TGIF, and all that good stuff. Friday is that perfect day to catch up on those stories we may have overlooked over the past couple weeks. And today, we’ve got it all – metal, Christmas music, and even a rock n’ roll novel.
Let’s start rummaging!
Item #1: For Whom The School Bell Tolls – Master Class has attracted an impressive group of celebrity instructors. Doris Kearns Goodwin, Martin Scorsese, Yo-Yo Ma, Gordon Ramsey, and scores of others.
But now, it’s Metallica, ready to school you about what it takes to be a great band. The trailer video is a fascinating look at Metallica’s syllabus. And this Master Class wouldn’t stand for a Pass/Fail grade. The goal is to graduate and get that Masters Degree of Puppets.
Most kidding aside, this Master Class looks like it’s got the smarts to provide some remedial lessons for many radio shows that face some of the same challenges rock bands do. Getting along with your mates, collaborating on content, and learning how to sustain the show through those inevitable tough times.
Don’t bring an apple to suck up to these instructors. Sad, but true.
Item #2: All I Want For Christmas Is To Make It Stop – A trip
to the now-famous Stoneleigh P bar in Dallas this time of the year means you have to play by the rules.
And they’re simple: Mariah Carey’s modern holiday hit – “All I Want For Christmas Is You” – cannot be played until December 1. At that point, the bar’s jukebox rule is “AIWFCIY” only gets one spin a day.
Only in Texas. News of the policy reached Mariah’s camp, which shot back a retweet that sounds like the rumblings of a culture war waiting to erupt in the Big D:
https://t.co/FMk3NERimD pic.twitter.com/teGgY45mcj
— Mariah Carey (@MariahCarey) October 28, 2021
Obviously, a lot of otherwise peaceful Christmas music lovers are understandably hacked off by this slight. After all, “AIWFCIY” was the only “contemporary” holiday diddy to crack P1 Research’s list of best-testing Christmas songs.
Luckily, it’s Kurt Hanson’s AccuRadio music streaming service to the rescue. As a public service – and an antidote to the Stoneleigh P’s draconian jukebox policy, AccuRadio has launched a new channel aptly called “One Song Radio: All I Want For Christmas is You.”
Like the channel name, it plays Mariah Carey’s now iconic holiday anthem 24/7, performed by dozens of artists that include Dolly Parton, Justin Bieber, and My Chemical Romance. (What? No Devo?).
Along with 19 other Christmas channels available for free now, and 90 holiday-themed channels mercifully coming by Thanksgiving Day, AccuRadio is ready for whatever awaits us this holiday season.
And to all a good night.
Item #3: Move over Norman Mailer and Toni Morrison – Here Comes Dave Grohl – Perhaps the question for the prolific leader of the Foo Fighters should be, “What can’t he do?”
Grohl’s new memoir, The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music, covers his three decades of rock n’ roll. And he’s lived a colorful life, from Nirvana’s drummer to the leader of the Foo Fighters – earning him to Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductions.
The book entered the New York Times’ Hardcover Nonfiction List at #1 (it slipped to #5 this week), and is receiving stellar reviews from critics and fans alike.
The Storyteller better be good – Grohl’s mom, Virginia, is a long-time educator, and author herself. She penned From Cradle to Stage: Stories from the Mothers Who Rocked and Raised Rock Stars published in 2017. Dave and his mom have collaborated on a documentary series based on her book on Paramount Plus. It debuted appropriately on Mother’s Day this year.
Item #4: Whole Lotta TikTok – It makes sense. If Metallica can join the Master Class team of instructors and Dave Grohl can write a best-seller, surely Led Zeppelin, the greatest hard rock band of all-time, can make the cut at the hottest of social/video sites – TikTok.
The band launched its own TikTok page last month, an interesting development given Zeppelin’s slow embrace of digital. You may remember they were holdouts when it came to releasing their library on Apple iTunes.
But now, Led Zep is leading edge, even using the hashtag #Rocktober in their first post. (Take that, rock radio!).
The account is up to 143,000+ followers and has released five TikTok videos to date. Here’s the first:
@ledzeppelinLed Zeppelin x TikTok ##ledzeppelin ##rocktober ##classicrock
It sure looks like Zep’s strategists are doing their best to meet the audience where they are – in this case, younger rock fans who continue to defy the demographic odds by embracing Classic Rock artists and their music.
The band’s presence on TikTok (yes, the Beatles have a page there, too) is another sign the music will live on, perhaps just on different platforms.
Dancin’ days are indeed here again.
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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I just got an emergency call from a friend in Wisconsin. He’s convinced Aaron Rodgers is going to the Broncos. He heard Rodgers press conference on sports radio, and Rodgers said Dr. Joe Rogan convinced him to take Invermectin.
Oh, those crazy podcasters!