Meatpants

I never listen to the radio EXCEPT when I'm at the gym, where I'm forced to listen to the local "mix" station - the one that plays mainstream stuff like Creed, Sheryl Crow, Lifehouse, etc. And EVERY day I hear the EXACT same songs by the EXACT same artists.

How can people listen to that stupid John Mellancamp song every day??? I can't imagine listening to even my favorite albums every day, let alone the same songs every day.

whomod

unfortunately most radio programmers (correctly, unfortunately) beleive familiarity breeds content.

radio audiences unfortunately do not like to be challenged. Anything that doesn't sound like the same cr@p they listen to over and over every day is usually greeted with hostility. It's only the repetive nature of radio that makes them warm over to it after hearing it ad naseum.

____________________________
http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/allukmusic
for those whose musical tastes are east of the Atlantic

Meatpants

Perfectly understood. I just don't see why they can only play ONE song by bands like R.E.M. or U2.

Butters

What kills me is they play those same songs even when the artist has a NEW song out. They still play Lifehouse's "Hanging By a Moment" when they have a new one out. Still playing all of the old Pearl Jam songs too. I guess some people forget they've released more albums than "Ten".

Just the other day I had foolishly turned on the radio and they said they were going to play Bush. I had not heard their new song, so I wade through and listen to all of the crap until they get to it. Turns out, they'd rather play "Glycerine" for the 1000th time.

Why do I even bother? My radio hiatus continues.... (and I ain't missed it!)

Liver&Onions

What is the "radio" you talk of?

ModoReese

I think radio audiences are a little smarter than they're getting credit for. Especially with such slop on the radio. I don't know exact numbers - but many fairly "top 40" type friends I have are turning off their radios and looking for something else. Problem is, it takes ages for that sort of realization to hit programmers. When radio stations start losing their listeners, they just change formats and figure that solves everything. Instead of all Britney, it becomes all Creed or something.

Yancey

Obviously it does work. Look at the top-selling albums. They almost always correlate with what is being played on the radio and MTV. Do you really think they are the best-selling albums because they are the best music released that week?

And just looking at the Song of the Year thread, a lot of people like these songs that get played over and over on the radio. My theory is that it is just repetition within an acceptable format that breeds these hits. I started a thread about it a while back.

Meatpants

This is the old chicken vs. egg problem: does radio play mainstream crap because people like it, or do people like mainstream crap because radio plays it?

What really bugs me are the stations like WXRT here in Chicago, which portends to be a kind of grown up college radio station. But listen to them today, and you'd have thought U2 had never written a song besides Beautiful Day or Elevation.

Bring back the DEEP CUTS!

Yancey

I think familiarity breeds popularity. I don't think there is any question about it.

monkeyboy

i think people like the new crap that gets played over and over. they actually call up and request it. los angeles has a horrendous radio selection. there's really only 1 rock station that i know of. there used to be another that played a lot of good stuff, some new rock but also a lot of older grunge, punk, industrial. they weren't popular and now it's a latino music station. people just didn't support the station. they were too busy listening to blink 182 on KROQ.

whomod

ah KROQ.......

I used to enjoy listening to it back in the day when they would actually have d.j.'s with different tastes that would cater to their particular audience. I remeber Dusty Street used to be the"gothic" d.j. as she'd be the one playing Love & Rockets, Siouxsie, bauhaus, Jesus and mary Chain, the bolshoi and the like way back in 84-85. Richard Blade would be the U.K. teeny pop D.J., with his Duran Duran and Howard Jones fixations...

Nowadays KROQ pretends to be an alternative station and yet has D.J.'s all to happy to spend minutes yapping away about the glory of Ozzy or Metallica while playing some stupid nu-metal band. I guess all it took was to replace the shaggy hair and mullets and start stealing punk gear for metal to make it onto KROQ.

All the while great independent bands both in the U.S. and U.K. get locked out because KROQ cares more about ratings than innovation. time for a NEW Alternative.....

Tscott

I've hated radio since I was in 6th grade and they overplayed "Beat It" to death. At work we listen to it because it's better than silence, but every once in a while someone brings in some CDs to listen to. I've become known as the person who listens to "weird music", but another person at work has brought in some classical and relaxation CDs with whale songs or rainfall on them, then they put in on repeat and leave it there, sometimes for days. Let me tell you, 3 or 4 days of hearing the same hour of whale songs over and over is enough to drive anyone completely insane. In fact I'll take the radio over that anyday.

Rubix

it's called brainwashing, whether it's by the radio or just peers, that's what it is.

Weapon X

I won't even LISTEN to radio, and I have an actibve stake in it!

I may be anal, but I like to KNOW exactly what I am listening to, and in what order....(Okay, VERY anal...).

My mood is determined by music, (The 'Soundtrack Of Life' Theory), so I pick music VERY specifically.

OTOH, my Fiancee LOVES Country Radio( What a buzzkill...but that is a different topic..), and yes, MAN< do they play the SAME tunes OVER AND OVER again...sometimes on COMEPETING STATIONS at the same damn time!!!

But....

I have seemingly learned to "like" i.e. "Famialiarity lessens hate" some of the tunes by the repitition...so I guess that is the goal!!!


As for how can people listen to the same songs again and again....

Easy.

I am sure we have fans of all different bands here, so how many of us can listen to album "X" by Artist "X" every day???

I listen to ,say Beach Boys GH Vol 1 DAILY.....maybe two or three times daily.

I know some Beatle fans are the same. Try taking away my drummer's Iron Maiden Live CD and you'll have to pay with your life.

Maybe some people like more variety than others???