We’ve got a guest posting today from Jacobs Media’s Dave Beasing:
What is a hit? Radio programmers have debated this question, song by song, since shortly after Marconi. Most agree that this usually fits the definition:
- Top debut album sales – unusual these days for Rock
- Big sold-out concerts – unusual these days for anybody
- Massive artist exposure on television
- Massive artist exposure in other media
- High callout scores for stations that play it
- High callout scores for some stations that don’t play it
- Cross-cume appeal from other stations, at a time when cume is dwindling
Oh, but as Paul Harvey would say, “The rest of the story…” is that I’m referring to a Rock artist who first launched his singing career on the cheesiest of TV shows – you know, the one that pulls nearly Superbowl-like ratings twice a week.
I’m not saying Daughtry’s music fits on every Rock and Alternative station in America. There are some that – legitimately – have a strategy of being positioned outside the mainstream. In effect, they have built an audience expectation that they avoid hits. But if your goal is simpler – a big audience and big ratings – hits are your lifeblood.
Why does Rock radio often shun hits? Pop programmers probably wonder, too… all the way to the bank.
Addendum: We contacted RCA to get the full CD. (After all, how could it be in their best interest if stations actually played more than ONE Daughtry song?). Eric Holmes, our "ears" in the office, found "What I Want" on the album, featuring Slash. A snippet of the song is included below. As Bill Jacobs points out, if Slash isn’t repelled by performing with an "American Idol" loser, why should a Rock station go out of its way to avoid playing this guy?
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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