Labor Day is past, and the kids are back in school. Commuting patterns have returned to normal. Pumpkin spice is in everything. Additionally, for diary markets, ratings books will soon be in the listener’s hands. The fall is gearing up to start its annual crazy run to the New Year.
Before things get totally crazy, let’s take a second to prepare. Some notable moments can easily catch you off guard. Furthermore, they can slip by completely if you don’t work ahead. At minimum, put notes on the calendar.
Music Milestones Worth Celebrating
Let’s start with four albums celebrating their golden — fiftieth — anniversary. Each of these releases offers unique programming opportunities.
The Eagles Hotel California (12/8): Notably, what a great way to wrap up the fall ratings period for diary markets. An album that won two Grammy Awards topped the chart for eight weeks. Moreover, it sold thirty-two million copies and turns fifty.
Bob Seger Night Moves (10/22): Importantly, this first album to feature The Silver Bullet Band includes a couple of the best deeper but familiar Seger tracks. The songs “Sunspot Baby” and “Come to Poppa” stand out particularly well.
Electric Light Orchestra New World Record (10/15): Furthermore, the band’s sixth album features a couple of the group’s biggest hits. “Livin’ Thing” remains iconic and relevant.
Queen A Day at the Races (12/10): Since the biopic, Queen has been remarkably relevant. This album is worth mentioning. Consequently, consider dusting off “Tie Your Mother Down” to play after “Someone to Love.”
The Eagles probably warrant a full-fledged weekend promotion celebrating the album and the artist. However, despite being from Detroit, Night Moves may not be on the same level. Yet it’s certainly worthy of featured play on the day. Similarly, E.L.O. and Queen deserve recognition.
Notable Anniversaries Beyond the Golden Standard
While Emerald, Coral, and Sapphire — 55, 45 and 35 years respectively — aren’t as exciting, there are notable releases worth exploring. Specifically, some merit special feature programming.
Led Zeppelin IV (11/8/71): Probably the biggest of the rest, this iconic album marks its Emerald Anniversary on a Sunday. This creates a great opportunity to wrap a weekend promotion around one of the format’s biggest acts.
Nirvana Nevermind and Red Hot Chili Peppers Blood Sugar Sex Magik (9/24/91): These albums share a U.S. release date. The Chili Peppers album started the band’s transition toward being commercially accessible. Meanwhile, the two coming together on the same day provide an opportunity for great programming.
Guns N’ Roses Use Your Illusion I and II (9/17/91): What a fall! A week before Nirvana and the Chili Peppers hit, Guns N’ Roses dropped both Use Your Illusion albums. Between great covers and notable originals, if Guns N’ Roses fits your station, this makes for a great hourly feature. Additionally, special blocks work well too.
AC/DC For Those About to Rock (We Salute You) (11/20/81): Fire the cannons. The follow up to Back in Black was released forty-five years ago. Admittedly, For Those About to Rock wasn’t chock full of memorable tracks like its predecessor. However, anyone who’s seen them live understands the impact. Therefore, the title track remains powerful.
Ozzy Osbourne Diary of a Madman (11/7/81): Obviously, this is always a good excuse to feature some of Randy Rhoades’s best work.
The Police Ghost in the Machine (10/2/81): This one has several good “oh-wow” tracks. “Spirits in the Material World” could be fun to pull out. Additionally, it’s Sting’s 75th birthday.
Birthday Celebrations Across All Formats
Beyond album releases, there are notable birthdays to celebrate. These cross the lines for all three Classic/Adult formats. Programming around these moments adds significant value.
October 2: Sting turns 75, as mentioned above.
October 7: John Mellencamp turns 75 as well.
October 11: Daryl Hall turns 80.
December 18: Keith Richards turns 83. Admittedly, this is not statistically significant. However, any Keith Richards birthday is impressive.
December 20: Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes turns 60.
The bigger point I’m hoping you take away from this list is important. In our Classic Rock/Hits and Adult Hits stations, taking advantage of special dates matters. Anniversaries and birthdays are fertile opportunities. Furthermore, too often they sneak up on us because we are busy. Consequently, many opportunities are lost.
Work Ahead to Stand Out
Please use this column for planning ideas. Do your own research, whatever it takes to work ahead. Make plans accordingly. Ultimately, that way you can have special production and artist audio. Additionally, other special touches make the music come alive in unique ways. That’s our opportunity to stand apart from the streaming services. Indeed, automated competitors can’t match what you create.
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