RUMOR MILL
LENNY: your format is confusing me more and more IVANA: from fall out boy to 30 seconds to mars to mxpx to shout out louds (added this week at wpbz) to ben folds--it all fits, and doesn’t fit
LENNY: that's where the problem lies, if the records are hits they should fit, people's tastes are far broader than pds think....
LENNY: that's where the problem lies, if the records are hits they should fit, people's tastes are far broader than pds think....
Thursday, June 16, 2005
IVANA & LENNY PONDER A POMO ZEN RIDDLE: WHEN IS A HIT NOT A HIT?
Featuring Special Guests Louis Armstrong, the Gin Blossoms, Manu Ginobili and Bread
IVANA: Just got back from my whirlwind "radio fest 2005" tour
LENNY: highlights?
IVANA: interpol playing on the 99x stage at music midtown in front of 30,000 in the POURINGRAIN
LENNY: and?
IVANA: hanging with the bravery inportland seattle santa barbara
LENNY: i like their new song
IVANA: winning a $250 bet from the heads of matador
LENNY: what was the bet?
IVANA: they bet that i couldn't get corey from touch & go to join us at our post-q101-show dinner atmidnight , not realizing my sway over other indie rock moguls
LENNY: at this point, anyone underestimating your "sway" is making a major faux pas. any info from the live105 show?
IVANA: i heard both dredg and the bravery did well. i wanted to be there, but i'd committed to being inatlanta
LENNY: speaking of "everything alternative".... can we discuss the schism in the format?
IVANA: you mean the grand canyon?
LENNY: yeah, the one defining the two formats within a format issue and how it is effecting promotion
IVANA: ah, you've been speaking to ted
LENNY: yes ted and i often speak, but mostly about the clipper nation.... but ted is frustrated as are many others about exactly who is playing what and why and when and why the hell not! we seem to have reached a stage where a hit is not always a hit.
IVANA: part of the problem is that the targeted demo has divergent tastes, depending on the market. to oversimplify, the red vs. blue state issue
LENNY: yes, but have we reached a point where even the best red or best blue record cannot be played in the other color?
IVANA: everybody is scared shitless about their rapidly dwindling audience, so nobody wants to risk losing a listener by playing the wrong song. they’re assuming, most likely incorrectly, that the mudvayne fan hates coldplay.
LENNY: yet there are never more than a limited amount of real hits, yet people would rather play a sound than a hit?
IVANA: there are at least 15 pomo stations, probably that will SWEAR that the killers wasn't a hit for them.
LENNY: so a station like wbcn will never play a coldplay album that sells well over 700k? and stations like that (not trying to single wbcn out, just using an example) feel that even the biggest of the big is not right for them.... sounds wrong to me
IVANA: they aren't playing system of a down either
LENNY: yeah, try to explain that one
IVANA: i wouldn't begin to try. it's easy to arm-chair quarterback every programmer's logic, the tough part is trying to explain to one's bosses this reality
LENNY so, they are not playing the biggest hard and the biggest soft side of the format, i am so confused
IVANA: coldplay is going to sell over 700,000 but the callout isn't there at a lot of pomo stations yet, so programmers without a clue begin to panic.
LENNY: because callout happens over time, especially with the history of coldplay. many of these big artist songs that have shot into the top ten based on excitement are not calling out
IVANA: nobody has the patience or inventory of spins, or a gut they trust
LENNY: because they rose too quickly and as u say, patience is what callout is about
IVANA: look, i've got an interpol song that refuses to go away, even though we're ready to work another song
LENNY that seems to be the norm
IVANA: and what am i going to say, no, you have to switch to the new song?
LENNY: that seems to be a macro problem for everyone, with interpol just a microcosm of the issue
IVANA: but, there is some good news!
LENNY: talk to me
IVANA: the gorillaz song is defying red vs. blue and is already top 10. and the bravery is the only non-gold p band in the top 20
LENNY: i know and these stories are great. and both of those records are smashes
IVANA: my pal intulsa lynn barstow
LENNY: what does he play? or not play?
IVANA: a mix of stuff. he adds good records
LENNY: whatta concept
IVANA: i forgot to tell you i met tegan & sara insanta barbara
LENNY: wow wow wow, i love their record
IVANA: they're awesome. so funny too. i love the twins bickering thing (except when it’s me and my twin)
LENNY i want to meet them, work for them, be their friend, they've made the best power pop album since gin blossoms
IVANA: i don't know the last time you've had a "music crush" like this!
LENNY: the tegan and sara album deserves to be heard by everyone on the planet. it is such a breath of fresh air, it makes me happy
IVANA: i felt that way when i first heard arcade fire, and now i have a music crush on spoon
LENNY: i like all the utensils
IVANA: starting to get commercial airplay on spoon, though
LENNY: yes, i see stations are slowly discovering it
IVANA you know how i always talk about what a great station krbz kansas city is?
LENNY: yes ma'am i do
IVANA: they're doing their first-ever festival on july 5 and have already sold 6,000 tickets in a week!
LENNY: who is playing?
IVANA: weezer is headlining and they have cake, story of the year, embrace, straylight run, and a bunch of baby bands
LENNY: weezer is a strong get
IVANA: definitely. weezer is also confirmed for 99x's "downtown rocks" show on july 16. cake is also a strong draw. stations are adding cake's version of bread's "the guitar man." lots of carbs to digest on that one
LENNY: your format is confusing me more and more
IVANA: from fall out boy to 30 seconds to mars to mxpx to shout out louds (added this week at wpbz) to ben folds--it all fits, and doesn’t fit
LENNY: that's where the problem lies, if the records are hits they should fit, people's tastes are far broader than pds think....
IVANA: what's your favorite song on the radio right now?
LENNY: dredg “bug eyes”
IVANA: true, it's on live105. i'm obsessed with the coheed & cambria songs i've heard from the new record
LENNY: i like gorillaz
IVANA: i love this gorillaz song so much (it's on kroq right now!)
LENNY: i like “little sister” by the queens of the stone age and the new hhh, and i love “fix you” by coldplay
IVANA: i also like world leader pretend on warner bros. the singer sounds just like neil diamond
LENNY: oy with the neil diamond thing, and u abuse me about james taylor
IVANA: this is the year i meet neil diamond!
LENNY: i also like the bloc party song a lot, and i love the new john prine album.... my tastes are all over the place
IVANA: i love the athlete record and i'm glad the new interpol single is "narc," since that's my favorite song on antics. and next week i get to see spoon, dredg, arcade fire and hall & oates within days of each other
LENNY whoa... wait a darned ole minute. u are hyping hall & oates and abusing me about jamestaylor
IVANA: daryl hall made one of my favorite cds of all time, sacred songs, produced by robert fripp. completely visionary, and for that i hail him
LENNY: and don't even think about slagging louis armstrong, or there will be fisticuffs
IVANA: if you don't attack todd rundgren
LENNY: if u think of putting them in the same class i will
IVANA: todd is god
LENNY: hey, did u notice the interpol song in entourage this week.... no, manu ginobili is god
IVANA: who?
LENNY: he is the star of thesan antonio
IVANA: is he the cute one?
LENNY: how the fuck do i know? he’s not the one dating eva longoria
IVANA: no, but he's the really hot one. go spurs! i love this game!
LENNY: oy vey.... are we done now gracie?
IVANA: put a spoon in it, we're done
LENNY: go fork yourself
IVANA: those words cut like a knife
LENNY: highlights?
IVANA: interpol playing on the 99x stage at music midtown in front of 30,000 in the POURING
LENNY: and?
IVANA: hanging with the bravery in
LENNY: i like their new song
IVANA: winning a $250 bet from the heads of matador
LENNY: what was the bet?
IVANA: they bet that i couldn't get corey from touch & go to join us at our post-q101-show dinner at
LENNY: at this point, anyone underestimating your "sway" is making a major faux pas. any info from the live105 show?
IVANA: i heard both dredg and the bravery did well. i wanted to be there, but i'd committed to being in
LENNY: speaking of "everything alternative".... can we discuss the schism in the format?
IVANA: you mean the grand canyon?
LENNY: yeah, the one defining the two formats within a format issue and how it is effecting promotion
IVANA: ah, you've been speaking to ted
LENNY: yes ted and i often speak, but mostly about the clipper nation.... but ted is frustrated as are many others about exactly who is playing what and why and when and why the hell not! we seem to have reached a stage where a hit is not always a hit.
IVANA: part of the problem is that the targeted demo has divergent tastes, depending on the market. to oversimplify, the red vs. blue state issue
LENNY: yes, but have we reached a point where even the best red or best blue record cannot be played in the other color?
IVANA: everybody is scared shitless about their rapidly dwindling audience, so nobody wants to risk losing a listener by playing the wrong song. they’re assuming, most likely incorrectly, that the mudvayne fan hates coldplay.
LENNY: yet there are never more than a limited amount of real hits, yet people would rather play a sound than a hit?
IVANA: there are at least 15 pomo stations, probably that will SWEAR that the killers wasn't a hit for them.
LENNY: so a station like wbcn will never play a coldplay album that sells well over 700k? and stations like that (not trying to single wbcn out, just using an example) feel that even the biggest of the big is not right for them.... sounds wrong to me
IVANA: they aren't playing system of a down either
LENNY: yeah, try to explain that one
IVANA: i wouldn't begin to try. it's easy to arm-chair quarterback every programmer's logic, the tough part is trying to explain to one's bosses this reality
LENNY so, they are not playing the biggest hard and the biggest soft side of the format, i am so confused
IVANA: coldplay is going to sell over 700,000 but the callout isn't there at a lot of pomo stations yet, so programmers without a clue begin to panic.
LENNY: because callout happens over time, especially with the history of coldplay. many of these big artist songs that have shot into the top ten based on excitement are not calling out
IVANA: nobody has the patience or inventory of spins, or a gut they trust
LENNY: because they rose too quickly and as u say, patience is what callout is about
IVANA: look, i've got an interpol song that refuses to go away, even though we're ready to work another song
LENNY that seems to be the norm
IVANA: and what am i going to say, no, you have to switch to the new song?
LENNY: that seems to be a macro problem for everyone, with interpol just a microcosm of the issue
IVANA: but, there is some good news!
LENNY: talk to me
IVANA: the gorillaz song is defying red vs. blue and is already top 10. and the bravery is the only non-gold p band in the top 20
LENNY: i know and these stories are great. and both of those records are smashes
IVANA: my pal in
LENNY: what does he play? or not play?
IVANA: a mix of stuff. he adds good records
LENNY: whatta concept
IVANA: i forgot to tell you i met tegan & sara in
LENNY: wow wow wow, i love their record
IVANA: they're awesome. so funny too. i love the twins bickering thing (except when it’s me and my twin)
LENNY i want to meet them, work for them, be their friend, they've made the best power pop album since gin blossoms
IVANA: i don't know the last time you've had a "music crush" like this!
LENNY: the tegan and sara album deserves to be heard by everyone on the planet. it is such a breath of fresh air, it makes me happy
IVANA: i felt that way when i first heard arcade fire, and now i have a music crush on spoon
LENNY: i like all the utensils
IVANA: starting to get commercial airplay on spoon, though
LENNY: yes, i see stations are slowly discovering it
IVANA you know how i always talk about what a great station krbz kansas city is?
LENNY: yes ma'am i do
IVANA: they're doing their first-ever festival on july 5 and have already sold 6,000 tickets in a week!
LENNY: who is playing?
IVANA: weezer is headlining and they have cake, story of the year, embrace, straylight run, and a bunch of baby bands
LENNY: weezer is a strong get
IVANA: definitely. weezer is also confirmed for 99x's "downtown rocks" show on july 16. cake is also a strong draw. stations are adding cake's version of bread's "the guitar man." lots of carbs to digest on that one
LENNY: your format is confusing me more and more
IVANA: from fall out boy to 30 seconds to mars to mxpx to shout out louds (added this week at wpbz) to ben folds--it all fits, and doesn’t fit
LENNY: that's where the problem lies, if the records are hits they should fit, people's tastes are far broader than pds think....
IVANA: what's your favorite song on the radio right now?
LENNY: dredg “bug eyes”
IVANA: true, it's on live105. i'm obsessed with the coheed & cambria songs i've heard from the new record
LENNY: i like gorillaz
IVANA: i love this gorillaz song so much (it's on kroq right now!)
LENNY: i like “little sister” by the queens of the stone age and the new hhh, and i love “fix you” by coldplay
IVANA: i also like world leader pretend on warner bros. the singer sounds just like neil diamond
LENNY: oy with the neil diamond thing, and u abuse me about james taylor
IVANA: this is the year i meet neil diamond!
LENNY: i also like the bloc party song a lot, and i love the new john prine album.... my tastes are all over the place
IVANA: i love the athlete record and i'm glad the new interpol single is "narc," since that's my favorite song on antics. and next week i get to see spoon, dredg, arcade fire and hall & oates within days of each other
LENNY whoa... wait a darned ole minute. u are hyping hall & oates and abusing me about james
IVANA: daryl hall made one of my favorite cds of all time, sacred songs, produced by robert fripp. completely visionary, and for that i hail him
LENNY: and don't even think about slagging louis armstrong, or there will be fisticuffs
IVANA: if you don't attack todd rundgren
LENNY: if u think of putting them in the same class i will
IVANA: todd is god
LENNY: hey, did u notice the interpol song in entourage this week.... no, manu ginobili is god
IVANA: who?
LENNY: he is the star of the
IVANA: is he the cute one?
LENNY: how the fuck do i know? he’s not the one dating eva longoria
IVANA: no, but he's the really hot one. go spurs! i love this game!
LENNY: oy vey.... are we done now gracie?
IVANA: put a spoon in it, we're done
LENNY: go fork yourself
IVANA: those words cut like a knife
