While all of us Rock programmers and consultants have been busy designing our “March Bandness” brackets and putting together new “Rock Girls” promotions, something devious has been happening in Nashville – and it’s got to stop.
It popped up on my radar screen last year while I was speaking at the Country Radio Seminar. As someone who prides himself on being prepped, I passed up on all those parties and fun activities the night before my speech, and showed up for my Techsurvey session rested, relaxed, and ready to go.
That was not the case for a number of people who attended my presentation, because most appeared to be a bit worse for wear, having spent the evening at some big riverboat party the night before.
And what were they talking about?
REO Speedwagon.
Right, REO Effing Speedwagon. A ROCK band wowed all these Country program directors who somehow missed hearing the You Can Tune A Piano, But You Can’t Tuna Fish album when Rock Radio was playing it nonstop back in the late ’70s. And they were raving about what a great show live show the band put on.
As I quoted REO’s front man Kevin Cronin in a post last year, “It’s all country music. It’s good songs. It’s all country music.”
OK, fine.
So I wrote the whole thing off as a one-off, an anomaly, a freakish booking mistake, a one-time lab experiment that somehow worked.
Until I read about this year’s CRS.
And what was one of the big moments at the 2014 conference?
Motley Crüe.
Yes, and it turns out there will be a Country tribute album to one of rock’s legendary hair bands, so why not show up at CRS to celebrate it?
Crüe’s Vince Neil was so jubilant, he explained this odd event that would no doubt set an all-time low Coleman F.A.C.T. “fit score” if anyone bothered to test it: “I’m an old classic rock and roll guy. The really cool thing is I think a lot of people have heard of the name Motley Crüe, but don’t put the music to the face. I think it’s going to bring a lot of fans that aren’t Motley fans in. It will make them go, ‘Oh yeah, I’ve heard that song before.’”
C’mon, Vince. It’s all about crass marketing, cashing in while you can, expanding your fan base, and taking advantage of these millions of Country devotees who will obviously buy just about anything.
(Actually, it makes all the sense in the world and will probably be a great-sounding album.)
And in the process, Rock radio’s already fragmenting music base just gets a little more diluted and watered down.
Well, maybe by hanging out at CRS, some of these rockers will also learn a little something from their country cousins about servicing fans, working with the stations that have played their music for decades and supported their concert tours and albums for years – often without media support. Just for the good of the format. Rock star behavior toward radio has been sporadic at best for years, while the biggest stars in Country get it and continue to service, honor, and thank the fans that buy their music, and the radio stations that play it.
Country is big and it’s getting bigger. And they’re obviously taking no prisoners. They want every last Rock listener, and they’re working hard to accomplish their goal.
Next year, it will probably be Kid Rock who defects. Except that he’s already gone and done it.
I heard a rumor that Lori Lewis is now working with Albright, O’Malley, and Brenner because those guys realize the importance of Country stations acknowledging their fans socially.
Maybe there’s something to this Country thing.
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
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Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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I bet Chad Kroeger might have an opinion on how rock treats their successful artists these days.
Probably so, probably so. It cuts both ways. Thanks, Jerry.
When WFBQ was the highest rated rock station in America, we were bangin’ Hank Williams Jr., Marshall Tucker, Kentucky Headhunters, Charlie Daniels, Pure Prairie League,.38 Special and the top testing songs out of 1,200 titles were “Ballad of Curtis Lowe” and a country novelty song.
YeHaw…
Smart. And as one of our commenters, a former DJ named McGregor noted on Twitter, maybe they should be called REO Chuckwagon. Thanks, Marty.
Many rock acts have tried to make the transition to country, from John Waite trotting out “Missing You”…..again, this time as a duet with Allison Kraus. Others include Eddie Money, Bob Seger, Robert Plant, of all people, and others have put singles on the Country PDs desk. Many country PDs come from Top 40 and Rock, (I did) and know of the acts, and may give them a listen, or an add. But it seldom works for the audience. The rock acts lean male, the country format leans female. There is the exception, and that was Kid Rock / Sheryl Crow duet.
It is true that much of today’s country sounds a lot like 80s pop, since that is where today’s hyper country core got their music taste, but putting a fresh coat of paint on Roxette or Warrant and calling it country only fools the PDs, but not the audience.
Thanks for that, Joel. A hope would be that Rockers would make that “attitudinal transition” to Country. Appreciate you taking the time to comment.