Hard as it may be for some of you to believe, but I have a friend on the label side of the business. And about once or twice a year, we have an impassioned conversation (debate?) about the state of new Rock music. Increasingly, these discussions are taking less and less time. That’s because there is just not much to talk about.
The chicken-egg of it is that unknowingly, Rock radio and the record labels that once focused on the genre have “co-conspired” to create a drought, a crisis – whatever you want to call it. The format – originally known as AOR (Album-Oriented Rock), and later Active or Mainstream Rock, was once predicated on a solid, healthy base of great new music – in some way, similar to how Country has evolved.
But these days, most stations in the format are struggling to play a current and a recurrent an hour. And every music researcher in the business will tell you the dirty little secret in their spreadsheets of data is that it’s virtually impossible to get new Rock to test anywhere. It simply cannot compete against the “gold.”
I’m not going to let this post descend into the reasons why this has occurred. There’s plenty of blame, excuses, and rationalization to go around. And it solves nothing.
So, why even bother with a post about new Rock music?
Because a new song was released a few short days ago that could be a game-changer for a variety of reasons. Now I know that term has become hackneyed, but so before I bias you one way or the other, before we get any further, take 3½ minutes to watch this video:
Hands down, this is one of the best rock songs I’ve heard in some time. Many of you know I’ve been an unabashed fan of Michigan born and bred Greta Van Fleet, one of the few bright lights on the Rock radio highway these past couple of years. But “Blow” brings a sense of raw energy and fun not heard in some time (at least by me).
So, there’s a punchline.
Perhaps you noticed the three female models in the video are lip-syncing. They aren’t the artists, the writers, nor are they the musicians.
In reality, you’re listening to an Ed Sheeran song, in collaboration with Bruno Mars and Chris Stapleton. To call this a gender-bending, genre-bending musical moment is an understatement.
Rock radio has been an artist-driven format since its beginnings. Many programmers (including me) will tell you this matters – that it’s not just the song, it’s who’s on stage or in the recording studio. And that stance has been tested before – and has almost always comes up short.
I was programming WRIF when Michael Jackson‘s “Beat It” was released in February of 1983. You’ll recall that Eddie Van Halen had a great cameo on the song, a blistering lead that was also prominently featured in the video. MTV had already become a new music force, and everyone was talking about the song and the video.
The pressure to add “Beat It” was intense. In much the same way as this Sheeran song, many saw this as a way for a Pop artist like Jackson to break through on Rock Radio. I was one of those stations that never added it – nor did I spin “Beat It” even once to test the reaction.
Michael Jackson was at the height of his powers, and the Thriller album (of which “Beat It” was the third single) would go on to become his best ever. He was on MTV at least once an hour. My judgment was that our audience was not ready for Michael Jackson or the song. Nor would they have been ready for Culture Club, Hall & Oates, or the Little River Band, all of whom were popular during that time, even if they had managed a way to produce a Rock-sounding song.
But here were are – more than 35 years later – and Ed Sheeran is begging the same question. Keep in mind that in 1983, WRIF (and hundreds and hundreds of Rock stations) had a reservoir of great currents on the playlist. When “Beat It” was released, I had great new music from Tom Petty, Bryan Adams, Def Leppard, Led Zeppelin (“Coda”), Ozzy Osbourne, and Sammy Hagar in rotation. In short, the format was healthy, and loaded with great new music to play. I didn’t need “Beat It.”
“Blow” is landing on PD’s desks (or desktops) at a very different time. Today, great new music for Rock stations is a rarity. It’s why so many have focused their energies on their gold libraries, as well as their personalities and lifestyle promotions. We also live in the post-iPod era where eclecticism in music tastes has become the norm.
And so a great Rock song by Ed Sheeran is testing the waters once again. Are stations playing it – and will they?
To find out, I enlisted the help of Haley Jones, Nielsen Music‘s Director of Radio, to dig deeper into the airplay numbers. Using BDSradio to track “Blow,” we find that of the 63 stations that have played it, only about 3% are Mainstream Rock stations. In fact, just 14% of these rockers have played “Blow,” and most have just spun it a handful of times.
The heavier airplay is occurring at Mainstream or Adult Top 40 stations. Of the early spins for “Blow” 17% are coming from these pop-based stations where Sheeran (and Mars) are already a staple.
But perhaps the real action on “Blow” is a tool we didn’t have back in 1983 – streams. During its first four days online, the song earned nearly 3 million on-demand streams (which includes both audio and video) here in the U.S., indicating there’s consumer interest and curiosity.
Ultimately, what will happen to “Blow” on Rock Radio? Will programmers add it, open up the phones on morning shows, or ignore it all together? Is it possible a song could break on Top 40 and then cross-over to Rock Radio?
And perhaps the more existential question is what will become of new music on Rock Radio as fewer and fewer labels release songs that are solidly in the genre?
Will there be another Nirvana? Or Metallica? Or Zeppelin? Is there even a market for Rock n’ Roll among today’s Gen Z’s?
I’m good at asking questions. I’ll leave the answers to you, always available in our “comments” section below or on Twitter and Facebook.
In the meantime, kudos to Sheeran, Mars, and Stapleton.
They’ve given Rock Radio (and us) something to talk about.
For a change.
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 had this same thought. Will Rock radio play it? I think the stigma in rock about the artist is so strong that I cant imagine a rock jock ramping ed Sheeran with excitement. That said this is the best rock song this decade.
Agree that it’s one helluva song. And I’m thinking it’s going to get played by rock radio. Let’s watch the fireworks, Joe.
I’m going to play it this Sunday on, The Everything Show, here in San Francisco. Finding a great Rocker is exciting.
Roger that. Let us know whwat reaction you get.
Something close to that happened in 1989: Donnie Osmond rolled out “Soldier of Love” to an unsuspecting radio audience. On early breakout plays, the stations didn’t even say who the artist was. When the cat was let out of the bag, Donnie went from mushy ’70s teenybopper idol to legit ’90s Pop music performer on the strength of that song.
It can happen again.
You never know, right? Thanks for the story.
Programmers are too hung up on who’s singing a particular song as opposed to judging the song for what it is. To hear a great rock song and say, “I can’t play this because it has Bruno Mars or Ed Sheeran on it is beyond comprehension. Take your personal opinion out of the equation and evaluate the song based on it’s own merit. If the song fits your radio station, if it’s a truly great song and deep down you know that your audience would want you to play it…why wouldn’t you??? As programmers we need to smarten up and stop playing judge and jury on every artist and song out there. Radio was designed to let your listeners do that for you.
Great points all, John. Thanks for weighing in. Ultimately, the audience decides.
Is ther eany doubt that Smooth from Santana was a smash? If remember Alternative Rock stations not playing it. I never understood why. I thought #1. It was Santana. #2. It had the lead singer of MatchBox 20 that Alt Radio was playing. #3. It was a great song and I thought so the first time I heard it. This song conjures up those memories. Radio should not pass this one up.
Agree, agree.
Thanks for raising this issue (again), Fred. Our on-demand streaming data for radio format P1s is showing good progress for this song among Active Rock radio listeners, 72% of whom discovered it through a playlist offered by Spotify or friends. Don’t know why PDs are so hesitant to let the audience show them what to play but “Blow” is a hit.
I know you’ve been connecting those dots for years, Dave. Thanks for the kind words.
1) Play the song by all means. The difference between this and Beat It is that this is a really good, legit rock song; “Beat It” wasn’t.
2) There is more good rock music out there than can be inferred from Rock radio playlists – it’s mostly on Indie labels. The Black Keys have a a new album out, the single has 3X the plays (on Spotify) that BLOW does and its a great rock song. Mannequin Pussy also has a new album out that has some great rock songs on it. I wonder if this is a case of most of the good product being indie and therefore not worked by the major labels. Maybe PDs/MDs are overworked and don’t have the time to look for this stuff and then sell it to their corporate format captains and regional PDs.
When it comes to rock music, I’m not in the business – except the self entertainment one. When a former radio sales guy can come up with more good recent rock music than the pros who do it for a living, it makes me wonder how hard they’re trying and whether they’ve built a discovery structure than doesn’t align well with where the best new rock music is these days.
At the end of the day, it’s up to the audience. It’s been my observation time and again that when we start thinking we are smarter than our audience, we can get off track. This is a riff that has ties to the vibe of many a rock station, so it’s not out of line to consider exposing it. Those programmers that do so with the intention of letting their audience decide are the ones to trust on this one.
Thanks for posting, Fred. As Paul said at Conclave, you really are a “North Star.”
I saw this post’s headline this morning but hadn’t read it when I was driving into work. So I didn’t know any specifics about the tune. Lo and behold, our morning guys (98 Rock’s Justin, Scott & Spiegel) tease “one of the most bad-ass new songs from someone you would not expect — in fact, THREE people you would not expect — to hear on this station.” I know it’s gotta be the same song in your post. They slam into the tune right out of commercials, so I still have zero idea who it’s by. I thought it might be Bruno Mars, but imagine my surprise when I heard the other two names! If I was still wearing my PD hat I would have ZERO hesitance to play this. It’s an absolute smash, and sonically perfect for rock radio. And it’s bound to cause talk. What more could you want?
With all due respect Fred… it’s too pretty. I’ll wait for the Five Finger Death Punch cover. Ha!
Now that is funny!
See also:
– “Walk This Way” by Run DMC
– “Let’s Go Crazy” by Prince
– “Black Cat” by Janet Jackson
– “Rock Superstar” by Cypress Hill
Kicked my arse…..
That it does.
There was hesitance to play Lenny Kravitz in the beginning and now he’s on many classic rock stations. Rock Radio has been trying to find a way to reach out and let younger demos know we exist, and here it is…handed to us with triple formatic appeal. We should play it and do everything we can to get those CHR, Hot AC and Country fans to stick around and re-energize the format. I just played it for my nieces (19 and 20) without telling them who it was and they were blown away by it and wanted more of the sound!!! Better yet, it’s the first time in a looong time I scooped THEM on new music!
Let’s hear it for the Baby Boomer radio guy! Thanks for the real-life focus group.
Great rock song? Or great rock product? Okay, nice melodic hook, on-key singing, guitars are good, albeit over overproduced for my tastes. What’s missing that great rock songs have? I’d like to hear a sense of danger. A sense of FU rebellion, I prefer something on the edge than something safe, which this is. Guitar riffs that cut through like a chainsaw, not a butter knife. I dunno, maybe it’s the video. Those (ahem) actresses could have the same effect lip-synching Ave Maria. Maybe I’m too old, but choreographed T&A is not danger to me. But… what if you shot Sheeran, Mars and Stapleton on stage, playing that song live … loud, sweating, warts-and-all energy? Three artists from wildly different backgrounds clashing their music roots on one stage in one song. How different would this song be then? Talk about a missed opportunity!
Maybe this is a start, Jeff.
Fred, thanks for the post about “Blow”…as the Rock Editor at All Access, I have had several potent conversations with many of my Rock Radio brethren this week on the song and I find it about 75% positive and about 25% negative. The positives all agree with you…a great Rock song is a great Rock song so why should we deny playing it for our audience just because the “players” aren’t Rock stars! Many are playing the song without mentioning the artists to get initial feedback. This “brown paper bag” test has seen mostly positive results but my question is what will the long term response be once the artists are “out of the bag.” Will this ever end up a Rock library track or just a month long novelty that moves the needle for the audience. Only time and the Rock listeners will tell. The negative responses I’ve gotten from Rock Radio were about the overall aesthetics of the song with comments abut the contrived nature of the song…particularly the lip-synched video….and some thought it was a blatant rip off of retro rockers like Lenny Kravitz etc. Overall, I totally agree with you that the Rock format hasn’t really had a major NEW Rock star in years that can move the needle like some new Top 40, Rap, Country and even Alternative artists have…and therein lies the problem. Where are all the “new” Rock stars coming from? That’s the big issue the Rock format is facing. Until that new Rock star comes along…I’m fine with three MUSIC stars doing their version of a kick ass new Rock “Song.” One of my Rock Radio programmers said it best…this new Rock song “Blow” is a “gift” to the Rock format…so why should we deny it from our audience cause the players aren’t Rock stars!!!!
Ken, I was hoping to hear from you on this. Thanks for the update – this is important feedback from the “community.” And pretty hopeful feedback all the way around. Thanks for checking it.
Rock radio was scared to play the Beastie Boys when Fight For Your Right came out. Now it’s on classic rock stations.
Play the song, it’s really good. Don’t really know what rock radio has to lose. It’s summer, it’s fun, crank it up. This is the kind of song The Struts need to make, not a remake of Dancing In the Street.
Thanks, Keith. Nothing like some great rock n’ roll to stimulate a conversation.
It’s got to be about more than just “Should rock radio play the song?” It’s got to be about, “How does rock radio take advantage of the implied music endorsement provided by these acts?”
Rock radio’s been handed an opportunity to talk to the fans of three huge, non-rock artists, and say, “Hey – you all should check us out. We play lots of cool stuff like this song.” Oh, and in the digital era, it’s a whole lot easier to find ways to do that than it used to be.
(And no, it’s not the least bit disappointing that it took Ed Sheeran and friends to come up with the best rock record in years.)
Steve, appreciate the observations. Spot on.
One thing’s for sure … after that video, Sheeran, Mars and Stapleton aren’t going to be able to easily perform that song live in concert!
Kick-ass song, though.
Great post today, Fred, and a very entertaining thread of thoughtful comments.
Love it or hate it, sitting this one out could be a big mistake. Let me explain:
This song has all the markings of what rock was like when it was actually on top of the mountain from the ’70s to mid ’90s.
1. Great guitar riff
2. Melodic/memorable lyrical and musical hooks
3. Sexually charged or innuendo-laced lyrics
4. So what if the “players” aren’t in the video – its features supermodels at a famous rock club, and shows today’s youth having fun and rockin’ out.
5. IT HAS A GUITAR SOLO
6. It is buzz-worthy, people in all circles are talking about it
I’ve heard some people say the song is too contrived. “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)” and “Pour Some Sugar On Me” were also contrived, but I digress …
Mainstream/Active Rock PDs have a choice: be a part of something new that’s buzzing (even if only for a short while) or sit it out on the corner.
In the end, MOST rock music fans out there will be exposed to this song one way or the other. If they like it, and their favorite radio station wasn’t the source introducing it to them, radio will lose yet another point in the fan’s mind. If they hate the song and their favorite radio station introduced it to them in the right context (“this song is blowing up, etc., check it out, let us know if we should keep playing it or not,”), the radio station will actually gain a point for being a part of what’s “now,” even if the fan doesn’t like it.
As I mentioned up top, sitting this one out could be the worst move of all.
Just my two cents. #keepyourhornsup
Keith, great comments all. You know, you may have the makings of a great radio consultant! 🙂 Thanks for chiming in.
I learned from the best.
Great Screaming Christ On A Cracker…
1) The video is better than the song.
2) Ed Sheeran? Eh…
3) Rock radio should play this, like all the other Rock songs out there.
Remember the time Rick Springfield did an AMAZING song that could have been played at both rock and alt? No, you don’t. The label (I forget which one but someone will remember) did a “white label” release, no artist or title on the disc. Programmers who were played the song without knowing who it was thought it was fantastic. Both formats. However, once it was revealed who the artist was….well, I think you can guess the rest.
It doesn’t matter what format a programmer works in, good new music DOES exist. But Fred, why don’t you just tell everyone the truth? PDs are not in charge. Management is perpetually scared and has a firm hand on the tiller. A firm, squeezing hand resting not-so-gently on the programmers’ arm; ready to rip that arm out of it’s socket if the programmer so much as blinks the wrong way. Think Aunt Lydia from Handmaid’s Tale.
But that’s the real problem, isn’t it? Managers who know nothing about programming, or content, want to tell the programmer how to program.
Imagine a programmer walking into the sales manager’s office with “guidelines” and rules that they must adhere to. How would that go over?
PD: “Hey, uh, I know you’re getting 5K for that ad buy, but those spots don’t fit what we’re doing so you can’t run them. Coool?
Sales Manager: “Oh, ok…”
Would make a great movie of the week.
This is the underlying problem with all of radio right now. The content creators ARE NOT IN CHARGE.
Katherine Graham did not want Ben Bradlee to publish the Pentagon Papers. But he knew better, and, more importantly, knew the Washington Post readers better than management.
The Post knew where to find the news of the day.
Radio programmers know where to find the new music, management needs to let some slack into that leash.
And Greta Van Fleet Enema sucks.
Max, Max, Max…where to begin?
I believe that most radio programmers have more leeway than you think. I look at the companies I work with and the group execs don’t really care what songs are added (or dropped). They pretty much look at the results.
And that might speak to the deeper issue – the fear of taking chances on new music (or anything that sounds a little dangerous) because of adverse effect on the meters. When you and I were conspiring in San Diego, we may have been fortunate to be measured by diaries (recall). We clearly didn’t pay for our mistakes or indulgences. Today, the paranoia is that between 10 minutes of commercials and other excesses, 3:31 of a mediocre song isn’t worth the risk.
That fear of surprising the audience is deep-rooted in radio. Programmers are unnecessarily afraid the station may lose its consistency. In reality, I think more listeners would love to be surprised by something a little different on their favorite radio station.
As for Ed Sheeran, I’ve been in the take-him-or-leave him category, but I liked his cameo in “Yesterday.” “Blow” suggests a great sense of humor and even a dose of WTF. The video IS better than the song. So was “Sledgehammer.”
I love when you get on your soapbox, Max. Always entertaining. Have you ever thought about blogging?
No one reads blogs.
But you have the swine squarely on the snout with this little gem:
“That fear of surprising the audience is deep-rooted in radio.”
Explains everything…
It’s sad but true. We got ourselves into this consistency box – the station must sound the same every time your turn it on in order to build habit. We have missed the window of opportunity to be interesting.
I will say this, Max, at the risk of sounding as old and grizzled as I am. At 91X back in the 80s, that’s exactly what we tried to do – make the station sound interesting and surprising every day. We had a lot of help from the music industry during those days. There was a lot of interesting, fun, and great stuff to play (and some crap, too). But promotionally, the work that you, Rob Tonkin, and the staff did made 91X a truly interesting station to listen to.
Except for Christian and Rhythmic-based formats…
I still listen to every new song released each week.
It’s mostly a whole lot of:
—over-production (and producers)
—over-thinking
—over-reliance on doing the same equation over and over.
Back in 2014, we had a whole bunch of Ed Sheeran songs playing seventy minutes apart…
Then “Uptown Funk” came along.
That song had it all (except an acoustic guitar)
I love that Mars, Sheeran and Stapleton made this song—now.
Me, too. Thanks for checking in on this one, Marty.
Great discussion Fred! When was the last time Radio people got this passionate about a particular song? That in itself makes this one special. Spotify has created a move back to the great melting pot of Top 40. The best songs get played (streamed) the most and they come from all genres. “Blow” reminds me of when KISS came back in 1982 with “I Love it Loud”. At Top 40 Radio the band had lost it’ 1970’s cache but at CJBK, London we loved the song. We played it as a “Mystery Artist” for a few days and it quickly became the most requested and talked about song on the station. When we revealed the artist people were shocked to discover it was KISS but still loved the song. As Rick Sklar, Mike Joseph and many more espoused- a hit is a hit is a hit. Thanks for leading a fun debate Fred.
Mark, thanks for reinforcing the value of this moment in time. As I’ve been feeling a lot (especially reading the comments here, as well as on my Facebook page & Twitter feed), this is one of the best conversations about Rock Radio I’ve seen in years. That, in and of itself, has made this a worthwhile venture. And BTW, Rick, Mike, Bill Drake, Paul Drew, and Steve Rivers were right.
Programming a rock radio station is about so much more than just “building a brand” – I’d argue that we’re actually “creating a culture.”
Whether or not we are open to exposing a song like this to our audience, and putting our “stamp of approval” on it, largely depends on exactly *what* culture we’ve created.
Are we OK setting boundaries for what’s acceptable and what’s not? Does our competitive situation, or a corporate mandate dictate our willingness to take a chance on something that could potentially grow our audience, and welcome others into the culture we’re creating? Or are we happy with what we’ve got in our P1s?
I’m of the belief that this song, from these artists…is a gift to rock radio. They’ve given pop music fans the green light to enjoy something they may not have considered before, in the same way Zac Brown did a few years back, when he teamed up with the late Chris Cornell for “Heavy Is The Head,” which several rock radio stations, mine included, happily played. And why? Because it was a great rock song.
In the years since, we’ve seen Chris Stapleton become a mainstream success – he writes great songs, too. And some are every bit Rock N’ Roll as they are country, or pop, or whatever label you care to attach. “Midnight Train To Memphis” is still a re-current on my station. Because it’s a great rock song.
The feedback before we unveiled the artists involved with “Blow” was 99 percent positive. And after the unveil? Not much has changed. Why? Because it’s a great rock song.
Does this song make sense on every rock radio station? Perhaps not. Consider the culture those programmers have created.
For others, it makes perfect sense. And who knows? This may very well be just the beginning of something new and exciting for our format.
Andy, this is a great comment, and one that makes this blog post rewarding to me. It’s not that I agree with everything you’ve said (although that helps 🙂 ), but you’ve hit the essence of the “dilemma” – or the opportunity. Some programmers will look at this song with fear, and recoil if and when they play it. Others will use it as a way to champion the rock lifestyle and attitude. And see the discussion with Max Tolkoff, the one thing Rock Radio needs right now is a conversation about the music, even if there are segments of the audience that think the song is bogus.
No, shouldn’t. Too much quality music out there than to waste time playing this hollow tune. Guitar does not for a good song make. Yes. The audience will thank you as a curator for not playing cash-in songs and sticking to those with longevity. Let the Pop people have this one. Pass.
That’s what I love about this blog, Rick. All opinions are ultimately heard from. I don’t agree with yours – I believe most new music rock stations are narrowly focused. Back in the day, Journey, AC/DC, Dire Straits, Queen, the Stones – all were mass appeal. You’re hard-pressed to think of new music rock stations play that could credibly occupy that position. It’s another reason why this song is appealing to me. Appreciate your opinion, and thanks for taking the time to read our blog and weighing in.
If I was in a current rock format I’d play it. Look at your kids, they don’t care if it came from Mars, Jupiter or Pluto. If it sounds good they like it. I think some program for their radio buddies, looking for cred. Those buddies have nothing to do with your paycheck & bonuses. PS- played “Beat It” when it was a current in Omaha, the (then) farmers liked it.
Tim Slats
WNCX-Cleveland
I’m right there with you, Tim. Thanks for the comment.
it’s a Stapleton song with glossier production, basically.
if that blows your mind…
you need to listen to more current guitar rock – including Stapleton (i’m aware he is categorized as country, but he is not doing proudly dumb bro stuff)
Well aware, and thanks for the comment.
The song Lenny Kravitz could have used to relaunch his career!
Yup. There’s a lot of Lenny in that tune.
This would be exciting if it weren’t a rip of Demi Lovato’s “Got Dynamite” from about 10 years ago.