(By Mike McVay) Pop star Meghan Trainor recently ignited a flurry of positive energy on Instagram when she was videoed hearing her new song “Criminals” on Q99.7/Atlanta. The excitement from this well-established artist hearing her song on the radio was electric.
That moment of hearing a song you “birthed” on the radio is an experience that comes only to those who make the Magic, and Trainor posted that moment for all to see, and you bet Q99.7 acted quickly to capitalize – as well they should have. Kudos to OM/PD Louie Diaz for realizing his station’s place in the lifecycle of the music paradigm and for capturing a special moment.
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We’ve seen other artists from various formats share their enthusiasm as they hear their music on the radio for the first time. Part of that is nostalgia. When you hear music on the radio, it has a certain feeling of “you have arrived.” It’s why many write music and perform for the public. Who hasn’t used a hairbrush as a microphone and sung a favorite song in front of a mirror? It’s why Karaoke bars are on a cycle of popularity.
Radio represents “Mass Media.” It also represents a time when the available technology was not designed for personal consumption.
The era of radio’s dominance in making a song a hit has passed. That’s not to say that radio isn’t important to the success of a song, but our role has changed. The lifecycle of a song matches that of most products. Development, Introduction, Trial, Adoption, Growth, Maturity, Decline. Radio was historically necessary at the point of Introduction. The point of Introduction today comes from streaming, downloads, or multimedia.
Trainor’s latest song gained notoriety on the Netflix series The Perfect Couple. Yet, it was radio that created her greatest excitement, if we’re to believe Instagram.
Where radio is beneficial today is with Adoption and Growth. A song is seldom a massive hit until the magnification of radio is added to the market exposure of a song. There are exceptions, but they are few. Being aware of what’s trending, seeing that rare “spark” that happens when the audience engages in a way that can only be described as passionate, and taking advantage of it is an important part of the foundation of success.
Radio today has the advantage of watching the trends, gauging the growth signs of a song or artist, and then boosting a song by giving it airplay. However, when lightning strikes and you have a special song by a special artist, capitalizing on the notoriety and interest in the song can bring a boomerang boost to radio. The music industry spends a lot of money gauging consumer interest. Streaming is, in my opinion, akin to record sales from the bricks-and-mortar days of the past.
I’ve shared with industry friends my belief that Pop stations could create a Taylor Swift category and see increased time spent listening. In the early days of Oldies-based AC, we had a Motown Category and a Beatles Category. I continue to use a designed Superpower category on many music stations today as a way to ensure we’re consistently presenting the biggest hits by the biggest names.
Question: why can’t that work when an iconic artist is leading the lifecycle of music?
Music Radio continues to have a place in mass media. The paradigm has shifted. Today, its greatest value is in magnification. Where attention should be paid is regarding what’s trending with your target audience. React to that. Music still matters.
Mike McVay is President of McVay Media and can be reached at [email protected]. Read Mike’s Radio Ink archives here.
