[article] If you ever wondered why playlists are so bland....

mike65

article

Programming music radio is a mixture of science and art. Whether it’s a pop station like 98 or an oldies station like 4FM, the basic approach is lowest common denominator.

The starting point is an auditorium music test. With this process, about 120 people are assembled in a room representing blocks of the target demographic. They will then be played eight-second clips of 700 songs. The audience have a dial in their hands and if they like a song they turn the knob one way and if they don’t like it they turn it the other way.

Using this process, songs with minority appeal are weeded out and the favourites go into the playlist mix. The downside of this process is that a station playlist can end up sounding bland, with the listener rarely taken by surprise.

According to Taylor: “We have 13,000 songs in our database and around 2,000 may get played at some time. You can only play so many songs to create the sound you want and there is only so much time that people spend listening to the radio. You need to reach as many people as possible with the songs that mean the most to all those people.

“We have to focus on the central proposition – what can we offer that is distinctive? You try to create a station identity with the music genres that you have at your disposal. But that gets harder and harder the more stations you have in the market.”

I shouldn't be surprised given the evidence for this sort of approach can be heard all day every day but nonetheless tis depressing to see such audience testing actually exists.

One also wonders why any station would bother compiling 13k tracks knowing they are only going to pick from a core which is 15% of that.

Poly

They should assemble a list of tracks that make people turn-off the radio and then delete that crap forever.

anything to do with loius walsh would be a good start.

Elmo

We have to focus on the central proposition – what can we offer that is distinctive? You try to create a station identity with the music genres that you have at your disposal. But that gets harder and harder the more stations you have in the market.

So let me get this right. We want to be distinctive but we also want to be popular so we employ a method to understand the LCD tastes of our audience. But the problem lies with the other music radio stations who employ the same technique, thus our "distinctive" sound becomes less distinctive because our competitors are playing the same music, or is it that we aren't all that distinctive and have wasted a lot of money pretending to be distinctive on market research when we could have just copied our competitors

Perhaps Taylor might look at his licensed audience of over 55s rather than the over 35s which is licensed to Q102 who might want to look their audience rather than to 18 - 45 YOs

mike65

Its why everyone ends up playing the Corrs.

FlutterinBantam

No Micheál, never wondered at all.

As long as input is influenced by gimps like Louis Walsh et al, it it any wonder.


Vested interests, a Mhiceál, vested interests, all contributing to dumb down the output and stifle any modicum of originality or spark, that might be glimmering amongst the grey cold ashes of bland mediocrity.


Thats how it rolls a Mhiceál.

Elmo

Should we be surprised that 4FM are currently in talks renegotiating their contract with the BAI. I would be surprised if their current hosts are soon axed for younger more hipper oldsters.

mike65

Why doesn't that surprise me? A station who's raison d'etre and licencing has been hard to fathom.

Elmo

mike65 wrote: »

Why doesn't that surprise me? A station who's raison d'etre and licencing has been hard to fathom.

Why? I think a Multi-city music service for the over 55s is not a bad idea, it certainly should give choice for all ages IMO, particularly in other cities. I would say Nova and 4FM will joing together soon enough.

mike65

Do they have any joint ownership issues?

The concept of a multi city licence in the micro market of Ireland is rather retarded to my mind, there is no way to build an identity, you're not national or local or regional. Add to that the whole foggy 'talk and music mix' and you have a station that simply doesn't mark itself out.

Elmo

mike65 wrote: »

Do they have any joint ownership issues?

The concept of a multi city licence in the micro market of Ireland is rather retarded to my mind, there is no way to build an identity, you're not national or local or regional. Add to that the whole foggy 'talk and music mix' and you have a station that simply doesn't mark itself out.

Nova and 4FM are owned by similar investors and AFAIK their studios are in the same offices.

I think it was more an idea to have a national service, but as they couldn't have that they asked for a Multi-city licence. In their licence application they made it clear that they would provide a certain amount of talk and music. I think the problem lies with being Dublin based and including Dublin in the Multi-city licence. For other cities around the country they might have taken a larger share of the audience.

I wouldn't be surprised if Phantom, Nova, 4FM and Country Mix come together in a few years time as Niche Radio Broadcasters.

Bard

Elmo wrote: »

Nova and 4FM are owned by similar investors and AFAIK their studios are in the same offices.

Nova are on Castleforbes Road, Dubin 1, around the corner from the Point (very near to Phantom). 4fm are on Golden Lane in Dublin 8 - not far from TodayFM/Newstalk.

I wouldn't be surprised if Phantom, Nova, 4FM and Country Mix come together in a few years time as Niche Radio Broadcasters.

I'd be very surprised if that happened!

Elmo

Bard wrote: »

I'd be very surprised if that happened!

They are all in trouble. I think it would make sense. Do you see any of them closing in the near future?

Nova has only started so I should not be so pessimistic.

RoundyMooney

Bard wrote: »

4fm are on Golden Lane in Dublin 8 - not far from TodayFM/Newstalk.

Except for after the end of McGurk in the evening, and before the start of GOC in the am, when they originate from a hard drive in the studio.

Their voicetracking is appalling, and often overlaps the centralised newscasts. Had it on late one night when I was doing up this place, and heard some chap on the phone in the middle of it, must have been using the landline and lifted a fader or something...

Their playlist of late consists of about two dozen tracks, many of which are blandness from the middle of the 80s top 40, which most people cast from their minds years ago.

I assume they're caught between royalty payments and staff costs, either way it's going downhill unfortunately...