What used to be called “friendly competition” is now outright bullying. If you want to help break an artist I’m working with, let’s make it happen! But please, stop with the threats. I have two concerns at work: 1) Keeping my job and 2) doing the absolute best I can for the labels and artists that pay me (so that I can keep my job.) I’m no longer defined by my job (motherhood took care of that), but I’m deeply proud of what Ted and I have accomplished at the format so far this year. You are a means to that end, and my efforts on your behalf can be boundless when we’re both trying to do what’s best for the artist, which is the basis of every decision I make. I’m sorry if that runs counter to what you believe you’re “owed.” No, I’m not sorry. Given the real “weight” of what happened last week in Orlando, another in a long list of horrific examples of man’s inhumanity towards man, it’s impossible to take your ego-fueled tantrums seriously…
I’m finally in my hotel room in Louisville, 16 hours after I left my house in L.A. Deadline was yesterday, but delayed flights and no onboard Wi-Fi is the reason it’s 1:30am and I’m finally writing this. I packed the wrong toothbrush—the one I just used plays “We Will Rock You” for a full two minutes (to encourage a thorough brushing), except now it won’t stop playing. I smothered it with a washcloth, but the strains of Queen are still audible from the next room…
What will be this summer’s Modern Rock anthem? Bishop Briggs’ “River” is touching Top 10 at Alternative, bolstered by iHeart choosing it to be the second On the Verge artist so far this year, following The Strumbellas (which topped the chart last month). There are only five stations that haven’t yet added “River” (for reasons I can’t fathom), so that’s a clear contender. Beck’s new single “Wow” is a definite favorite—anything he does is exactly what I want to hear on the radio at that moment…
Phantogram (pictured above) has a surefire smash with “You Don’t Get Me High Anymore.” One listen. Done. Republic’s Mike DePippa and Amanda Walk should have two of the biggest hits of the year with Bishop Briggs and Phantogram!... Capitol’s Gary Gorman sent out an email blast this morning alerting programmers that the new Bastille single “Good Grief” would be arriving momentarily. Doesn’t Gary know that radio has been waiting for this record for months? In the summer, I want to hear songs that make me feel buoyant and free (even when I’m tethered to my desk, or stuck in a crowded airport). Thank you, Bastille, for delivering the perfect summer song!...
There’s been much ado (and rightfully so) about Head and the Heart’s “All We Ever Know,” which Warner Bros.’ Rob Goldklang and the C3 team launched last week. Even radio programmers that still ask Nirvana can play their Xmas show (for real) seem to love this record!..
Dualtone just signed buzz band The Rebel Light, whose song “Strangers” has been getting some serious radio love. Another contender in the making!...
If I’m playing favorites, and it’s my column/my rules, I’m giving out bonus points to CHVRCHES’ reworking of “Bury It” with Hayley Williams. This could be a multi-format summer SMASH…
The song I want to hear when I wake up in the morning (besides the inevitable SpongeBob Squarepants theme, now that my son has figured out the TV remote) is Glass Animals’ “Life Itself.” It’s the song I want to hear on my way to work, and on my way home, and every moment in between. It’s my summer’s “Get Lucky.”...
SONG TO HEAR: Zipper Club “Going the Distance” (if Metric and Brian Eno had a lovechild)…
What’s YOUR pick for the Summer Song of 2016? Email me: [email protected]
