I’ve got a crazy idea about what the future might look like for Classic Rock. Keep in mind our stations have already evolved so much from the format’s earliest incarnations to where it is today. Most stations have left the Beatles behind and adopted at least some amount of nineties product into their rotations. But the question remains: how do we stay relevant as time continues to march on?
Go with me on this:
Talking with Classic Rock Program Directors, there is a line in the sand between some types of rock music from the nineties that’s difficult to cross.
Grunge acts like Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and Soundgarden are fine. Even secondary grunge-ish artists like Bush and Stone Temple Pilots feel good in the mix.
When you get to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Green Day, and other, more alternative acts from the nineties is when things start to get uncomfortable. Those artists just don’t correlate as well with Aerosmith, AC/DC, and Led Zeppelin.
They feel a little bit off base.
What Is Divorced Dad Rock
What if we went a different direction? Enter Divorced Dad Rock. I had never heard of this phenomenon until recently, but now I’ve seen several articles about it and have started wondering if this could be the future. I know, it’s crazy, but hear me out.
Let’s start by defining Divorced Dad Rock. According to an article in Esquire, it’s a rebranding of what many might call the butt rock of the early 2000s. Writer Dave Holmes spoke to someone from the “Divorced Dad Rock Night Collective,” who explained it as uncool rock music where the uncoolness is the hook. The person explained that yes, the music has a cringe factor, but “people get passionate about these bands and now they’re at an age where their kids tell them their music is lame.”
According to what I’ve read. There are a lot of bands and songs from the late nineties and early 2000s that fit this mold, but the poster children for Divorced Dad Rock. The easiest examples to work with for our purposes—are Creed and Nickelback.
Two artists that were in healthy, loving relationships with their audiences but wound up tripping over their success and getting divorced from the public at the height of their popularity.
The breakup, however, was not with their die-hard fans, who still love and continue to champion their music. When it comes to touring, these artists are arena acts, and their songs are mostly big, arena-style anthems.
What To Consider
Think of it this way. The best Nickelback and Creed titles have more in common with the biggest Classic Rock songs from Aerosmith and Bad Company than anything from the Red Hot Chili Peppers or Green Day. Not saying ‘90s alternative doesn’t have a place at the format, but maybe they are more like The Police and The Clash—fringier elements.
Currently, neither Creed nor Nickelback has a real home at radio. Looking at Mediabase airplay numbers, Nickelback has one song in the top 500 most-played Classic Rock songs this year, and Creed has none. At Active Rock, Creed has two songs inside the top 300 most-played, while Nickelback has one song in the top 150 and one inside the top 400.
It’s possible this music is like Yacht Rock—sort of peripheral to the format—and will never be a great fit. Or, stick with me, as nostalgia for the early 2000s begins to ramp up—which it undoubtedly will—maybe the audience starts to ask for more of these acts, and they creep into music testing, where we find out there is passion for them.
I don’t know if it will, but it could happen.
By no means am I suggesting you rip your Creed CDs into the library and start rotating Chad Kroeger ballads. I’m just thinking aloud about the future of the format and wondering if this might be a part of it.
What do you think? Have I lost my mind? Let me know. I promise not to be offended.
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