It may be the most romanticized piece of the radio experience. A host gives out the station phone number, and listeners call in asking to hear their favorite songs. The host coaxes a great soundbite out of the caller about why they want to hear that song or who they want to dedicate it to.
That conversation plays back as the song being requested starts to play, and the whole listening audience gets to hear the reason that song is the perfect song for that person in that moment.
And it never happens anymore.
Let’s face it, the days of listeners’ requests are all but over. There are a bunch of excuses why this simple interaction doesn’t happen anymore: no one is in the studio; everything is voice-tracked; no one calls anymore; and my favorite, the songs they call for are too far out of format, everyone will tune out.
There is, however, one place where requests are making a notable comeback: Spotify.
It started in February 2023 when Spotify announced the addition of a new feature: an AI-powered DJ. Using artificial intelligence, Spotify promised to give listeners a more personalized musical experience. Part of the new feature included a button so if a listener wasn’t “feeling the vibe,” they could tap the DJ button to switch it up.
Now they have improved this functionality. According to a recent press release, when users press the DJ button, they will now hear a beep, and that’s when they can “ask for the type of music they want to hear at that moment.”
Listeners can’t ask for specific songs, but they can instruct the DJ to play a mix based on genre, mood, artist, or activity. Spotify included some examples like, “Surprise me with some indie tracks I’ve never heard before,” “Give me some electronic beats for a midday run,” or even “Play me some cry-in-the-car songs.”
Now, when it comes to picking songs to fit a mood, I would put most Classic Rock hosts up against an AI-powered DJ any day. I have no doubt our expert curators would do a better job finding just the right song to match a listener’s mood or meet their needs.
Except for one small problem, at most stations, no one is taking requests! So, unless we want to simply give that up to Spotify, it’s time to reopen the request lines, in a way that fits today’s reality.
So, let’s address the issues:
Unfamiliar song requests cause listeners to tune out.
This is the weakest argument. Classic Rock listeners scream for more variety. And while you can’t play a whole set of unfamiliar songs, weaving a few requested songs between huge hits will help satisfy the crowd that hates your playlist. Plus, half the requests you’ll get are for popular songs anyway.
Further, it highlights the songs as being something another listener asked for. I guarantee that gives you more latitude to play a song that other listeners aren’t familiar with. They may not know a song, but they will appreciate it because it’s a request, and they’ll hear the caller explain why it’s a great song.
I can’t play requests in my show because its voice tracked. Plus, nobody calls the station anymore.
It’s 2025, requests don’t have to be executed the way I described at the top of this column. There are a myriad of ways for people to make requests now. Voice messages from your app or their phone, email, text, a form on the website, social media, should I go on?
Review the requests as they come in, place them in the log for the next day and communicate back to the listener to let them know when their song will play. As we fight for every occasion of listening, tell a listener when you will make them a star, and I can all but guarantee a tune in.
We claim it’s our ability to connect with our listeners that sets us apart from a boring Spotify stream. Let’s prove it. Open the phone lines, text line, email, voice message or whatever and remind your listeners how much better our listening experience can be.
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Mike Stern is a Classic Rock columnist and Features writer for Barrett Media. He has been with Jacobs Media consulting stations in the Classic Rock, Rock, Alternative and AAA world for more than a decade. Prior to that he programmed stations in Chicago, Detroit, Denver Las Vegas and other markets. He also worked as News/Talk Editor for Radio and Records, wrote about Top 40 Radio for Billboard Magazine and had his own radio talent coaching business called Talent Mechanic.
