6.10.17 - 6.23.12 Numbers Thread

Sorry, but the gay bias argument doesn't really have validity, IMHO. I know this has been pointed out before, but stations in major markets like NY and LA both played Adam's other songs, so I doubt they suddenly developed a severe case of homophobia. The southern regional bias argument also doesn't make sense to me. Beiber is from Canada, Gaga is from NY, Katy Perry is from California, etc. Actually there is more of a pro-UK bias these days!

Radio is a business -- radio station owners and PDs make decisions based on money. Like TV networks, radio makes its money on selling advertising space. Advertising rates are based on ratings. The higher the ratings, the more radio stations can charge for advertising. Radio stations are battling with their competitors for listeners in order to maintain or grow their ratings. Decisions on what music to play is based on attracting listeners.

So, radio stations want to play the music that will attract the most listeners -- that is, the acts that are perceived to be popular. That's the biggest challenge Adam faces IMO -- proving that he can attract listeners. In 2009, radio played Adam's music -- he had just come off American Idol, he had a fan base from that show and a lot of attention in the media. It is now 3 years later. Adam spent the latter half of 2010 on tour, and then all of 2011 working on Trespassing. He was out of the public eye for quite some time and some of his fan base has dropped away. He is no longer a sure thing in the eyes of radio. So, it is now a long uphill battle to try to regain his place on playlists.

This is not about homophobia, it is about attracting an audience. Bottom line, if radio thought Adam could bring in listeners, he would be played as often as Katy Perry.

I think if the album had come out in March, as originally planned, things may have gone better in the US. Originally that was the plan. That would have been right in the middle of his radio tour, which would have been the optimal time to abandon BTIKM and release the second single. I know people don't like to criticize NCOE, but if the album was delayed primarily to include that one song, the song that is currently flopping at radio, was the 2 month delay really worth it?

Could it also be as simple as the early spinners did their market research and listeners just didn't like it? That, in turn, would explain why many early spinners have completely dropped the song from their playlist and other Clear Channel stations decided not to add it when the market research came back if it wasn't positive. Too many fans had misgivings about this song. What's to say they weren't right?

Agree, NCOE was to be the savior after the not successful BTIKM that is not even doing as well as its failed predecessor. I have always felt that they were both cowardly choices when a bold choice would have represented Adam and the album better. Both Trespassing and Shady for example are far cooler, more interesting songs. The two selected singles are a little out of sync with the album because Adam didn't write them. I think of Someone that I Used to Know as an example of a song that is so neat that it does't matter that the singer is not a teen heartthrob or that it doesn't sound like what is being played. It is a huge hit because it in different and a cut above. That is what Adam needed to kick of this era and it is frustrating that the album has many cool tracks of this ilk.

I think maybe people are asking the wrong question -- it is not "Why isn't NCOE being added?" The correct question is "Why should a PD add NCOE?"

What does this song do to build their playlist? Does it hold their listeners?

Setting that aside -- it is really early in this song's life.

Here are the top 20 Top 40 songs ---- the songs that are getting the majority of Top 40 airplay:



- Most are artists who have had recent hits on Top 40 radio.

- Only 3 of 20 songs were released since May 1, 2012. Those songs are follow-up releases to recent hits.

- The new Top 40 artists on the list are

CARLY RAE JEPSEN - it is a #1 hit in over 20 countries.

One Direction has two songs on the Top 40

Calvin Harris song features Ne-Yo