice, whatever.
These people are the hit-makers.  They have proven that people like
them.

Then you have the lesser knowns.  They need some catchy music to    
get a Music Director's attention.  If a song happens to get noticed
by a music director and added because he thinks listeners will like
it, he reports this fact to other music directors.  Now, depending
on who the music director is, other people might decide to give it a
try.  They like it too and add it.  More stations add it, more people
hear it, more people like it, more stations add it because more people
are beginning to like it, etcetera.  At least, this is how I have
noticed it seems to work.

Sometimes hits are regional, too.  Todd Rundgren's last album had a
very cute song (which is kind of pusy towards reggae) called "Bang
The Drum."  WCOZ and a few other Boston stations were playing it.
Lots of people in the Northeast loved it.  It didn't get much play
outside of the Northeast, though, that I noticed.  When they released
it as a single, it flopped.  Another example is Sparks' and Jane Wiedlin's
song "Cool Places."  Barely made it into the Top 40, but it was a major
hit on the West Coast (primarily in California).

The thing is, you have to attract a music director's attention to get
airplay.  Some bands which only play to a particular audience are not
going to attract the attention of a music director who is trying to
program music for a large and diversified audience.
--
"We need a pop song."                              Peter Merchant
         -- Wreckless Eric