IB outtake on Radio 1, expanded

1 OF A KIND: In I.B. Bad’s most recent column, he takes note of the chronic inattention U.S. labels have paid to the U.K. market despite the inordinate wealth of talent Britain has consistently produced during the last half century, its active consumer base and its unique status as a gateway to the rest of the world. But that has changed dramatically in recent years due in large part to the emergence of topflight British execs running American companies. These days, U.S. labels are paying close attention to the profound impact of BBC Radio 1, the extremely powerful, government-owned equivalent of Top 40 in the U.S.—though there’s nothing remotely comparable here in terms of selling records. The closest comparison is MTV in its heyday, but not even that game-changer moved the needle like Radio 1 does now. The playlists are extremely tight, and so are the rotations, with 15-25 spins on the all-important A List. What’s more, Radio 1 gets on and off A-listed tracks much faster than any American format; the biggest hits top out at three-to-five weeks over a six-to-eight-week period, and then it’s on to the next one. But within those tight windows, Britain’s dominant radio station fast-tracks careers—including those of Radio 1-endorsed American bands from The Strokes and Kings of Leon to HAIM, whose U.S. labels then attempt to leverage that U.K. momentum back home. In 2014, ignoring this oft-proven dynamic would be sheer ignorance. (4/2a)