Radio—at one time—was flush with money to pour into research. Bi-annual music tests, perceptual studies, and focus groups were in the DNA of our annual plan.
That time is now solidly in the rearview mirror.
There are ample—free of charge—tools to build a solid strategic Music Matrix into your ongoing discipline.
You know – research.
Successful brands look far past Published Charts to reflect the appetite of their target, utilizing multiple data points for a 3-D view of what is happening musically daily, weekly, and monthly in your format.
National charts tell a limited story – driven by record company influence.
With a little bird-dogging, tactics and tools are available when reviewing your weekly playlist.
Let’s build a strong example – together.
First – look at early adopters. Those who are on the cutting edge of active music consumption.
Digital Sales Data – This chart is updated daily and reflects what truly is trending in the USA. Digital Sales Data allows you to spot a song perhaps featured in a show or an event over the weekend. And how much it is being consumed in the country. Thought – highlight it for one day – then incorporate it into your playlist.
Shazam Charts – Weekly Top 200 most Shazamed song in a country or region. There’s also a Global Chart. Provides Real Time Updates so the morning chart could be different from the afternoon chart. Great destination to find ‘buzz’ songs.
Active Satellite Music Channels—Yup. I said the “S” word. Sirius XM has brilliant programmers and the latitude to experiment with newer music through the platform. Examples include Alt Nation, flush with indie rock; The Heat, exposing emerging Hip-Hop stars; and The Highway, showcasing rising Nashville artists.
Next – include successful brands in your format (or find a hit from other formats) in your foundational music research.
Mediabase was the leader in music charting when the internet was still in diapers. In the early days, MMR247.com employed reporting radio people from all over the country to monitor – in real-time – and report playlists of radio brands to form their charts. Imagine that!
Today, Mediabase provides airplay monitoring, national charts, and real-time data record companies. Data on the platform allows radio stations, artists, and labels to make a call on strategic planning and playlist-building.
Our brands—sans access to local research—use Mediabase to build a five-station regional panel of stations that combine the playlists.
Do this:
- Contact Mediabase for access to their data
- Draw a 250-mile radius of your market
- Identify the most successful stations – ratings – in your format in that radius that ALSO deploys local research (many of the ‘bigs’ do regional research)
- Don’t know if they do local research, call the programmer (most are generous in sharing this info)
- Find the five best-performing stations to build your ‘panel’
- Include this combined panel when making weekly music moves.
Adding new songs to your playlist is a marketing decision. Exposing a new tune to your audience is a thoughtful process.
However – access to data is only part of the equation.
Remember that what we do is – art. You didn’t get into our business to be a – scientist.
Use your GUT—how YOU feel—when choosing a new product. Art trumps science when adding a new song for your audience.
And – be blind.
People lean into a song first – without knowing the artist.
Grizzled radio vets remember Capital Records releasing Donny Osmond’s 1989 song Soldier of Love. The performer on the track was listed as a “Mystery Artist,” so programmers wouldn’t judge Donny by his perceived reputation in the late 80’s. Peaked at #2 in the US.
Quick story.
When Compact Discs were still’ a thing’, our music-listening session was blind. We would enlist the production team and ask them to burn a CD with all that week’s new music.
No track listing – no artist label – nothing on the CD.
One week the last track in our session came on. Everyone in our music meeting LOVED the track. We couldn’t figure out who it could be.
“NEW artist? Pure Power Pop. Maybe The Cars?”
Nope.
Imagine our surprise when we saw the art on the single.
A NEW Collective Soul song on their 2004 album – Youth. What would our reactions be if we knew it was the mid-90s grinders who gave us “Shine” and “December”?
Use data at your fingertips – and your gut – when adding and removing songs from your playlist.
No access to research at YOUR station?
Now – you do.
Kevin Robinson is a passionate award-winning programmer, consultant and coach – with multi-formats success all over the country. He has advised numerous companies including Audacy (formerly Entercom Communications), Beasley Broadcast Group, Westwood One, Midwest Communications, Townsquare Media, Midwest Family Broadcasting Group, EG Media Group, Federated Media, Kensington Media, mediaBrew Communications, Starved Rock Media, and more. He specializes in strategic radio cluster alignment, building lean-forward tactics and talent coaching – legacy and entry-level – personalities.
Known largely as a trusted talent coach, Kevin is the only personality mentor who’s coached three different morning shows on three different brands in the same major market to the #1 position. His efforts have been recognized by The World Wide Radio Summit, Radio & Records, NAB’s Marconi, and he has coached CMA, ACM and Marconi Award-winning talent. He is also in The Zionsville High School Hall of Fame as part of the 2008 inaugural class. Kevin is an Indiana native – living near Zionsville with his wife of 39 years, Monica and can be reached at kevin@robinsonmedia.fm.
