soundbound Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 Why does American FM radio play mainly old Rock & Roll? They play mainly 1970's, some 80's, a little 90's and just a few from this decade. FM is mainly stuck in the 70's though? Every time I turn on FM, I feel like I'm still back in the seventies! It sure would be nice to hear more recent music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigStewMan Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 That was the best decade for Rock-N-Roll. if i live to be 100, there is enough good music from that era to keep me happy. although, i rarely listen to radio anymore for music; but, i've got a sudden urge to listen to Queen's Radio GaGa (ironically, not a 70s song). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWL Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 That was the best decade for Rock-N-Roll.I agree.........But I must admit I've had my fill of the same Zeppelin songs over and over. Great music, no doubt. [Y] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundbound Posted February 25, 2009 Author Share Posted February 25, 2009 I agree with both of you. The seventies was a great rock decade. I really enjoy it, but I'm a little tired of hearing it for thirty years now. There are a lot of young and great modern R&R bands putting out their newer version of R&R all the time, but you don't hear it on FM. I feel bad for kids now a days who are stuck with mostly old FM R&R music when their generation has so much to offer too. FM doesn't even want to put in the effort. Just old DJs playing the same old songs from their days and getting to talk dirty at times. What a waist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Islander Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 A few years ago, I drove through San Francisco. The seventies have barely hit the airwaves in that town. The sixties still rule there. Things in Canada are a bit more up-to-date. Most bigger cities have a New Music station as well as the classic rock stations. They play a lot of modern alternative and almost nothing before the early eighties. Alan Cross, a program director from 102.1 The Edge in Toronto, has a weekly show called The Ongoing History of New Music in which he discusses the origins and careers of lots of influential modern bands. It's syndicated across Canada and may be available on some American stations. Info on the show: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ongoing_History_of_New_Music In answer to the question, maybe it's comfort music, like comfort food. But wallowing in nostalgia is the opposite of progress. There's lots of good new music out there, even if you have to find it on Internet stations. I used to listen online to Red-FM from Cork City in Ireland. They had a really different playlist and it was pretty good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DU73 Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 cant get enough of the 80's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJkizak Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 Today's kids don't know what FM is and listen to the latest garbage. The old people can't tolerate a 3 minute long cord played by a pre-puberic kid. So the FM people broadcast to people who have money and buy things and can read and write. JJK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 because the 70's ROCKED? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TNRabbit Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 Who listens to the radio~ [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kriton Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 Have you actually sat down and listened to some of the grunting, overdubbed, remade, hyper-rap, monotone, monosyllabic crap that is masquerading as "pop music" these days? If I hear someone refer to Kanye West as a genius one more time, I think I will have to shoot my radio. I listen to Nickelback and some of the harder current bands, but you can have the "whine-rock", and any band where the members are all 5 foot tall (the Jonas Brothers) or pretty much any of the so called "R&B" out there, I will stick to Jethro and CSN, Uriah Heep, Pink Floyd, CCR, Chicago (with the brass especially), Supertramp, Queen, Kansas and Styx and the Police and early U2, even Yes and Asia, and Foreigner, hell I would listen to Thomas Dolby, Meatloaf, Talking Heads and the self loathing Morrissey before I would listen to any of the currently praised popular music out there. I keep my ears open though, for good bands that still sing about love and loss, and who are not trying to sound smarter than they are or making political commentaries (kill the police or whitey or whatever) on every song in order to prove that they are "edgey". And you can have Britney, Beyonce, Aguilera, Perry, and Hannah - I will keep Jessica at any size (good Texas girl - as long as I can put tape over her mouth), and Hudgens (well just cause.. But I could be entirely wrong. K Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merkin Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 There are two clasic rock stations in my market and they are about the same. Both do late 70's to late 80's. The other stations go through rap crap or hiphop what ever, country, or easy listening. There are a couple of stations that play new wave? Since the consolidation of the radio stations there is no album rock station. I can listen to the station and about the same time every morning I can tell you the next song since they have their playlist on a loop. Get tired of hearing the same 200 songs. They had better be careful or talk will take over FM also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coytee Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 I will stick to Jethro and CSN, Uriah Heep, Pink Floyd, CCR, Chicago (with the brass especially), Supertramp, Queen, Kansas and Styx and the Police and early U2, even Yes and Asia, and Foreigner, hell I would listen to Thomas Dolby, Meatloaf, Talking Heads and the self loathing Morrissey before I would listen to any of the currently praised popular music out there. I keep my ears open though, for good bands that still sing about love and loss, and who are not trying to sound smarter than they are or making political commentaries (kill the police or whitey or whatever) on every song in order to prove that they are "edgey". And you can have Britney, Beyonce, Aguilera, Perry, and Hannah - I will keep Jessica at any size (good Texas girl - as long as I can put tape over her mouth), and Hudgens (well just cause.. But I could be entirely wrong. I think you & I would get along very nicely, during a jam session..... Though I might try to slip in some Moody Blues on ya... [Y] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kriton Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 I think you & I would get along very nicely, during a jam session..... Though I might try to slip in some Moody Blues on ya... Trust me, that list isn't even close to complete, that is just what I have listened to lately, I still have soft spot for the Housemartins, The Alarm (good anthem rick), Bob Seger, the Who, Simon and that other hairy guy, Bread, America, Alan Parsons, good old timey Blue Grass, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel (pre-Christie), Peter Gabriel, Mamas and Papas, Jefferson Airplane, Steve Miller Band to Dave Mathews Band to Katie Melua and Allison Krause, Dinah Washington and Nina Simone - how is that for jumping around genre's? And that doesn't even touch classical and opera; young Leontyne and JesseNormous, Franco Correlli, Jussi Bjoerling, Hines and Leonard Warren, Bryn Terfel and on and on and on... I really need to just pick something, don't I? K Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coytee Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 I really need to just pick something, don't I? Ohhhh.... I think an afternoon jamming with some Marie Osmond at 142.4932 db's would be divine.... [:|] [^o)] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldmako Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 IMO, these days FM pretty much sucks. I listen to either NPR or classical most of the time. When I want to listen to rock, blues or something bizarre I just stream a station or Pandora into my amp. There are some great college town stations out there, and some specialty shows on certain stations, but most of what they play the rest of the time I don't care for. I am sick of DJs who think we tune in to listen to THEM. Bring back Bob and the original 102.3 WHFS from Bethesda and I'll listen again....hell I'd PAY for that station. Much of old 70s rock was great, but I really need some variety in my life. There were some great bands who put out 10 albums but only 3 songs ever get played....(ie, Steely Dan)...drives me crazy. Have you ever heard Bottisatva (sp??) on the radio? I don't believe I ever have. But Rikki don't lose that frickin' number??? over and over and over! Steve Miller made recorded music way before his mediocre Fly like an Eagle stuff.....ever heard any of it on FM? Not likely. As Greg Allman said, "Rap.....is short for crap". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Richard Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 My guess is they buy bundles of song-rights very very cheaply (same 200 songs play endlessly on a loop almost), and because of the low cost of distribution they make lots of money. Radio stations are exempt from paying royalties. There is some talk of changing that, however. They are probably assembling the song list at Corporate HQ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWL Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 "Rap.....is short for crap".Got that right. [8o|] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenderbender Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 One answer....advertising dollars Males 30-40 and 40-50 spend more than 18-24 on certain products...... 18-24 women buy other products.......and you buy ad. time in bulk across a market the last admin. deregulated the radio industry so there are only a few monopolies left owning hundreds of stations and worse owning most stations in a single market.....If you wish to purchase advertising, you must buy it in a package form that will go out on all of the stations ........kinda like the newspaper, you just want the sunday paper delivered but they only want to sell you the whole week for the same price. the market share on most of those rock stations is almost non existent so they just put on the pre-programed music that has worked.....and radio conglomerates sell ads buy the amount of listeners in an entire market of 12-14 stations .....Axe body spray=18-24.........Becks beer= 30-40 ......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seadog Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 I just now ask my 11-year-old son what his favorite bands are - in about 5 seconds he gave me these bands - go figure. I guess this is why the 70's FM format still works. Black Sabbath Led Zeppelin AC/DC Aerosmith Van Halen Tom Petty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seti Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 Why does American radio suck? Because it does. DJ's are not creative individuals seeking out the latest bands to play or at least the latest they like. No! Instead playlist are compiled by marketing departments and trends read from a computer. F that is what I got to say. Radio is dead with a few exceptions on public radio and some big city stations. When it is not about the music but about the dollar music starts to suck. Just look at the top whatever charts. It makes Lawerence Welk look progressive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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