7/25/1997
Record sales, or more appropriately, how record sales are tabulated, have drastically changed the landscape of radio programming over the past decade. But not in the way most record people understand.
In the not-so-distant past, PDs were extremely interested in the tabulation, research and outcome of local record sales. In the `70s and `80s, singles were still selling dramatically and PDs followed those sales closely. There were more individually-owned record stores and these store owners were happy to share their sales with local radio stations…it made the stores more important.
Local record promoters worked the stores heavily because record sales related directly to airplay. Everyone (PDs, promotion people and store owners) was working toward a common goal: to accurately (or by inflation) reflect sales that would correspond to or increase airplay. Nationally, record companies reacted instantly to airplay. Stores were stocked with free product until orders kicked in and PDs could usually get a good feel as to whether a record would sell within three weeks of initial airplay.
Three weeks!
By today’s standards, that sounds impossible. But not long ago, three weeks of initial airplay was the over/under mark. If a record was programmed in regular rotation, it would usually show sales within three weeks or something was wrong: The record wasn’t a hit or the company was not behind the project enough to stock the stores. Either way, lack of sales spelled trouble.
“It’s been on for three weeks and hasn’t shown sales†was once an unarguable excuse for dropping a record.
How times have changed!
What happened? First, large record outlets began gobbling up many of the individual stores. Soon, these big outlets wanted to control the information and it became harder for PDs to obtain sales stats from individual stores. The outlets began supplying stations with total sales for the market, but this made it impossible for PDs to follow ethnic or delineated sales from a given area. Stations are precise in their target demos. As sales showed only the large melting pot, specific break-outs were impossible to identify.
Next came the diminished impact of single sales. Since the large outlets (and record companies) made the most money off albums, singles became more difficult to chart.
Record companies made more money…and catered to…the large outlets. In many cases, the surviving local record stores found it difficult to get immediate product.
The tail began wagging the dog.
Bring SoundScan, Best Buy, K-Mart and Wal-Mart and record sales have become less of a programming tool. That is a travesty, because sales is the ultimate barometer of a hit record.
Record companies define a hit by sales. That mentality is not shared by radio because PDs don’t have the means or time. In the weeks it takes for a company to determine whether a record is going to sell, a PD’s career can be over. Record companies must recognize this programming reality and adjust their promotion accordingly.
Now, record companies are asking PDs to play a record…and keep on playing it, sometimes for longer than six weeks until sales kick in. Why? It takes that long to get records in the pipeline today. And depending on market size, it can take even longer.
Record companies are concentrating more on major markets because that’s where the majority of the sales are. On the surface, that’s okay. But as is often the case with surface beauty, it rubs off at night and sometimes doesn’t stand the test of time.
Record companies are critical of PDs because many put too much emphasis on call-out research. PDs are left with little choice. When you don’t have a fast ball, you must rely on your curve. Few PDs have the ability to accurately chart local sales. They rely on what they can do…call-out research.
Record companies have helped create the monster, now they have to deal with it. Record companies heavily tout national sales. If, however, the national sales picture isn’t stellar, PDs react…because that’s how they’ve been programmed.
Sales, of course, have always been the lifeblood of record companies. But as sales reports have become so immediately important to the success of a record, record companies must find a way to make those sales as immediately important to PDs…so both can share the common goal.
What’s an industry to do?
How about starting a “farm team†of stores in smaller market? If a record company chose 10 small markets that were generally reflective of the nation as a whole, and babied 10 stores in each market with free product, discounted merchandise and a healthy marketing package, it could alter the landscape again. Product by new acts could be showcased. Records could be stocked immediately upon airplay and sales could be accurately charted. Record companies could immediately feel if a record was real…without spending a marketing fortune. Then, they would have a true sales story to tell to the majors. PDs would be able to see sales…on local levels. These PDs the might not feel so paranoid about sticking with a record until national sales kick in. Record companies could affect what happens tomorrow by going back…to the future.
It would be easy to implement…cost-effective…and make perfect sense. So there’s absolutely no chance it will happen.