Classic hits should be the biggest format in America. At least, that’s my feeling after spending a couple of days in Vegas. It was a quick trip because I wanted to see the Eagles one more time. Their current run at the Sphere is billed as their last concerts ever. Don Henley announced this was show 54 at the Sphere for them, and he hoped they would make it to show 72. For a kid who bought the 45 of “Take It Easy,” how could I let this pass?
It was my second time seeing them at the Sphere. I was there for their first run in this incredible venue. Let me say, if you’ve never been to the Sphere, it’s an experience like no other. I’ve not only been lucky enough to see concerts there, but also the Delta Airlines presentation at CES when they “parked a plane” in the room. Amazing.
On to the music and the audience. Yes, I’m sure it was older than the crowd down the Strip for BTS at the iHeart Music Festival. However, I was on the upper end of the age spectrum in the Sphere on Friday. The music was like comfort food — all songs written in the 70s, and everyone knew the words. You’re going to say, of course they all knew the words. After all, if someone is paying big bucks to see the Eagles, they were going to be fans. I tried to have as many conversations as possible on the way out and asked how they became familiar with this music.
Some said their parents. Some said an older sibling. Many said Spotify. When I asked about radio, those who used it generally said, “Radio doesn’t play the Eagles.” When I got back to my room, I pulled up Mediabase and saw that “Hotel California” — the song that opened the show — was the 60th most played at Classic Rock and 74th at Classic Hits. The Eagles also ranked in the bottom of the Top 30 most played artists. They’re not in Michael Jackson rotation, but yes, they are still a part of the format.
Younger Listeners Are Discovering Classic Hits
The next day, as I walked through the hotel into the elevator, “Dancing in the Moonlight” — the 1972 hit by King Harvest — was playing. Three young women who likely were at BTS the night before joined me. They were singing along with the song. I asked them how they knew the song. One said TikTok. My weekend was now ruined. Everywhere I went for the next 24 hours, I listened for what was playing and looked for people mouthing the words.
Las Vegas hotels and casinos — at least the ones I visited — play songs that many Classic Hits stations have long forgotten. Generally, the people I watched reacted to this music the same way a classic hits programmer would want their listeners to respond. While I did not happen to hear “Eye of the Tiger,” one of the biggest songs in the Classic Hits format, I did hear “Steal Away” by Robbie Dupree. This song didn’t show in the top 1,000 in Mediabase. I also heard some Eagles songs that they played at the concert but are no longer on the radio.
Streaming Has Changed Everything
I will go back to something I mentioned months ago in this column. When I saw that national radio host and social media star Bru had a Spotify listening age over double his actual age, he told me it was because he likes Yacht Rock. The streaming services — and Sirius to an extent — have made a vast universe of music available to anyone. Not just those who grew up with it. Songs that are 50 years old are now suddenly favorites of people much younger.
As programmers, we’ve become slaves to PPM methodology. We know listening occasions are 9 to 12 minutes long. We want to make sure we’re playing 2 to 3 of the biggest hits of all time when we get one of those occasions. Perhaps it’s time to take advantage of the Guy Zapoleon “spoke” theory of programming. Go a bit deeper and older into the library in those weaker spokes on the format clock.
The Real Question
Here’s the real question: Are we responding to those short listening spans by playing a limited playlist? Or have we created shorter listening occasions with so little variety?
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