The days of having some guy in a satin jacket drop off great new music at the front desk may be a thing of the past. If Rock Radio continues to wait around for great songs to drop in our laps, we may be kidding ourselves, and contributing to our own demise. The singles mentality has rendered our original name – Album Oriented Rock – a joke. There’s nothing album-oriented about Rock Radio in 2005.
To make matters worse, radio has allowed the record industry to set our agenda. “We’re going for adds on the 23rd.” Or “Make sure you play the single – not other tracks on the CD.” Or “Playing that doesn’t fit our marketing plan.”
This was the case a few months back when Bill Jacobs ran across a rough version of Audioslave’s “We Got The Whip” floating around on file-sharing sites. After the label released its four singles in lock-step order, “Whip” turned up as an import B-side on “Like A Stone.” We started talking it up (it’s a good song) and many clients began to play it. However, these stations were pressured by the label, the management company, and the band itself to stop playing the song. Whose interests should be more important to radio programmers? Your audience or labels’ and bands’? If it’s out there and it’s good, shouldn’t we be playing it?
We’ve recently “found” other non-releases. These include an album track (yes, not a single) from Alter Bridge called “Metalingus,” dug up by KAZR’s Ryan Patrick. Yes, it’s better than the ballad-like single, and worthy of spins. Or DJ Z-Trip’s “Walking Dead” which is essentially a new Linkin Park song, sung by Chester Bennington. That one was a tip-off by a record rep. And finally, our Chris Crowley turned us (and our clients) onto Papa Roach’s “Not Listening” from – yes, a video game. It’s from the “Chase for the Cup” X-box game, and it’s worth letting our client stations know about it.
Where are the next great songs going to come from? Going deeper into albums? Checking out videogames? Trawling through iTunes? Checking out college radio airplay? All of the above?
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.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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