Interesting Article Speculating on the Chances of CD Success

[DownOnRodeo]

This USA Today article (http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2003-02-04-fleetwood-mac_x.htm) has some interesting people giving their opinion on FM's chances for big CD sales.

[tuigirl]

hey, thats encouraging news about thoughts of a successfull tour ...BUT I take great offence at that man suggesting I'd buy FM because I've got grey hair!! (I haven't!):D

[FiercestCalmSea]

At least it is an honest view of the whole thing...the record may not hit #1 one...but when it comes to touring,...people go see the Mac no matter what...

[nae]

Good article. My sentiments exactly.

N

[CarneVaca]

That's some pretty insightful stuff. I suspect that Anthony DeCurtiss is right. The tour will sell like crazy. No doubt about that, but most people will be going to hear Go Your Own Way, Dreams and Rhiannon. Which sucks for me because I want to hear the new stuff.

I don't think this album is going to be a huge seller, but let's take into consideration what that means by Mac standards: If it sells 2 million, that's a lot of plastic pancakes. But by Mac standards it would be low. However, I don't think it will do much more than that. I put my estimate at 3 million tops.

I think we'll also see a lot of copies on used bins within a few months for several reasons:

--Some people who liked the 70s sound will not like the new sound, especially Lindsey's quirkier stuff. Even if you remove the quirky Lindsey factor, this happens with every band that's been around that long.
--Some people will not like the way Stevie sounds anymore.
--Some people will make copies of this thing with their computer and then try to sell their original.

[DownOnRodeo]

My theory is all it needs are 3 very big, radio-friendly hits and the whole album will be snapped up, lock stock, despite preconceptions and prejudices against about the Mac.

It worked for Rumours (GYOW, Dreams, Don't Stop) and Tango (Big Love, Little Lies, Seven Wonders, Everywhere).

The question is - do such cuts exist in this new album? (Don't ask me - I'm biased)

[Les]

The question is - do such cuts exist in this new album? (Don't ask me - I'm biased)

I think I would reframe the question more along the lines of -- Even if they have three radio-friendly cuts, will that be enough to get them on the radio in spite of the preconceptions and prejudices of the companies that now devise so many radio station playlists across this country?

[chiliD]

From the USA TODAY article
"It's not fair to expect another Rumours," Mayfield says. "Considering the reunion album was their first No. 1 debut in a long while, the new record has a pretty good chance for a handsome start."

See? Haven't I been spouting off as to how Rumours ruined the band?? :laugh: Since it came out, every album they do has this preconceived expectation of selling "Rumours numbers" and it will never happen again...it was a phenomenon in its own time.


So my suggestion is just buy the album (Grey Hairs?!?!? Hand me the L'Oreal!) and enjoy the music and totally disregard what kind of sales numbers it produces. (can you TELL I'm not a record company exec? :laugh: )

[Bella Figura]

interesting article but critics are like weather man, getting paid to guess...

personally, as a fan, I'm just glad to get another new album out of the MAC and I will definetely be supporting the tour.

how did these guys find out about my greys?? That's pretty low especially since I use Nice-n-Easy Dark Auburn...:laugh:

[FiercestCalmSea]

There is a pic of Stevie and Linds on the front page of US Today advertising this article..then inside there is another pic,similar to the new one,but Stevie is leaning out more and Lindsey's hands are in a different position...

[SmthngOfADreamr]

All I really care about is that I get a copy of the new album. It really doesn't matter to me how many other albums sell or how often they are played on the radio. I wouldn't expect much radio airplay though. Probably similar to what we got with TISL. The only benefit I can see of them having success is that it might encourage them to record further albums, which would be great. I wouldn't want to see them scared off just because this album only sells a 'piddling' 2 million copies and MTV, the worst channel ever, won't put their video into heavy rotation.

[FiercestCalmSea]

and MTV, the worst channel ever, won't put their video into heavy rotation.


If i saw a Fleetwood Mac video on MTV i think i'd die of shock.Besides,MTV is no longer about music...it is all crap...they are not even worthy to speak the name Fleetwood Mac.

[Johnny Stew]

There was a similar article, published right before the release of 'The Dance,' where the author was speculating whether or not Fleetwood Mac's reunion would be successful, after poorly-received lineup changes had "tarnished the band's name value."
And we all know what a massive (and almost surprising) success 'The Dance' was... both the album and the tour.

Radio stations have been playing a *lot* of Fleetwood Mac's music lately, and almost all of the DJs mention the fact that a new album is coming out soon... so I take that as a sign that there is a deep interest for this album.

I guess we'll see if people connect with it in such a way as to really get those CDs flying out of the stores (and not being returned later).



Johnny Stew

[becca]

Does anyone else remember when John Fogerty's Centerfield album came out? It was about a dozen years since Creedence/CCR was the top rock band, but it all came back in style and was huge. You couldn't turn the radio on for about a year it seemed without hearing Old Man Down The Road and Centerfield and one or two others. He even got sued for sounding so much like Creedence and himself! :^)

I hope FM hits a homerun. I hope it is as good as George Harrison's, Santana's, Boston's and ELO's last albums and not like the newer Journey or Kansas albums.

[Les]

Originally posted by FiercestCalmSea
Besides,MTV is no longer about music...

That reminds me, MTV just recently announced that they were going to cut back even further on the amount of airtime they devote to videos and music-related programs. They were going to pick about 20-30 videos at regular intervals and repeat them very, very heavily, but otherwise turn even more of their resources toward non-musical programming. I wonder then about the point of continuing to call themselves "Music Television?"

[Dulcimer]

I think this CD will sell OK, but it will not be as big as The Dance, and that is fine with me. I don't need other people to validate my musical taste by buying the same CDs that I buy. If it hits big, great. If it doesn't, I'm still going to enjoy it. I just hope that it's not the last FM studio CD.

[BlueGrass]

"The Dance" went platinum right? I think "Say You Will" will do good, because of what the guy stated in thre article. Most of these fans won't be burning this album, they will be buying it.

[Johnny Stew]

Originally posted by Les
MTV just recently announced that they were going to cut back even further on the amount of airtime they devote to videos and music-related programs... I wonder then about the point of continuing to call themselves "Music Television?" Sorcerer386 recently mentioned this too... I guess the "M" now stands for "Miscellaneous," "mismanaged," or just plain "mucked-up." :rolleyes:



Johnny Stew

[estranged4life]

the "M" in Empty-Vee (aka "Mtv") stood for "misleading"...

But the article was alright...Even through stating the obvious:

"Say You Will may not reach the sales of Rumours, but it could thrive even without much radio support.

"It's not fair to expect another Rumours," Mayfield says."

I think unlike Paul McCartney last studio album release the new Mac release will sell...And the tour will be successful no matter what, Brian J.

[chiliD]

MTV

Mindnumbing Trance-inducing Viewing

[estranged4life]

Originally posted by chiliD
MTV

Mindnumbing Trance-inducing Viewing

Mindnming Trance-inducing Vomit???...lol...Brian J.

[Alison]

Thats funny ChiliD... I don't have MTV out in Canada. But I do injoy much more music. It's all music TV.
They play alot of VH1 stuff.
Alison.
I think the new Mac c.d will sell about 2 mill in the States.
They didn't do that well with The Dance in Canada last time around.

[chiliD]

Originally posted by Alison
They didn't do that well with The Dance in Canada last time around.

It probably had something to do with them not PLAYING there during "The Dance" tour. :nod: (well, they did play Toronto, didn't they?) :shrug:

Maybe they need to do an entire Canadian leg...go from Vancouver to Banff to Calgary to Edmonton to Ft MacMurray to Prince Albert to Saskatoon to Winnipeg to Sault St Marie to Windsor to Toronto to Ottawa to Montreal to Quebec City to St John's and maybe even a Newfie show or two....maybe even START the tour by flying up to Inuvik & Yellowknife for a show or two!!! Maybe they can switch their mascot to a puffin instead of a penguin for the Canadian leg of the tour! :laugh:

[tommer]

to all of you who expects The Dance's sales figures i can only say that i certainly hope that i'm wrong and you're right, but i'm afraid that the musical scene has changed dramatically since 1997.
first and foremost NOBODY sells today like back then,
and second, now there is more ageism in the music biz than in the movie biz. if you are a male, you might still have a chance, if otherwise (in our case- a band or a female singer)- don't waste your time.
no veteran band really sells these days (and i mean new stuff, not repackaged classics) even aerosmith stopped selling.
we must judge their sales figures in THIS context, a few of you mentioned mtv, it made me laugh, mtv? try vh1! everytime i'm zapping my way through this channel i'm doomed to watch christina aguilera's painted face!, i've nothing against ms. aguilera, but calling it mature music would be a slight exaggeration.
i think that within this context, stevie's TISL performance was almost amazing.
if Say You Will reaches a quick us top 3 and top 10 in europe, i'd be more than pleased. more than this would be a little miracle, i believe in miracles, but i don't expect them.

[jwd]

Thanks for posting the article Joe.

Although fans rallied for the 1997 reunion tour and chart-topping album, pop's current climate tends to relegate veteran acts to the oldies circuit.

"It's difficult to think of Fleetwood Mac making a bad album, but I'm not sure how much difference that would make," says Anthony DeCurtis, Rolling Stone contributing editor. "The new music is entirely secondary

And thats what sucks about radio today. Some very good music by these veteran acts and newer acts needs to be heard on the airwaves. There's nothing challenging or remotely different on mainstream radio. It's all the same crap that is being forced on the listener by the conglomerates and the likes of MTV. That's why I rarely listen to anything but NPR. If Fleetwood Mac is to reach a wide audience with their new music I think it's going to have to find an alternative medium to do it......internet maybe? I think the only way radio will pick up FMs new music is if it comes out real strong in sales and there's heavy demand for it by the general public.

Fleetwood Mac does have a loyal fan base much like Stevie does, and I don't have any doubts that the lp will sell at least a cool million. But it's really not about the sales at all to me, it's about the music. I'm sure Say You Will will be fantastic to listen to...I'd just like it the rest of the world to hear it too. :)


Joe

[ShangriLaTroubl]

Well I would have to say THE VERY BEST OF FLEETWOOD MAC...did well, considering it a 2 cd Greatest Hits collection of songs most everyone has...it did debut at #12, and went platinum....in a few months....Based on this...I would say that the new album will do better than this Greatest Hits collection, simply because it will get much more buzz...(magazines, tv, etc)

---I would love a #1, and that could happen, but whether it's realistic I dont know...A top 5 debut in my opinion is VERY realistic...even w/o radio support....now whether the cd is a chart topper or not, does that change the way i feel? NO...but I think it is great encouragement for this great band to continue with music....so thats why I hope it sells well...and I think it will..

Chris

[melacine]

The USA Today article also had an outtake from the new photo session, but it was small. Here's a scan....

Luv,
Shel

[estranged4life]

what the heck is Lindsey doing with his fingers and why does he looked po'd?...Thanks for sharing that outtake shot Shel (I know a few Shel's who are FM fans...), Brian J.

[Christopher]

I happen to think that at this stage in their career....The "general" public is more interested in the classics of Fleetwood Mac rather than new songs and a new studio CD. Aug. 1997 was almost SIX years ago...and face it....They took too long to really capitalize on the momentum of that success....besides many things are different now...

back THEN- MTV actually embraced the Mac..airing the DANCE special first!! and ran a big promotional commercial campaign for it...AND also aired the Silver Springs video repeatedly, this of course spilled over to VH1. And most important, Radio played Silver Springs and Landslide with open arms!..and lets not forget the big public television exposure they received durining PBS's annual pledge drives the fall of 97.

NOW- Music is more youth obsessed...and their is a huge slump of record sales across the board....Nobody has been selling very many records......with few exceptions....
MTV will most likely ignore this new release.
VH1 will embrace it, but VH1 is going through its own growing pains and not nearly as popular or widely viewed as it was in 97 thru 99......and its once trademark shows like "Behind the Music" are now stale and losing ratings, so as VH1 revamps its programming will FM get lost in the shuffle as too OLD or too nosatalgic ???

It will take a small miracle to get this new CD played on main radio. PERIOD- that is why warners is getting creative and inserting songs on TV spots (perhaps they will turn up in a tie in commercial like Sheryl Crow did with American Express or Sting did for Jaguar(or some car I cant remember)...otherwise I am expecting something on par as what Stevie experieced 2 years ago....a sprinkling of AOR and Adult Alternative stations. So this 1st single better be great.

If this CD goes double platinum in this current music climate...I think it would be considered a BIG success. hopefully it will!!! (I am betting 1 million for sure)
Santana's and Bruce Springsteens latest both did 2 mill. so far...

Even Sheryl Crows' latest is probably considered a sales disapointment- "C'mon C'mom" has been certified only platinum..and she and her record co. DID major promotion...she was everywhere...and her 1st single was played to death.....BUT even that was fleeting... as her 2nd and 3rd single releases received little radio support and did not take off.....

[Skylark]

:wavey: Well at least they got in USA Today!
That is Great!:D I use Light Golden Brown!haha!
Wish I knew about this I would have bought it...
was it in todays paper????:confused:
Thanks very much Shel for the pix!:nod:
Lindsey must have a hang-nail!HE Looks Fine!:D
That makes it more real!I needed a FMac fix!Sky:)

[Sarah]

Originally posted by jwd

And thats what sucks about radio today. Some very good music by these veteran acts and newer acts needs to be heard on the airwaves. There's nothing challenging or remotely different on mainstream radio. It's all the same crap that is being forced on the listener by the conglomerates and the likes of MTV. That's why I rarely listen to anything but NPR. (edit.. yadda yadda.. etc.)heavy demand for it by the general public.

um. yeah. k.

i know for a fact that radio stations don't just play whatever song they want. our music director spends lots of time on the phone w/wrekkit companies who are asking what their particular song's rotation is every week. he decides the rotation from the chart & requests. it's all about what the people who are listening are gonna like. its the dolts who respond to surveys & tell billboard et. al. that they like {insert ****ty song here} best this week who screw us over.

don't blame it on radio. blame it on the general population. if it wasn't for radio and artist exposure on MTV (channel x) , we'd be in an even more horrible popular music situation than we already are. granted.. mtv is pretty damn horrible. and yup, it is a conglomerate. but, the brain dead drones love it, so, whatever.

We have USA Today to save us. That's right.. I forgot. :shocked:
It seems like there's something WAY wrong when the only outlet for praise for your favorite band is USA today. Hmm. Maybe when they get a little more mainstream.


Sarah

[Skylark]

Sarah...Can we as Fleetwood Fans call our radio stations
and ask for what we want to hear? They did not pay
any attention to my request! Who can I call near Pittsburgh?

This is very exciting for us! The Dance sold 1mil. did it not?
Perhaps the day of huge concerts and numbers is over!Sky:)

[Christopher]

Originally posted by Sarah:

It seems like there's something WAY wrong when the only outlet for praise for your favorite band is USA today. Hmm. Maybe when they get a little more mainstream.


yeah, dont get me wrong- I am estatic that they are getting press...But what about: Billboard, RollingStone and other notables....I keep looking at those sites for updates...and now that there IS a press release...They have seemed to ignore it...hmmmm very interesting.....are they dissing the Mac ??.

Also Sky, "The Dance" has sold 5 million copies and counting.......

[Skylark]

:wavey: Thanks Christopher for correcting ME!!!:)
5 million is wonderful! :blob1:They're rich!!!:blob2:
Gosh, the guy said 1 million on Lindsey's BTM so...
that is where I got that figure! Thanks a LOT!!!Sky:)

[golddustwoman77]

I thought the article was very realistic. :D The author gave the album promise, and talked about the probable success of their tour. Thanks for posting that, DownOnRodeo!

:wavey: :wavey: :wavey:

[jwd]

i know for a fact that radio stations don't just play whatever song they want. our music director spends lots of time on the phone w/wrekkit companies who are asking what their particular song's rotation is every week. he decides the rotation from the chart & requests. it's all about what the people who are listening are gonna like. its the dolts who respond to surveys & tell billboard et. al. that they like {insert ****ty song here} best this week who screw us over.


umm...yeah...that's pretty much what I was complaining about. :)
How do you get to like a song unless you hear it and why would you request a song if you've never heard it?!


Joe

[ERigby818]

Sarah, I don't blame radio, the medium. I love radio so damn much I've chosen a career in it and want to stick with it. But there are certain GREEDY radio monopoly conglomerates that manipulate what gets played so much and make way too much money by cheating the system and the result is mass-marketing that doesn't make sense and forcing it down people's throats even if it's crap. Did you know that a certain radio conglomerate in kahootz with record labels allows them to pay for advertising spot time to get 2 minute ads in for new "hit records." The radio stations play enough of the song in these ads that it counts as a "spin" and all the trade mags and billboard say this song got x number of spins. It's called payola, folks! You'd think people actually requested them, but this greedy conglomerate doesn't actually take requests much anymore because all the djs are voice-tracked (that's when all their "breaks" are pre-recorded as early as days before) and the studios are unmanned and those phones are ringing with requests to play and not play stuff, but the dj is as his other job because he won't get the salary or health benefits he needs from the ugly corporation. So when billboard says the songs get played, the rule is, you gotta play them more, the record companies make a gazillion dollars and they give tons of cash to the radio conglomerates in the form of "perks"...lots of free tickets for their listeners to win and other stuff. There are SO MANY examples of these unethical practices, many of which can be found here (http://clearchannelsucks.org). I'm telling you, these sweet litle deals are just one of the reasons there is such tight, tight control over what gets played on the radio these days. It encourages the already big problem of ageism in the music industry (I've said before the reason Sheryl Crowe can be such a mainstream "pop" star at 40 and not just an adult rock artist is because she looks and sounds 30 and is buff in a tank top)...it also has to do with the freshness of what's new, so we'll buy, buy buy....implying that older artists can't do anything "new."

As for TV, they know sex and youth sells and they abuse that to the point where it ain't "music" television unless it's a young, hot, panting Britney Spears. Faith Hill was a conservatively dressed country singer but her record execs could tell she was pretty and had a lovely voice, so to make lots of money off her, now you don't see her in a video where she's not either writhing in a bed or in the rain or something sexy in the cliché sense.

Ugh. Sorry if all this is depressing. It sure is to me :distress:
-Sonia

[becca]

This is why so often a new song or group breaks through on a college station, pirate or net station, NPR (CBC in Canada), or some low budget small station left that still wants to have some character or won't pay for one of the programming 'services' where what gets played is some kind of screwy science based on number son pieces of paper which initially seem to come out of thin air. It's amazing how many songs are labelled as hits the very day they are released if not sooner! Some stuff that gets the big machine backing it is still good though, but who knows how compromised the artist had to become to get there. It seems to me FM is compromising by catering to the market as what the market has said is Buckingham & Nicks. If it had said Bob Welch and Bekka Bramlett instead they'd go for that I guess.

[Sarah]

Originally posted by ERigby818
Sarah, I don't blame radio, the medium. I love radio so damn much I've chosen a career in it and want to stick with it. But there are certain GREEDY radio monopoly conglomerates that manipulate what gets played so much and make way too much money by cheating the system and the result is mass-marketing that doesn't make sense and forcing it down people's throats even if it's crap.

see also "Clearchannel," "Citadel," and "Journal." (et. al.)

voice tracking is highly effective if used properly.. if you path the voice tracks straight to the automation system (we use SS32), then it's instant.. you dont have to wait to upload. (which is a pain in my ass.. cuz dispatch never works.. its always sorting. grrrr..) if i VT for say, 10 to 2.. i start at 9:30.. and do it in intervals.. its just like planning ahead.. and most times, even after factoring in requests, you wont change the log much ANYWAY because there's a good reason everything is in the order it's in. plus.. i'm a perfectionist.. so i like being able to redo what i'm doing if i dont do it perfectly. (or up to my specifications.) i am much relieved that i dont have to dj much.. (pm news director)

and as far as the tight deals and junk.. i dunno about all of that. on satellite programming.. perhaps. if you hire a consultant to do your log & playlist.. maybe. but i think it's dead wrong to say that stations dont keep their listeners in mind. stations DO keep their listeners in mind.. very strictly.. if for no other reason than.. ARBITRON.

btw.. thanks for clearchannelsucks.org. i didnt see that till after i started typing. i like that. i like tradeouts though.. tradeouts will get you a new set of tires... internet service.. yadda yadda.

and.. sorry, but.. i HATE npr. i hate it. i think it is the suckiest bunch of sucks that have ever SUCKED spreading their suck messages and suck programs on SUCKY frequencies. npr sucks.

..phew..

Sarah

[Sarah]

Originally posted by Skylark
Sarah...Can we as Fleetwood Fans call our radio stations
and ask for what we want to hear? They did not pay
any attention to my request! Who can I call near Pittsburgh?



its all in who you talk to. if you get the receptionist.. if shes anything like the receptionists at the stations i've worked at.. she'll forget to write the thing down.

if you talk to a dj & he's in the middle of somethin or pushed for time.. he'll forget.

if you call & ask for the same thing over & over.. they wont play it on purpose because you annoyed them.

yeah, djs are annoying.. offensive.. blahblah.. but if you offend them, you wont get what you want at all.. and they will laugh at you.


Sarah

[chiliD]

So, basically narrowing down to one word what has made radio so "bad" is:

Deregulation

They deregulated airlines and what happened??

The deregulated utilities and what happened??

Deregulation is not the best solution for everything.

[CarneVaca]

I simply can't see where prerecorded radio chatter between songs is a good thing. I can't see how narrowing playlists to 30 songs a day is a good thing. Or the payola that Sonia so aptly described.

What it all comes down to is the insidious corporate domination of everything that touches our lives. Some people embrace it because they don't realize it's happening. Or they simply shrug and don't see what's wrong with it.

Fleetwood Mac's new song debuted in a TV spot and the general reaction seems to be, What's wrong with that? What is wrong with it is that it is another way for corporations to control everything we do. Why should I have to listen to a song for the first time as the background to some greedy corporate effort to make more money off me? This rampant commercialization that controls our lives is troubling, and it is very Orwellian. Our friend Eric Blair had it right; he only missed on one thing--that the corporations, not governments, would be controlling our minds and lives. Government has become but a puppet of the corporations.

And here's why I've been somewhat harsh about the band's plans for this release. Lindsey himself said in his Behind the Music that he hoped his children would look at his work and see the integrity in it. Well, sir, I hope all they look at is the music itself, because if they look at everything that is surrounding it right now, they might well be disgusted. Here is a man who sounds like he kicks himself in the ass for capitulating to the corporate interests with the Mirage album, and to some extent Tango, and he turns around years later and does the same thing.

And I maintain, and will continue to maintain, that it didn't have to be this way. I can think of lots of artists who have bucked the system and are living comfortably: Wilco, Aimee Mann, Camper Van Beethoven, Rodney Crowell, and many more. These are the artists who are finding ways to reach their audiences without whoring themselves to the corporations. And they are doing it for the love of the art itself, not to line their pockets.

Here's a prediction: The labels and corporate bands like Fleetwood Mac are on the dangerous species list, folks. It's artists like the ones I mention above who will continue to succeed when our dormant public finally wakes up and stops swallowing everything the greedy corporations continuously ram down our throats.

Having said that, I am very much looking forward to the new album. And I can't stand Aimee Mann's music. But I reserve the right to stay pissed at my favorite band. Oh, and if I do decide to go to a show, a dubious proposition at this point, I'll be the one in disguise.

[blinker12]

I have to say, Lindsey really does look good in these new photos. He looks thinner in the face, and he seems to have gotten some sun recently... Maybe it was all the time spent in Hawaii!

[tommer]

Originally posted by CarneVaca
Here's a prediction: The labels and corporate bands like Fleetwood Mac are on the dangerous species list, folks.
one doesn't have to be an economist to analize this, look at the variants:

1- music sales are dropping 6-8% per year
2- music downloading could never be stopped
3- major artists' contracts prices keeps getting more and more inflated
4- promotion prices increasing

it's no longer a question of "if". the question is now "when".

[ERigby818]

Originally posted by Sarah

voice tracking is highly effective if used properly..
Oh, definitely. I don't have a problem with voice tracking in itself...when the jocks are actually there. Heck, if I were a jock (I'm not) I'd VT an occasional break to make sure it came out smooth. I have a problem with people only getting paid 5 hours to do 40 hours of radio...they're paid to voicetrack and leave (the bulding) and there is no one in the studio to answer the listensers requests. This is not the part-timer's fault. It is cheap management which is part of the corporate policy whether the local PD and jock likes it or not. This is commom practice in many places owned by those big corporations, and I've seen it first hand.

stations DO keep their listeners in mind.. very strictly.. if for no other reason than.. ARBITRON.
Yeah...but actual local PDs are not gven nearly as much creative freedom under big corporations are they were before. Good PDs now who care about their listeners don't actually pick much music anymore...they try to keep their listeners and their arbitron books good by having contests, attractive imaging and organizing the clock to get maximum listening. They also spend a lot of time on morning shows which are one of the few things making stations unique.


i like tradeouts though.. tradeouts will get you a new set of tires... internet service.. yadda yadda.
I love tradeouts. They're great! There are a few restaurants in town that give me free food all the time because we advertise them, and I don't even do the ads. But tradeouts are supposed to happen through the station's sales department, not payola between corporate headquarters and sleazy greedy record companies.
Keep in mind this whole time I have been making a huge generalization about radio mass-owned by nasty corporations, It's no secret "cheapchannel" (http://www.clearchannelsucks.org) is the worst offender. Locally owned radio is not like this at all, and small companies that own radio stations still have some dignity, imo. I work for one of those tiny low-budget stations that still wants to have some character that becca described. I got so disgusted working in corporate radio (can you tell?) and it was very hard to find the job I'm in now, because stations like mine are few and far between. It has a shoestring budget, but it's done right. People never seem to understand that radio in general is NOT a profitable industry...and the only way it is is if you do greedy, cheap, sleazy things and own many, many stations. You compromise the quality and make all stations of a particular format sound exactly the same....but you make a buck.
:shrug:

I must say I love the new Tom Petty album for shedding some light on all this. It's got some GREAT songs :nod:


and.. sorry, but.. i HATE npr.

*gasp*
Hehe, I guess it's an accquired taste. I love NPR and the things they stand for...I admit some of their programming does put me to sleep, but I feel like I'll appreciate it more when I'm older :laugh:
-Sonia

[Janet]

It will be like Stevie's album.

They will make the videos and play them on Vh1 every night at 3 AM...they will try because VH1 has the Mac's back for sure.

NO MTV, MTV will stay away Im sure. EXCEPT for the music awards, but that just matters where the tour is at at the time. Bruce got on, why can't FM!!!

I don't see them much on radio either. Bruce didn't get it, Paul didn't get it ( and yes he did have a GOOD album) it seems Don Henley can ...but FM won't. I know it. Because I have been listening carefully for a long time and they just don't play anything but songs that 15 year olds like. The MAC has always been too sophisiticated for that.

I hate it, I wish they'd be all over, but I think they won't. The tour will do great I agree. Ill make sure, Im going to every show!!! ;-)

We can't expect much friends, for the MAC is older...but I think that we will still be treated with videos, and tours and maybe tv apperances. THis is going to be a good year!!!!!!

[chiliD]

I think the radio station programmers would change their attitude if they knew the REAL demographic, instead of their preconceived idea of the demographic of who is a Fleetwood Mac fan. I would've suspected that Fleetwood Mac message boards & newsgroups would be people in their mid-30s to late 50's, as probably the program directors do. But, just look at how many people are here who are in the 16-30 age range...close to a majority of "Ledgies". So if programmers are trying to reach the 16-30 yr olds, Fleetwood Mac, I would think, would be high on their playlists.

[Barbara]

I hope there's an entire concert, ala The Dance, that can air on HBO, Bravo, A&E or some other venue besides MTV and VH1. Don Henley, Tom Petty, Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen, Rod Stewart and others have had televised concert specials.

I think this would help promote the album and I don't think would detract from tour ticket sales.

They've been out of the spotlight for 6 years - they need the exposure.

Barbara

[Sarah]

if the station that you listen to has a playlist of 30 songs, something is seriously wrong. but you dont think about it two ways. if you increase your daily playlist to 300 songs or something.. you're going to hear the song you want.. oh.. once every 4 weeks. which is quite laughable. there's good reason why things rotate the way they do. that's why you have operations managers.. program directors.. music directors.. programmers.. and djs... :rolleyes:

it seems to me.. that the thing that people here don't seem to understand is that not EVERYTHING sucks. everything is so negative around here.. it's really discouraging.. no wonder fleetwood mac doesnt care what we --their "biggest fans"-- think. if this is the only type of feedback they get.. psh.

we bitched about 25 yrs the chain.. at least they gave us something. the dance & the dance tour.. not enough dates blahblahblah.. the new cd which we dont even have our hot little hands on yet.. and we bitch about probably the strongest medium they have to promote their record.

is ANYTHING ever good enough? sure, be critical.. have opinions.. there's no reason to be dillusional and act like everything is perfect.. but still.. i dunno, it seems like there's no "bigger picture" around here.

so what.. if people here had their way.. it'd be FM on NPR? mmhm.. sounds great.

i checked the "what the hell happened" program that shows what's aired.. we played 192 songs with different titles today.
and we take breaks every 30 minutes for news and weather..so.. 30 songs? that's a bit slim.

Sarah