Quantcast
After 23 years in the “career cul-de-sac” known as HITS, I’m now more like the cockroach of Modern Rock.

IVANA IS TRYING TO BE COOL

A Mellow Sojourn in Boulder, Highlighted
by a Restorative Dose of Phoenix
RIGHT THOUGHTS, RIGHT WORDS, RIGHT ACTION: So I spent last week in Boulder, hanging out with Triple A/Non-Comm programmers, as I do nearly every year. I was there on behalf of the bands I champion, and to spend time with friends I’ve known for decades. There was a time when I was like you—among the youngest in the room—but after 23 years in the “career cul-de-sac” known as HITS, I’m now more like the cockroach of Modern Rock. Like our format was a few years ago, the Triple A format is an amalgam of different target audiences—some remain “true” to the roots of guitar-based music, while other stations have incorporated the Modern Rock “hits” into their programming, a few are rock-based, with a sprinkling of indie rock, and some primarily target women and play Hot AC-type currents. The Non-Comm stations exist in their own perfect universe, with an audience that relies on the programmers to tell them what they should like, and they pay for that service by keeping the station afloat with their semi-annual donations. We all envy the life that Jim McGuinn has carved for himself… The opportunity to see Phoenix on two consecutive nights was a big plus for me. Glassnote honcho Daniel Glass whispered in my ear when the band started playing an old favorite (“If I Ever Feel Better,” from their debut release, United), “This is just what you needed.” It’s true. Phoenix cures all, including malaise, insecurity, ennui, melancholy and anything remotely comparable to “the blahs.” It’s no wonder “Trying to Be Cool” is emerging as a Modern Rock smash. Especially in the “dog days” of summer, we NEED this record… Unlike every radio convention you’ve attended in the past decade, in Boulder everybody attends every panel. Even the early (10am) ones were packed (it takes a hearty format to drink beer at that hour, and yes, they sure did). The Friday morning panel, hosted by WXRT’s Norm Winer, questioned the attendees about their daily “priorities,” and sorted the answers by gender, age (over or under 40) and job (radio or records). The results were fascinating but not surprising, revealing that the radio and record communities have radically different agendas. Very few programmers consider seeing “live” music to be an important part of their jobs, and that communicating with record labels is a distant priority to their own “brand management.” Even dealing with artists and managers took a backseat to the internal mechanics of running a radio station. Record people obviously felt that communicating with radio programmers to be their #1 focus, followed by dealing with artists and managers, and then seeing live music. I had the opportunity to add a few questions to the mix, and I was surprised by the answers: Few men considered either “mentoring staff” or “protecting staff from upper management” to be important. And even fewer attendees, especially those in radio, considered “managing upwards” to be a priority. Given the number of PDs who “exit” based on “problems with their GM,” wouldn’t “managing upwards” be a critical part of one’s day-to-day? You don’t get bonus points for being the smartest one in the room (as I learned at an early age)… It was a BATTLE ROYALE this week between Cage the Elephant and AFI, as both new singles flew out of the gate. Cage had the edge, but both songs reminded us why these are core bands for the format… Thirty Seconds to Mars latest, “City of Angels,” scored another eight adds, yet again cementing their status as Modern Rock All-Stars… Mike DePippa, counting the moments until Amanda Walk returns from maternity leave, scored two big adds with Ms Mr (Top 20 and climbing!), as well as launching the new Neighbourhood single “Afraid” to great fanfare. We are also looking forward to hearing the upcoming Foster the People record (within the next few months, we hope). If you want to hear the best record of 2013, ask Mike to send you The Civil Wars album, which debuted at #1 this week!!!! I can’t fathom that I’ll hear a better song this year than “The One That Got Away.”... Kudos to Rob Goldklang and Heather Luke on their seemingly out-of-nowhere (via Sweden) domination with NONONO, whose “Pumpin Blood” is a certain smash!… SONG TO HEAR: Vampire Weekend’s “Unbelievers.” I swear on Ted’s adorable blonde children that this will be a HUGE HIT for you.
NEAR TRUTHS: SPRING BLOOMS
Here come the big guns. (3/28a)
THE COUNT: COLDPLAY IS HOT, COUNTRY'S COOKIN' IN THE U.K.
The latest tidbits from the bustling live sector (3/28a)
CITY OF HOPE TAPS MARCIANO FOR TOP HONOR
This year's philanthropic model (3/28a)
TRUST IN THE TOP 20
Hip-hop is no longer hibernating. (3/28a)
UMG BROADENS SPOTIFY OFFERINGS
Sir Lucian and Daniel are in harmony. (3/28a)
THE NEW UMG
Gosh, we hope there are more press releases.
TIKTOK BANNED!
Unless the Senate manages to make this whole thing go away, that is.
THE NEW HUGE COUNTRY ACT
No, not that one.
TRUMP'S CAMPAIGN PLAYLIST
Now 100% unlicensed!
 Email

 First Name

 Last Name

 Company

 Country
CAPTCHA code
Captcha: (type the characters above)