IVANA GIVES US A HISTORY LESSON

WHISPER TO A SCREAM: When I started at A&M Records in the early ’80s, around the same time 91X first signed on (Happy 30th anniversary to them!), there was a blueprint to breaking “Alternative” bands. On the debut record, try to sell 30,000 from college radio, touring and the few Modern Rock stations that existed, like WLIR, WHTG, KROQ, 91X, etc. For the sophomore record, the goal was between 150k and 300k, especially if MTV was a factor. Between the second and third records, release a song on a soundtrack that exposes the artist to a wider audience. For example: Simple Minds’ “Don’t You Forget About Me,” OMD’s “If You Leave” and Suzanne Vega’s “Left of Center.” By the third record, the artist understood the need to write the BIG HIT, and it was nothing less than gold or platinum from then on. This allowed time for an artist to grow into their rock stardom and still have a fanbase, even as the music became more radio-friendly…. I was thinking about the three-albums-to-gold trajectory with the launch last night of The Airborne Toxic Event’s new single “Timeless,” the first from their upcoming third record. Response from radio has been immediately emphatic, with adds already in from Alt Nation, KROQ, 98.7, Live105, X-96, WEQX, WARQ, KJEE and WVIC. One listen and you’ll know that “Timeless” is the band’s “career song.”… Since I only gamble when I know I’m going to win, I feel absolutely confident about betting that Biffy Clyro’s “Black Chandelier” is the right song at the right time to finally break the band in the States. The work they’ve done so far has built a feisty and passionate base of support, and they now have “the song” that will break them… Sometimes the road to the top is a sprint, propelled by a “magic” song, which, if the stars are aligned, is more than a “one and done.” fun., Imagine Dragons, AWOL and Of Monsters and Men have been able to follow up their huge debut singles with follow-ups of equal chart success. The Lumineers’ whose debut single “Ho Hey” went to #1 at 3 formats, and is about to go #1 at Pop, will have two songs in the Modern Rock Top 10 momentarily, as “Stubborn Love” was Most Added this week with another 14 stations. Some of the format’s most valued hit-predictors are declaring that “Stubborn Love” has the potential to be as big, if not BIGGER than “Ho Hey.” From their lips… My indie rock boy toy (as Ted Volk calls Glassnote’s Nick Petropoulos) has yet another breaking artist with Robert DeLong, whose “Global Concepts” was added this week at Live105, KNDD and WZNE. And Nick is also working Mumford & Sons’ latest smash “Lover of the Light,” while I bug him mercilessly about the new Phoenix record… Did you happen to notice that WRXL Indianapolis added Divine Fits’ “Would That Not Be Nice” this week? Or that KROX added Hanni El Khatib’s “You Rascal You?” Of course you’re aware that Amber Miller, the arbiter of all that is meaningful, added Royal Teeth’s “Wild” at WEQX this week! And the biggest burgeoning indie rock hit is definitely Family of the Year’s “Hero,” which, I predict, will be Top 10 in the not-so-distant future….As a fan of “swagger,” I’m completely enamored with Beware of Darkness’ “Howl,” which Tyson Haller is working. The song is already getting phones at KRBZ, and you know how Lazlo hates everything, so this is legit… The band my niece is OBSESSED with, Foals, are back with a new single, “Inhaler,” that is, as Kelly Osbourne says too often on Fashion Police, PERFECTION. Rob Goldklang and Heather Luke are on track to break this one… Our pals Mike DePippa and Amanda Walk at Columbia had an amazing week on the Passion Pit follow-up “Carried Away,” while “Take a Walk” continues its tenure in the Top 10. Their Neighbourhood record continues to build, with programmers proclaiming their undying love for this new band. Mazel tov to Amanda on her New Year’s nuptials to Andrew Dobbins, and join me in sending her our collective good wishes for a lifetime of love and happiness…. SONG TO HEAR: Virginmarys’ “Dead Man Shoes” (new this week at KRXP and KTBZ!… Say hi: [email protected].