5.27.12 - 6.2.12 Numbers Thread

I agree 100% Let's think about this logically. Something like 33 states have an anti equality law, NO state has achieved marriage equality by ballot box, only by court ruling. So in what universe are we to pretend to believe that the bias that impacts gay marriage doesn't carry over to radio/media and a gay male artist who is NOT hiding it? I won't suspend disbelief just to be "positive".

I have tracked Adam's experience with this from day one. It happens to be my primary interest for a couple of reasons. NOBODY in radio is free from the accusation, given how every spin of his former songs was usually accompanied with gay snark, insults and fake "jokes". The testosterone insult from GQ was just a few months ago!

We all know the drama that was so public and even on an individual station level SO MUCH MORE happened that didn't get advertised because it was just relentless. Even now, I"d roughly estimate that 80% of the new apparent young female Twitter fans still mention it. "too bad he's gay blah blah blah". The LGBT media community is of no help whatsoever, after being so awful for the past 3 years and just lately coming around. But not full throatedly. Queerty, After Elton, Towleroad etc are weak. With alot of members either apathetic or nasty. Or just clueless.

I happen to have a client who is an executive for Clear Channel. Last week, I decided to have a more in depth conversation about adds and spins. I got the whole run down about market research, people wearing the portable people Arbitron thingy, how their research is real time and down to IP level to exclude the same repeated fans, how every single hit and action on every website is reported etc etc etc.

I still hadn't mentioned Adam's name and the guy used American Idol as an example LOL.

He went into detail about the Clay Aiken season, as an example, saying the whole industry was POSITIVE that Clay was going to win based on google hits etc. He said there was NO way that Reuben was anywhere near the level of excte in the public like Aiken was and how they were dumbfounded on the finale.

So at the end, I asked the simple question, OK, so if you're telling me that PD's add and spin based on common figures they all have access too, and maybe do some tweaking for their particular market, you're saying that the adds and spins are not with bias against a specific artist, right? "Oh yes, definitely".

Me: "OK so Adam Lambert is probably going to drop at BB #1 tomorrow and you're telling me that local PD's aren't going to have gay bias against him and ONLY use their market research? Because the last era proved other wise, for example Open House Party jerking us around having request "contests" for spins, then when we won the contests they got ticked off and changed the "rules", which never even existed in the first place AND browbeat the label with complaints and whining about 'too many votes'."

NO surprise the guy looked at me, blinked, and for the first time in the conversation, broke eye contact, lost his bubbly enthusiasm, looked down at his coffee, doing a fake stir, and mumbled oh sure, only the research.

Research my ass. That's my opinion. And the ICING ON THE CAKE is those two banners for FMQB! What could be more blatant than that? OH, early adders...whoops, typo. More like, Whooops, oh no RCA we didn't REALLY say that we were gonna do that.

And I'm not thrilled to see Adam ask for requests in his Twitter bio. It reminds me of when he desperately tweeted BTIKM is dropping! Request!

Because even HE isn't privy to what's really going on IMO. So yeah, this is gonna be a rough start. I do believe if he can hold it together and not be disillusioned, he can be successful. Then again, I noted a comment that on one interview he said he was cynical now. THAT is definitely a new adjective for the formerly peaceful hippy boy who believed just being talented, hardworking, nice and somewhat fierce would work.

SO that's my take. I'd love to be totally wrong.