Week after week, incredible songs with true passion and potential get overlooked or squeezed out by records that no active listener cares about. It can be said now, more than ever, as several major artists have songs in the Top 20 airplay despite a total lack of streams, requests or consumption of any kind: Ariana Grande “twilight zone”, Ed Sheeran “Azizam”, Maroon 5 “Priceless”, Miley Cyrus “End of the World” and Benson Boone “Sorry I’m Here For Someone Else”. We have absolutely no opinion on any of these songs, except for the raw facts that anyone studying basic audience research can see. Mediabase is a valuable tool, but it has no direct connection to audience like or dislikes. There are songs we love, hate and are sick and tired of, but our only job is point out the songs that are clearly listener-popular and those that aren’t.
From 1989 to 1992, the Top 40 format went from 1,300 stations to under 300 stations. Top 40 format fell apart chiefly because labels were so successful pushing so much throwaway music to programmers. It wasn’t until the return of Pop music, the boybands, Britney, Christina, La Bouche, and timeless Dennis Pop/Max Martin/Sweden-produced tracks arrived in the mid-‘90s that ultimately saved Top 40. Right now, we’re overloaded with formula pop and not enough innovative titles that people love with passion.
The summer of 2024 was a great example of solid radio music that closely matched streaming, and the resurgence of Top 40 success is the proof. Aside from those same recurrents which are still huge today, almost all the hot new releases right now are being ignored. Like we said last week, The currently available field of new music is not weak or “bad”. But based on audience reactions, the decisions radio is making about what gets played is. There are plenty of amazing songs in the streaming top 20, and you don’t have to dig deep.
Next week will be our Liveline 5th Anniversary edition of Mason’s Observations, where we’ll be looking back at some of the biggest songs, success stories and hearing what some of our 38 affiliates have to say about current music! Here are the songs we think are hits this week.
Ravyn Lenae – “Love Me Not”: Noticing a nice jump from #39 to #25 on Top 40, up 848 spins, we added it on Liveline this week. The 26-year-old Chicago native actually released this song a year ago but thanks to TikTok (of course), “Love Me Not” is finally loved by a lot! #15 on Spotify and #43 on Shazam in America. We’ve had a couple requests for it but still not in our Top 20 yet!
sombr – “undressed” & “back to friends”: These are the two biggest new songs out right now, neither yet in the Top 40 despite their massive streaming. Apparently, “undressed” is the Top 40 single while “back to friends” is being worked to Alternative. It wouldn’t hurt to play both songs on both formats. “undressed” is #2 on Spotify in America and top 10 for the third week in a row, and #47 on Top 40 with 38 spins this week on Z100/New York. “back to friends” is #5 on Spotify and #70 on Top 40.
Lil Tecca – “Dark Thoughts”: ACT NOW before it’s too late! KIIS in LA just added this song (20 spins this week), 18x on KHKS/Dallas, 13x on KZZP/Phoenix and the continued support at KMVQ/San Francisco (30x) who started playing it weeks ago. Now #11 on Spotify and Liveline requests, the song is still growing and a perfect pre-summer party track. It’s the 24kGoldn “Mood” of 2025! It’s unique, fun, catchy and non-offensive Rhythmic balance song that even a 44 year old Mom would like (as we’ve heard on the phone). We’ve been watching amazing performance by this track for over a month!
Buried Treasures of the Week
3 Doors Down – “Kryptonite”: A surprising outpour of support lit up the phones this past week when lead singer Brad Arnold announced his Stage 4 cancer diagnosis. We mentioned it on the air and even got requests for other hits “Here Without You” and “It’s Not My Time”. “Kryptonite” was released in 2000, hit #3 on Billboard and #1 on Pop, Alternative and Mainstream Rock airplay. Although a handful of Top 40 stations played the song a few times this week for the announcement, but it’s more of a staple on Hot AC and Alternative.
Green Day – “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)”: One of the most recognizable, broad appeal and emotionally touching songs of all time. Every year from May through June, high school and college students play this song capturing the spirit of graduation as they look back on their memories, say goodbye to friends, pack their things, start summer vacation and plan the rest of their lives. The song itself makes a great break for any air personality who wants to talk to their 18-24 audience, plus it reminds everyone older of their school days and establishes a personal connection and bond. Warmth and endearment is so important. Tastefully introing a song by painting an image or invoking emotions is an art that only a few air talents do well. “Good Riddance” was released in 1997 and peaked at #2 on Alternative and #13 on Top 40. It now has over 880 million streams on Spotify and is their fourth most-popular song. (#1 is 1994’s “Basket Case,” a song neglected by Top 40 during a previous doldrums).
Totally agree on all your new music picks. Sombr is the type of artist the format needs right now.. I’m playing Back To Friends & Undressed. The guitar-oriented songs work very well in my market so those songs in particular songs are going to be embraced quickly. I also feel like Blue Strips is going to be a big Summer song. Possibly Benson Boone’s Mystical Magical as it’s already steaming better than Sorry I’m Here. MUTT by Leon Thomas is going to be big and maybe Role Model “Sally When The Wine Runs Out.”
I grew up listening to K 92, I’m glad to see the station is in good hands! Everyone talks about Z100, but I always thought WXLK was one of the premier talent and presentation radio stations in the country.
Glad you acknowledge “Blue Strips”, it’s showing impressive metrics so far! Congrats on your station, the playlist feels fresh, much needed these times.
Love both “Undressed” and “Sally…” I feel a little less conflicted about the mainstream pop hits that aren’t streaming when we have some that are. If what we’re going through is reminiscent of the early ’90s, Sombr might be our Spin Doctors, the act that cracked the code on what a relevant pop/rock hit would sound like.
The good riddance thing always makes me smile every year, no not because I’m a nice caring, compassionate guy, but because you can essentially make a song whenever you want it to be. A song that basically says, screw you, who needs you! Is basically one of the most emotionally bonding memory making songs ever. I love music!
Hi Mason. The Miley Cyrus and Ed Sheeran songs are turntable hits that are getting hot really fast. I heard both on Q99.7 in Atlanta today during the 10AM hour and they fit right in. Both are gorgeous songs that sounded fantastic in the car and instantly made me feel good. Like, really REALLY good. There’s not active, vocal feedback probably because they appeal to an older demo that doesn’t interact. Listeners 25+ feel emotionally connected to these two artists so it’s super gratifying when they release records this good. Both are in my personal Top 10 with a bullet.
Good post.
Regarding Green Day’s “Basket Case”, it’s a great song that peaked at number 20 on the CHR/Pop charts
https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Archive-RandR/1990s/1994/RR-1994-10-14.pdf
CHR/Pop was trying to find its identity in 1994. For example, there were plenty of Adult leaning CHRs such as Star 94 Atlanta, Q-106 San Diego, and 97.9 NCI Columbus. These stations opted out of harder rock songs, and avoided Hip Hop, unless it was Arrested Development or US3.
Then there were CHRs that were fast on Rhythm/slow on Rock. These stations later served as the template for many Clear Channel owned stations in the early to mid 00s. Prime examples included 102.7 KIIS FM L.A,., which had evolved to such a station in the summer of 94. But the station that started the trend was 106.1 Kiss FM Dallas, with a Recurrent heavy, Rhythmic/Dance center. It basically flipped the script on what a successful Dallas CHR should sound like.
These stations were high-energy and very well-executed.
There were also, thankfully, still some pure CHRs around like 101.3 KDWB Minneapolis and Z-100 Portland. These CHRs tended to thrive in markets lacking an Urban or Rhythmic leaning CHR.
“Basket Case” cracked the Top 20 due to its popularity on MTV, and also in large part due to the support of two CHR offshoots. The first type were Modern Rock leaning CHRs, lead by Z-100 NYC and 104 KRBE Houston. This format was also on Y-100 Philly, Q-99 SLC, B-97 New Orleans, and 97.5 PST Trenton.
And “Basket Case” was also played on the short-lived Channel X type stations, which were these fantastic youth leaning CHRs that basically imitated MTV, and played Hip Hop and harder edged Modern Rock hits in all dayparts. They were all former Rhythmic CHRs looking to broaden their audience. The most successful of the bunch was Kube 93 Seattle, but it was 96.3 WHYT Detroit that the industry was following. It was also on 101.5 Channel X Jacksonville, and Jammin 92.3 Cleveland, which is the station that started this trend.
Anyways, back to Green Day, it wasn’t long after “Basket Case” that CHR/Pop heavily supported their follow-up “When I Come Around”, in part because of the phenomenal Callout Research it received (page 48)
https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Archive-RandR/1990s/1995/RR-1995-03-31.pdf
I get that you are passionate about what your active listeners request and stream. We used to call them P1’s, a tiny group (relatively speaking) and very vocal and active on the request lines. Many more listeners never call and are NOT active listeners. When research projects were still being done, there was a huge gap between active and passive listeners and research would illustrate this every time. Seems like your research is all phones and streams. So, say a rabid fan and a group of friends play 1 relatively unknown song (to radio) over and over and over. According to your logic, this small group should dictate what a mass appeal top 40 station should play because it’s getting huge streaming numbers from a small group of rabid fans constantly playing it over and over.
In 89-92, radio was in a state of flux. Alt and grunge were both huge, Nirvana broke wide open and Hip Hop exploded. I really give PD’s more credit than playing “throwaway” music from promotion people. Music programming is a little more intricate then playing “throwaway” music and the latest fanboy/girl streaming favorites.