MUSICAL MUSINGS
by Josh Hosler
December 7, 2004
GEN-Y CLASSIC RHYTHM
Some of you know that I have a Live365.com radio station. But did you know it's changed formats?
When I first created it, I played something called "The 20-Year Time Warp," and you can check my archives for a column about that. After awhile, I got a job, so I had less time to play with it. And I got bored with the format, so I changed it to "The 10-Year Time Warp." But even that demanded more forethought than I had time for. So now I bring you: "Gen-Y Classic Rhythm."
I think the most beautiful thing about Live365.com is that you can create the format you most believe will reach an underserved population. I'm a member of Generation X myself, but we're an overserved bunch. Considering how many children of Baby Boomers there are in our country, there have been relatively few efforts to create an Oldies station for them. We've now seen the first glimpse of that phenomenon in the reinvention of Alternative Rock. There's a sense that this format was better "in the old days" ... that is, in the early '90s. So many Alternative Rock stations have tweaked their playlists toward gold, or even allowed the gold to take over. Many songs have returned to the airwaves after a much-deserved rest. Could this work not only for '90s rock, but for '90s rhythm as well?
The late '80s and early '90s are widely regarded as a slump in pop music. There's a reason we don't hear Nelson or Damn Yankees on AC radio. But as in every era, the late '80s and early '90s had some strength, and that strength was in rhythmic music. The dance clubs were a great place to break a hit record back then. Rap music had come into the mainstream but hadn't yet become too sexual or violent for adult women. It was in this crucible that the "CHurban" format was born.
Today, we call it "Rhythmic Top 40," but it has become almost indistinguishable from the Hip Hop/R&B format. Gone is the dance music that ensured variety. Rhythmic Top 40 is now in the same situation where we found Alternative Rock in the early 2000s: dull and monochromatic. But the format is less likely to change anytime soon, simply because its market share is not suffering.
This doesn't mean there's not a niche for rhythmic gold. But I can understand why a PD might have a hard time justifying a format flip on a terrestrial radio station. When the format is not yet in trouble, it's not time to risk a move like that. But I can risk a move like that on the internet!
I don't spend a lot of money on my Live365 account -- I think it comes to just over $100 a year. I only have space for 50 songs at a time. But the beauty of Live365.com is that you have on-the-spot research for every song you play, and you don't even have to work to get it. At any given moment, you can see a list of the songs on your playlist; how many spins you've given each title since you added it; how many listeners have added it to a "wish list" as a personal favorite; how many have requested that you move it up in rotation and how many would like it moved down; a one- to five-star rating for the track, courtesy of your listeners; and how many people have tuned out during that particular song. No, it's probably not scientific, but it was enough to tell me right away that I shouldn't play "Ice Ice Baby" or "Whoomp! (There It Is)."
I started out with cheesy songs like that because cheesy songs often grow out of their state of burn. Apparently, that wasn't the case with those two. Other songs I've rested recently include "Remember the Time" by Michael Jackson, "Justified and Ancient" by the KLF, and "I Love Your Smile" by Shanice. I've also learned that people don't remember Sweet Sensation's "Sincerely Yours" nearly as well as I do.
Which songs are rated highest? The following songs have kept a four-and-a-half star rating since I launched the station several weeks ago:
2 in a Room - Wiggle It
2Pac - Keep Ya Head Up
Bell Biv DeVoe - Poison
Boyz II Men - Motownphilly
Cameo - Word Up
En Vogue - My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)
Marky Mark & the Funky Bunch - Good Vibrations
Naughty by Nature - Hip Hop Hooray
Timex Social Club - Rumors
Tony! Toni! Tone! - Feels Good
Young M.C. - Bust a Move
Zhane - Hey Mr. D.J.
Considering I only have fifty slots to work with, I guess I'm doing pretty well here! And I have a system now: As soon as I notice that a song has been tuned out by two listeners, I immediately replace it with a fresh song. The latest casualties are "Point of No Return" by Expose and "Romeo" by Dino. (The latter was a favorite of my cousin's when she was six; sorry, Brittany, I tried!)
If you like the concept of "Gen-Y Classic Rhythm," please check out my station:
http://www.live365.com/stations/dasooperyooper?play
Enjoy!
What was the #1 song on the day you were born? Click here to find out.