This past week the artist Megan Trainor ignited a positive firestorm on Instagram when she was videoed hearing her new song “Criminals” on Q99.7/Atlanta. The enthusiasm and excitement from this artist, hearing a radio station playing her song as they rode in a car likely on the way to her hotel before the show that night, was so fun to watch. That moment of hearing a song on the radio, a song that you “birthed”, is an experience that comes only to those who make the Magic. Trainor had that moment and posted it for all to see. The station acted quickly to capitalize on Trainor’s post.
We’ve seen other artists from various formats share their excitement as they hear their music on the radio for the first time. A part of that is nostalgic. When you hear music on the radio, it has a certain feeling of “You have arrived.” It’s why many write music and perform for the public. Who hasn’t used a hairbrush as a microphone and sung a favorite song in front of a mirror. Its why Karaoke bars are on a cycle of popularity. Radio represents “Mass Media.” It also represents a time when the available technology was not designed for personal consumption.
The era of Radio’s dominance in making a song a hit has passed. That’s not to say that radio isn’t important to the success of a song, but the role of radio has changed. The lifecycle of a song matches that of most products. Development, Introduction, Trial, Adoption, Growth, Maturity, Decline. Radio was historically necessary at the point of Introduction. Where radio is beneficial today is with Adoption and Growth. A song is seldom a massive hit until the magnification of radio is added to the market exposure of a song. There are exceptions, but they are few.
The point of Introduction today comes from streaming, downloads, or multimedia. Multimedia meaning coming from something other than radio, streaming or downloads. In the case of Trainor’s latest song it gained notoriety on the Netflix series “The Perfect Couple.” The short series has grown in popularity. It was radio that created her greatest excitement, if we’re to believe the Instagram video she posted.
Being aware of what’s trending, seeing that rare “spark” that happens when the audience engages in a way that can only be described as passionate, and taking advantage of it is an important part of the foundation of success. Kudos to Louie Diaz, OM/PD of Q99.7/Atlanta for realizing his stations place in the lifecycle of the music paradigm and for capturing a special moment.
Radio today has the advantage of watching the trends, gauging the growth signs of a song or artist, and then boosting a song by giving it airplay. However, when lightening strikes and you have a special song by a special artist, capitalizing on the notoriety and interest in the song can bring a boomerang boost to radio. The music industry spends a lot of money gauging consumer interest. Streaming is, in my opinion, akin to record sales from the bricks & mortar days of the past.
I’ve shared with industry friends my belief that Pop stations could create a Taylor Swift category and see increased time spent listening. In the early days of Oldies Based AC we had a Motown Category and a Beatles Category. I continue to use a designed Superpower category on many music stations today as a way to ensure we’re consistently presenting the biggest hits by the biggest names. Question; Why can’t that work when an iconic artist is leading the lifecycle of music.
Music Radio continues to have a place in mass media. The paradigm has shifted. Today its’ greatest value is in magnification. Where attention should be paid is in regard to what’s trending with your target audience. React to that. Music still matters.
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