Blogs

As a music fan, and a fan of the business, one of the nice moments in hit music is the release of the second single from a project. The first single is heavily watched, but it’s often the second that determines an artist’s career trajectory. When a developing artist follows the breakthrough hit with the right second single, it always establishes them as someone to be reckoned with, really. Cyndi Lauper has not just “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” but a song for the ages in “Time After Time.” (And “Girls” turned out to be for the ages, too). Bon Jovi’s “You Give Love a Bad Name” is a breakthrough, but “Livin’ on a Prayer” is a career song. Sometimes the excitement is a smash followed by an even bigger hit.   Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep,” and then “Someone Like You.” Katy Perry’s “California...Read More

It was weird to look out over the field of Summer Song 2017 contenders and realize that there was no party song. Once the Song of Summer became a phenomenon, part of the calculation in the battle for Summer Song became building in usage. “Party Rock Anthem” had a clear mission statement. “I Gotta Feeling,” by pitching weddings, parties, and bar/bat mitzvahs, guaranteed itself an audience beyond the radio. And reaching people beyond the usual footprint of CHR is part the shared experience that helps a song become the song of summer. Summer songs didn’t have to be about partying like there was no tomorrow—see “Call Me Maybe,” “Blurred Lines,” “Cheerleader.” EDM took on new seriousness of purpose; the Chainsmokers, for all their alleged frat-bro vapidity, were never frivolous again after “Sel...Read More

Among the one-on-one interviews featured as part of Edison Research’s “The Smart Audio Report,” unveiled yesterday (6/22) at RAIN’s Podcast Business Summit, the most encouraging comment for broadcasters was the one from the Philadelphia man using smart speakers to listen to sports/talk on WPEN (the Fanatic) Philadelphia. “Now that the Alexa radio is connected to the Internet,” he said, “the reception is always great.” I tweeted that one out. Within minutes, reader Richard Horsman (@leedsjourno) tweeted back, “Ha. If only.” And then he added: #ErrorAtLine400 #WindowsHasEncounteredAnError #Loading #StillLoading #ConnectedNoInternet I retweeted that one and added the message, “If smart speakers are putting radio back in the living room, then this is a good time to fix the streaming experience...Read More

Three years ago, I wrote a Summer Song preview suggesting that there was an actual chance that the Song of Summer 2014 might come from the Alternative/Triple-A world. The article was written during the brief span when Kongos, “Come With Me Now” looked like a CHR hit, and when “The Walker” by Fitz & the Tantrums was picking up its first Top 40 spins.  I was wrong but I wasn’t, you know, wrong. Either of those songs would have sounded great as CHR hits, and provided some balance. And if the spotty presence of Alternative crossovers was in any way an issue three years ago, the absence of those songs is acutely felt now, given pop music’s current sonic claustrophobia.  So here we go again. As I write this, Imagine Dragons, one of the bands that seemed trapped in rock radio’s Spin (Doctors)...Read More

Two years ago, Radio Disney announced the launch of its Country spinoff. Radio Disney Country launched in early November 2015, tied to the CMA Awards. When we took a First Listen, the online-only station differed from mainstream Country in its support of female artists, especially younger ones, but it wasn’t resolutely young sounding. Radio Disney had a spot on the Los Angeles broadcast dial, and a channel on Sirius XM Radio. Radio Disney Country existed only on the Internet. But it came along at a time when Music Row was more receptive to stories outside the walls of mainstream Country radio. Sirius XM’s The Highway had become important to labels, even if Country FM PDs swore inattention. Then, just as Radio Disney was launching, Spotify stole Highway PD John Marks, and suddenly Spotify p...Read More

We went on a driving trip on Memorial Day weekend, and if it’s just the ubiquitous current song you’re interested in, that was Zedd & Alessia Cara’s “Stay,” also the No. 1 song in the country at the moment. That made it two in a row for Alessia, following the holiday week trip in December where “Scars to Your Beautiful” was the inescapable song. But it was Bieber vs. Bieber, or DJ Khaled vs. Luis Fonsi that I was clocking. And as it happened, I came across DJ Khaled f/Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper, and Lil Wayne a lot more on this trip. Then, among summer song contenders, Shawn Mendes’ “There’s Nothing Holding Me Back.” The two Bieber collaborations are pretty much flush on the Mainstream Top 40 chart this week, but I came across “I’m The One” far more than “Despacito.” So I’m givin...Read More

Seen one way, the Summer Song 2017 race is starting off as Bieber vs. Bieber. That’s hardly surprising, since Bieber has been competing with himself via features and multiple singles from his own projects for nearly two years. And there’s a reported collaboration with David Guetta on the way. And much of Bieber’s competition is from the former teen-idol ranks as well, including Selena Gomez. But if you go by the lead artists, the battle between “I’m The One” and “Despacito” is DJ Khaled (f/Bieber, Quavo, Chance the  Rapper and Lil Wayne) vs. Luis Fonsi (with Daddy Yankee and Bieber), which is awesome. Khaled, who came to prominence as a personality on WEDR Miami, has been the DJ/impresario behind a string of R&B and Rhythmic hits for more than a decade. Fonsi has been successful at Spa...Read More

Last July, on the morning after the killing of five Dallas police officers, a Facebook friend asked if “Ride” by Twenty One Pilots, with its verse asking “who would you kill for/who would you die for?,” needed to come off the radio, or at least be edited. In the moment, many commenters agreed that it did, with some comparing it to the increasingly problematic “Pumped Up Kicks.” But “Ride” was earnest, not cynical. It not only stayed on the radio, but remained unavoidable throughout the summer. In that song’s vow to forgive oneself and others, I found a soundtrack for the tragedy and anxiety of summer 2016; anxiety that many people felt, no matter what brought them there. Before July was over, I had found the song that defined last summer for me.  Choosing “Ride” resonated with a few reader...Read More