Tag: country music industry

2/10/1995

Call-out research…not this week…not unless I get a big promotion with it…I’ll add it at number one!

What phrase doesn’t fit?

That’s easy. “I’ll add it at number one.” All the other phrases strike fear into the hearts of record promotion people the world over.

Call-out research is on the lips of a lot of people in our business this week. In a previous Country Commentary, I outlined Network 40’s plans to publish a weekly chart of the nation’s most popular call-out records. After reading the commentary, many of you (in both the radio and record industries) called with your thoughts about such a list.

Programmers and music directors were generally positive. Most of those in radio know the value of research and look forward to a chart that would accurately reflect the top call-out records in the nation.

There were some concerns. Many of you wanted to know how a national call-out chart could accurately reflect your market. There’s a simple answer to that: It can’t. However, since Country radio is not as formatically splintered as Top 40, a national call-out chart can give you a very good barometer of how certain songs are testing across the country. It should be used in conjunction with your own local call-out research to define more accurately the tastes of your particular audience. It can also be used as a verification of your own guy instincts and ears in determining what records to play and how long you should play them.

Network 40 is the first publication to gather and publish call-out information for our readers. It’s interesting to note that after Network 40 announced this feature, R&R began soliciting support for a call-out venture covering the Top 40 format. Another person (who might be suspicious of R&R’s intent and who might be prone to attack R&R’s research, data and ultimate purpose) would probably write a scathing Editorial in response to such an obvious ploy, but certainly not us. We would never stoop to such a thing. It is a much higher plane we seek. (Besides, we’ve been there and done that!)

We are publishing a call-out chart because we believe it will assist our readers… particularly those in radio…in doing a better job. As stated here previously, the Network 40 call-out chart can be used as a tool by those who can’t afford call-out research of their own and as a comparison by those who do their own call-out.

However, as I also stated, too much reliance on research, specifically call-out research, is one of the main reasons the Top 40 format has suffered from a declining and fragmenting audience. Country radio needs to be careful to avoid the same ultimate fate.

Call-out research is best used as one of many tools in determining what is best for your radio station. Call-out research is best at telling a programmer when a record is burning out. Call-out research can help a PD get an additional read on a record when sales and requests are initially weak or have begun to diminish.

Call-out research cannot predict a hit record. If it could, record companies would never release records that test poorly. Call-out research is best at determining the feelings of the audience once they are familiar with a record. By the very nature of the research, new records are unfamiliar and test that way. This does not mean those records will not ultimately be hits.

Call-out research (or, for that matter, any other kind of research) should never take the place of a programmer’s gut instincts or ears in deciding what records to add to a station’s playlist. Any PD who depends on research for all music decisions or computers for all programming decisions should be working for IBM.

The radio business is about talent; a PD either has it or not. Research can make a programmer better, but it can’t be used to make the ultimate programming decisions. A computer print-out can tell you if it looks right. Only a talented programmer’s ears can tell if it sounds right.

Network 40’s Country section is dedicated to providing different elements that will help programmers make key decisions. Network 40’s Country section is also dedicated to exposing and researching new artists and new music. The future of Country music and the Country format lies in breaking new acts and sounds. A fine line must be drawn between too safe and too unfamiliar. Swaying too far toward either side spells disaster…be it a slow, lingering death or immediate doom.

Network 40’s Country section will devote an entire page to new artists and new music. We will also devote an entire page to Hot Country reaction records picked by PDs across the nation. Network 40’s Country section will feature the most requested songs from our reporting stations. Network 40’s exclusive PPW chart will list the most popular songs in the nation. Network 40’s Country section will also feature a Call-Out Chart. It is just one of many features designed to give programmers  an overall picture of what music is best for their individual stations.

Network 40’s Country Call-Out Chart will also be heavily recurrent-based. We believe our own research. Our Call-Out Chart will focus on the hottest recurrents…the chart will not attempt to predict the future popularity of records. Our other features will help do that.

To our radio reporters, we ask that you use the Call-Out Chart as one of many tools. It is not designed to help you pick records that are right for your radio stations. It is designed to help you identify the best testing, most familiar records.

To those in the record business, we ask that you embrace call-out research as a necessary tool for overall successful programming. Not for predictions.

To those in both radio and records, we say, “Try us. You’ll like us.”

1/27/1995

A long, long line if formed where there stood only one person (well, two if you count old George) not very many years ago. You know, the ones who claim to have been “Country when Country wasn’t cool.” A strong argument could be made that Country was always cool, but Country music, or more accurately, the number of people who embrace Country music, is growing at an astounding pace. Why?

For this column, two reasons are particularly important. First, Country music, like all music, has gotten better. The production is much smoother and a greater number of people are finding Country music more pleasing than they initially expected.

Another possibility more important reason is that Top 40 radio, with its own problems of fractionalization, caused many listeners to search for a better blend of music. Some of these listeners have gone to Adult Contemporary stations, some have gone to Rap, a lot have gone to Alternative, but the largest percentage of former Top 40 listeners have “Gone Country.”

The phenomenal success of Garth Brooks led to many crossing lines that once were thought uncrossable. Would it surprise you to learn that in a recent survey of those people who love Garth Brooks, one of their other favorite groups was Uriah Heep? That may be the biggest leap of faith, but it’s no jump to say that more people share Country with other types of music than ever before.

It wasn’t too long ago that a Country music listener was a Country music listener. Period. Now, you’ll find sharing and sampling with other formats.

This changed Country radio. Country programmers are no longer competing against their Country competition. Country programmers are competing against all formats for listeners…and in more and more cases, winning…and winning big.

Because of the potential for a larger audience and the broader spectrum of competition, Country radio has become more cautious in music programming. The old days of a promotion person walking into a station with the new George Jones release that hits the air immediately are gone.

Marketing and promotion in Country music have become much more sophisticated. So has programming. And the most sophisticated (and most controversial) portion of programming is call-out research.

Call-our research. These words strike more fear in the hearts of promotion people than, “Maybe next week.” The only other words that have as much impact would be, “You are fired.” For record companies, the next horror movie will be, Friday The 13^th, Part 10: Freddie Does Call-Out Research.

Call-out research for Country radio has become an important tool. It’s the only true way to separate the hype from reality. However, call-out research must be a tool…not the be-all and end-all. Call-out research, when done accurately, will give an impression of the people in the data base. That’s all. An impression. And records that tend to test well are the records that are most familiar.

Relying only on call-our research can make you radio station sound older and more predictable. It should be used to make sure your Power records and your Oldies are correct, but call-out research is almost completely unreliable in predicting the success of new music, which is so vital to the Country music format. If it worked, record companies would spend millions on focus groups and never have a stiff.

Because call-out research is so important to Country radio, Network 40 has employed an independent company to provide our readers with a national call-out research chart. We are the only magazine doing this. For a reason. If it is important to our reporters, it is important to us. This call-out research chart will serve as a comparison for those who already have their own research in place. And it can be used as a barometer by those who are, for financial reasons, unable to conduct call-out research on their own.

However, even as Network 40 goes to extraordinary lengths and expense to provide this important call-out information, it is even more important that programmers realize that this research is only one tool to be utilized in making a great radio station. As a Top 40 PD for over 20 years at some of the biggest radio stations in the country, I witnessed what happens when call-out research is given too much weight. The demise of the Mainstream Top 40 format can be blamed, in large part, by those who use call-out research exclusively to program their radio stations. The health and future of any format lies in the ability of that format to expose and break new acts. Failing to do so narrows the list of “acceptable” songs and artists. As the list narrows, even the songs that once tested well begin to burn out and the audience becomes bored and searches for more fertile pastures.

The strength of Country radio lies it its ability to expose new acts, sounds and songs, just as Top 40 once did. If Country programmers focus to much on what not to play rather than what they believe they should play, the Country format runs the risk of repeating the historical demise of Mainstream Top 40.

Call-out research should be used to reinforce your natural programming instincts. The program director who says he can’t depend upon his own musical judgment should perhaps look for a job in sales. You are a programmer because you have the talent…the special, innate ability to choose what is right musically and program successfully to the tastes of your audience. Don’t let an over-reliance on research dilute that talent. Use it to strengthen your ability.

Call-out research didn’t make Garth Brooks the biggest act in the world today. It certainly didn’t predict the success of the biggest selling single of all time, “Achy, Breaky Heart.” It is best used as only one of your many tools. Nothing more…nothing less.

As my Momma said, “Too much of even a good thing is worse than not enough.”

1/20/1995

Since the inception of our Country section some months ago, I’ve talked with hundreds of professionals in the radio and record industries about our plans. I’ve shared our ideas and solicited their advice. I’ve also answered lots of questions and it occurred to me that many others, who haven’t had the opportunity to ask, might like some answers.

How many stations will be in the panel? It’s ultimately up to the industry, because Network 40 built its reputation on being the only radio-friendly trade magazine, we don’t want to exclude any radio station from sharing our information and participating in our publication. However, we recognize that the record industry needs a barometer that reflects sales. Network 40 will identify the stations that are programmed aggressively, stimulate record sales and affect other stations. These will be included in our PPW research regardless of market size. Unreliable Arbitron ratings or bogus weighting will not play a part in the final equation.

Since call-out research is becoming a big part of Country programming, how will you reflect its impact?  Network 40 has commissioned one of the largest call-out research projects in the country. The results will be printed weekly. Network 40 will be the only publication providing call-out research. We recognize that call-out research is a big part of Country programming. We want to provide it as a tool to those who can’t afford to do their own and as a comparison to those who have a system already in place.

What’s the big deal about “actual” Plays Per Week as opposed to projections? Reality. Projected plays are just guesses. The industry isn’t interested in guesses; the industry is interested in reality. It’s not how many times you think you’ll play it, but how many times you actually played a record that is important. For years, radio stations provided playlists that were loose guesses about the popularity of records programmed…or in some cases, not programmed. The industry recognized the dishonesty (sometimes inadvertent, sometimes planned) in the system and demanded change. PPWs and BDS made that playlist obsolete and provided the industry with an honest representation of how many times a record was played.

What’s the difference between PPWs and BDS? In a perfect world, there would be little difference in the final tally. However, the world isn’t perfect. Without Network 40’s PPWs, many important stations would not be represented because BDS doesn’t monitor all stations. When technical problems arise, Network 40’s PPWs are critical in determining the exact number of plays records are getting in specific markets. Programmers won’t have to provide station logs to “prove” they’re playing certain records. Reporting actual PPWs to Network 40 provides the perfect balance to BDS. Projections can’t make the same claim.

What’s the difference between Network 40, R&R and Billboard? The biggest difference is that Network 40 is staffed by former programmers who strive to make our publication radio-friendly. Network 40 provides much more than charts. Our publication is full of programming information and news that, hopefully, will make it easier for you to do your job. With exclusive features like “Promotions,” “Programmers Conference Call,” “Station Spotlight” and the interviews (among others), Network 40 is full of helpful, important information found nowhere else. Our editorial content is the sharpest in the business. We integrate articles to help the radio and record industries understand each other better and work together more effectively.

Why do we need another chart? You don’t. The industry needs an accurate chart, provided by radio that is representative of actual plays on radio. That’s Network 40’s PPW chart.

Why did Network 40 decide to do a Country section? For a couple of reasons. First, I love Country music. Second, The Network Magazine Group recognizes the importance of the Country music industry and we believe we are the right entity to represent it. Besides, Network 40, we also publish Album Network, Urban Network and Virtually Alternative. The Country Network is our next, logical step.

Why do you pick on R&R so much? My dissatisfaction with R&R began when I was programming, long before I came to Network 40. I objected to a publication that dictated what I could and couldn’t do. R&R was never a “friend” to the radio or record industries. R&R used both to further its own needs. I objected then and I object now, to the self-proclaimed rules governing reporting status and the make-up of charts. Before Network 40, people criticized R&R quietly because to do so loudly could have disastrous results. Times have changed. The criticisms of R&R on these pages are not mine alone…they are the thoughts of programmers and record executives with whom I speak daily. I don’t purport to be the “conscience” of the industry; I only reflect the opinions of those who share their opinions with me. Besides, if Network 40 doesn’t do it, who will? R&R, with little regard for the interests of either the radio or record industries, has dictated policies and practices for years without fear of retribution. Network 40, with the help and influence of both the radio and record industries, is changing that.

Last but not least, why do you print naked pictures on Page 6? Because people send them to us. However, as more of our readers find them offensive, you won’t see many more. I would say you won’t see any more, but I’ve been promised a shot of a “buck nekid” Nick Hunter. I’m sure you’ll agree that if it arrives, it has to run!

1/6/1995

Next to when I was nine years old and I got that shiny, red bicycle and my first kiss under the mistletoe, this was my best Christmas ever.

Ever!

R&R changed their charts. Whoa! Can you believe it? R&R will begin publishing unweighted Plays Per Week charts this week.

Truly unbelievable.

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, friends and enemas, animals and freaks, this is an announcement of mammoth proportions…particularly for an uneducated, ignorant country boy like me. Two years ago this week, I wrote the first Editorial on the pages of Network 40 condemning R&R’s charts and the methodology used to gather the information. The entire industry laughed from the sidelines as Network 40 began attacking R&R as an unreliable source of music information.

We began the attack and waited for R&R to blink.

Over the next two years, Network 40 debuted the first Plays Per Week Chart and challenged R&R to do the same. For the next year, R&R clung to their tired, worthless methodology of tabulating inaccurate playlists even as the industry screamed for change. Finally, R&R succumbed. A year ago, R&R finally went to a Plays Per Week Chart. But some of the powers who ran R&R couldn’t even do something that simple correctly.

Instead of a standard PPW chart, R&R conjured u a chart with add factors, unrelated weighting and other voodoo weirdness. The industry howled, but capitulated…for a while.

After another year of ceaseless barraged from the outside world…after 12 more months of foaming at the mouth while trying to drum up empty excuses for the inadequacies of the charts…R&R finally capitulated. With last month’s announcement that R&R would begin publishing an unweighted PPW chart, R&R admitted two long years of mistakes and justified every shot taken in the past 24 months by Network 40.

With this acknowledgement, R&R didn’t blink. R&R grimaced and shit its eyes!

And just when I thought this would be the merriest of Christmases ever…it got even better. First, R&R admitted that their charts were totally screwed up and announced changes beginning in 1995. My heart truly skipped a beat. Then, R&R announced that all of the charts would be changing in 1995…except the Country chart.

Hello…McFly?

The Country chart is the most screwed up of all the R&R charts. It isn’t based on Plays Per Week, the weighting system is bogus, the add factor is ridiculous, the “projected” plays are an industry joke…for all of these and more reasons recently outlined on this commentary page, the Country chart should have been the first one R&R changed. Yet they aren’t changing it at all!

What is wrong with this picture? Are all the other charts (using the same methodology) wrong, but the Country chart right? If so, how? Of all the bone-headed moves made by the R&R hierarchy in the past two years, this one takes the cake. If the methodology behind all the other charts makes them inaccurate and the Country chart uses the same methodology…it doesn’t take a genius to know that the Country chart is also screwed up. Forrest Gump could figure this one out. This chart doesn’t need help like Bosnia doesn’t need help.

The compilation of the Country chart in R&R on the last week of 1994 created so much controversy that Nashville is still up in arms, but this is the chart that doesn’t need to change.

The R&R Country chart is so perfect that Monday at 5 pm on the last week of 1994, that chart showed Faith Hill’s “Take Me As I AM” as the number one song. At 5:30 pm, fully half-an-hour past the cut-off time, a station called in to make changes in their previous report. After the report was tabulated, the new number one record on the Country chart was Joe Diffey’s “Pick-Up Man.” Chart positions were announced and all was right with the world.

Except that Warner Bros. wasn’t pleased that Faith Hill had been knocked from the number one spot after the deadline. Someone let loose some righteous indignation and, supposedly, no less than Erica Farber (who everyone knows is an expert in the field of radio, charts and music…particularly in the Country field) took it upon herself to invalidate the report.

Final result? Faith Hill was back at number one.

Network 40 has long maintained that R&R’s methodology allows the opportunity for chart manipulation, but we never thought the manipulation might take place within the hallowed halls of R&R. Although we applaud Ms. Farber’s zeal in righting what she thought was an obvious wrong, we have a lot of questions.

Did she recall every radio station that reported information that week? As we’re sure someone who heads up a publication based on accurate statistical reporting knows, if you subject any raw data to a challenge, you must subject every piece of raw data to the same challenge for the final information to be statistically accurate. Why was a report taken after the deadline? Who called R&R’s attention to the late report? Why did R&R determine that Joe Diffey would be number one, only to change their mind later? Couldn’t they have waited to make sure? Why does R&R take phoned-in reports that are so easy to manipulate? Why doesn’t R&R demand faxed play information? If, after Ms. Farber changed the station’s report, she had received a call from Epic about another station whose list might have been in error, would she have changed that report also?

This is the chart that’s okay? This is the chart that didn’t change? This is the chart ridiculed on Music Row by a sign saying, “Joe Diffey…Number One in Billboard for Four Weeks…Number One in R&R for an hour!” This chart needs so much help, R&R should call Jimmy Carter.

Come on, R&R. Face the music. The Country chart is absurd. Drop the ridiculous “add factor.” Discontinue the archaic weighting system. Stop having stations “project” their Plays Per Week. Stop letting stations phone in their reports. Accepted only faxed, computer-generated airplay reports so there can be no manipulation.

Then you’ll have an accurate chart. Just like the one coming in Network 40.