We’re having a beautiful fall here in the Motor City, and the last week or so has given us a stretch of cool mornings and sunny afternoons in the 60s and 70s that feel like it’s L.A. in Detroit – without the traffic.
So the other night I’m heading home from work, the windows are down, I’m on a four-lane highway doing about 10 over, and WRIF’s Meltdown is playing the new Avenged Sevenfold song, “Hail to the King,” and I’ve got it cranked up to teenage hip-hop levels (sans the booming bass).
>EMAIL RECIPIENTS: CLICK HERE TO WATCH AVENGED SEVENFOLD VIDEO<
And I’m thinking that I’m a guy who was chronologically eligible to join AARP years ago, listening to music that’s being marketed to people who could be my children, and what’s that all about?
It’s about the medically unproven truth that rock ‘n roll will keep you young. As treacherous a radio format as it’s been for many years now, the spirit and power of the music doesn’t really change a whole lot whether it’s Hendrix, Zeppelin, AC/DC, Guns n’ Roses, Metallica, White Stripes, or Avenged Sevenfold.
I was reminded of that in a Billboard article Mike Stern sent me last week that announced a partnership between Pearl Jam and Major League Baseball. (This would seem like the kind of news story Active Rock and Alternative sales reps might want to disseminate to their clients who tell them their music is too young, too hard, or too something.)
Turns out that MLB feels pretty good about Pearl Jam to a point where their music will be the soundtrack of the 2013 World Series. In fact, the league is licensing 48 Pearl Jam songs (including tracks from the new album, Lightning Bolt, that will be used as bumpers throughout the pinnacle event of the baseball season where a new champion will be crowned.
This deal between Fox Sports, MLB, and Pearl Jam means their songs will be heard in opening teases, commercial bumpers, montages, and of course, in Series promos that run all over Fox prime-time and cable networks.
Eddie Vedder is a huge baseball fan, so it’s a great fit for all parties. After watching the Detroit Tigers partying after their series win last week, and thinking that a bunch of grown men are having a ball – acting like kids – it evoked the spirit of rock n’ roll.
And it couldn’t have been summed up any better than this:
I’m not the only one. I know a lot of you in radio – specifically Rock radio – share my POV, including Entercom CEO David Field. Some of you may think you know him, but here’s something you may be surprised to learn about him:
David has probably seen Pearl Jam more than anybody you know (and he’s set for five concerts on the upcoming tour), along with the 20 or so he takes in every year, including SXSW, JazzFest, as well as Indie clubs where he lives in Philly.
I’ve attended a number of Entercom company conferences over the years, and while a lot of business is done, musical showcases are always a part of the mix. David was the first person I thought of when Mike Stern emailed me the Pearl Jam/MLB partnership story last week.
That’s not to say that David couldn’t run an airline or a packaged goods company, but he would tell you that’s part of what keeps you young.
So we’re lucky to be doing what we do, especially those of us in Rock.
Will we live longer? Who knows?
Will we have more fun? Most definitely.
Rock on.
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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