DJs Have No Role in Deciding What Gets Played on Classic Rock Stations

Sometimes one should check the formatting on text they cut and paste. Although depending on your taste these might work as unintended statements on the acts affected.

 

I only know how Amazon streaming works. What are you asking it (Pandora? Spotify?) to do that it's playing "Barbara Ann" after an obscure Byrds song?

On Amazon, I pretty much either (a) listen to complete albums from start to finish, or (b) tell it to song-shuffle everything I've added to "My Music." For (b) it seems to be random, which is what I want.

 

Isn't that what "curated" music services are already doing?

 

Interesting factoid: Though the focus of the station all week is mostly on new and indie music, Relics generates the most cash per hour during pledge drives. They have a great crew there who are very knowledgeable and passionate about creating entertaining music programs. For most hours of regular programming there is a generated music list but there are slots left open for a request of dj pick. Duke programs Relics entirely on his own. Every city should be so lucky to have a station like this.

 

Well, actually I'm one of those music lovers who do exactly that. Some 12 years ago, such a nonprofit web radio station was born out of a group of friends who knew and communicated with each other largely on musical topics at the online discussion forum of the German language version of Rolling Stone Magazine. These forum users and their station are completely independent from the editorial direction or the funding of the magazine. I've been lucky enough to be asked to join them as a DJ 3 years ago and have presented a one-hour show of music (no format whatsoever) every month since then.

 

That's him! Johnnie Walker DJ'd at KSAN San Francisco (not the current KSAN) back in the mid-late '70s and he played Slade's "Gudbuy T'Jane" once and I became an instant Slade fan even though their early '70s heyday was over. Thanks Johnnie!

 

Is it because of "data" that, at New York's Classic Rock 104.3 (WAXQ), at no time are two of Elton John's best-known covers - of "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" and "Pinball Wizard" - ever played? (The respective originals, I almost immediately head for the button when the first note is played.) Especially when, with "Come Together," both Beatles' and Aerosmith's versions are frequently in rotation; ditto for "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" by Bob Dylan, Guns 'n' Roses, and whoever else did it that I know not of.

 

Need a poll on who still listens to the radio for music.

 

Well, put one in the "no" column. It's either my iPod or talk radio. Yes, I'm an old fart.

 

This subject in general is why modern radio generally is irritating and typically unlistenable.
This subject also refers to the plural m0r0n entity known as the corporation.
It just makes no sense to take 5 or 10 or whatever number of people and allow them to somehow strategise a list of repeated listening for an untold number of people -unless you disregard aesthetics or quality altogether, and don't care.
As a populace I suppose since we think it is ok to let 10 or a hundred or whatever people vote for thousands or whatever (I am thinking about the electoral college here...), then I guess it just conforms to the norm.
You basically have to go left field to get decent radio.
I was in Fargo, ND recently and they actually have a great station called Radio Free Fargo, it was better than any corporate heeled radio in Chicago by miles.

 

Very nice. Duke is always a great host because he's extremely knowledgable about everything that plays. Every song has a purpose in the playlist (birthday, anniversary, something special).... in general with all the DJ's on there which is why I leave it on there much of the time. Can you imagine the people on QMF playing Freebird for the 47th time this week getting as excited and wanting to tell us facts about the song/artist the way Duke, Kyle Meredith, Laura Shine, Sean Cannon, John Timmons or just about anyone else on the station does? That station is a station from music lovers FOR music lovers, and we don't have enough of those in this climate where it's "play the same 28 songs over and over". Not quite on the same level but 88.1 WNAS (probably the only place you can hear Iron Maiden followed by Barbra Streisand) and 97.1 WXOX also fall into the vein a bit where it seems like the DJ's play what they want to play as opposed to merely spinning the same generic songs, and all three of them have a spot on my car tuner for that reason. I like stations that take liberties and realize there's so much music out there that deserves to be heard.

 

They've nerfed their classic rock algorithms, at least in my experience.

I've had the same Pandora account since year one, and where they used to serve up a lot of tasty obscurities it's now all hits all the time.

 

Well, that's a bummer.

 

Since my paycheck comes a Classic Hits station, I'm staying out of this. Taking it quite well, actually.

 

Listen to the radio and stab yourself in the ear?

Edit: I see your signature. I still like my comment enough to keep it.

 

more like this:

 

I do too!

 

Hopefully with the decline of terrestrial radio, there will be more space and listenership for the few independent and public stations that do allow for independent decisions when it comes to what is played.

 

Except for Pandora, you can still specify what you want to hear. You can create your own playlist.

I tell ya, the labels, and some artists, are slobbering over the opportunity to dole out music as they see fit. Streaming has opened the door to a new world, and it ain't good. They'll soon make tangible product, and downloads so rare and expensive to own that people will want to stream music. The only people who won't be bound to this will be those who have already bought their libraries. How did we get here? Unauthorized distribution/copyright infringement over the internet of a massive scale.

Grant rant over.

 

I don't disagree that the labels want to control it all. But I see an attempt at what you describe making illegal downloads even more popular. There will always be people who want to have downloads or physical copies and they will find a way to get it.

 

I haven't listened to FM radio in years. No need to. Why listen to music that most times is not your choice, listen to DJs droning on and the endless commercials. No thanks !

 

That's right, he walked out of Radio 1 circa 1976 and did go to San Francisco.

He is just as good nowadays on Radio 2, and has superb guests.

 

I'm the same except when listening to septuagenarians on Radio 2 catch up.

 

John Peel. No corporate executive or advertising department ever went anywhere near his selections. He was perhaps the last true DJ who genuinely wanted to present new music without worrying about 'management'. God bless him. Not everything was a classic but it did get a chance. From obscure reggae, DIY quirkiness, punk, dance, world music - a genuine melting pot. Only here would you get Misty In Roots followed by Bob Dylan, followed by Wild Man Fischer, followed by Viv Stanshall, followed by the Undertones and how many obscure bands got to record sessions for his programme who would never have even got through the door these days. It has gone - genuine innovation on the radio. Oh and of course music came first not inane chatter. I drove all of the way home from work the other evening and never heard a record because of DJ speak, jingles, competitions, phone-ins and all sorts of sheer rubbish. Tragic!

 

On the other hand, we didn't seem to have a problem with it back in the day because it was the norm, and we didn't know anything else.

I loved the bad-joke-cracking, non-stop talking DJ's back in the 60s and 70s.