Album Oriented Rock (AOR)--A dying radio format.

[Revering4Blue]

Maybe it is just me, but it seems as if today's Rock radio (not pop/top 40) formats are way too specialized with shrinking playlists. Mainstream (AOR) Rock radio is becoming a thing of the past.

Rock stations have either gone the "Classic Rock" (Read: "Hotel California" and the like repeated ad nauseam." or the "Active Rock" (Read: Predominately Bad--screaming/monotone-- Metal mixed with solid Mainstream bands such as the Foo Fighters." Adult Album Alternative Stations (Rock, for the most part, not "heavy" enough for Active Rock stations, but minus the "bubblegum" music prevalent among "Pop" radio stations.) are few and far between.

To further illustrate my point, check out the latest Billboard Rock Songs Chart.

How many stations play all of the charted songs?

http://www.billboard.com/charts/rock...rts/rock-songs

I miss the days when Mainstream Rock Radio encompassed all types of current Rock and contained a much larger "Classic Rock" library.

It's no wonder one has to virtually go the XM/Sirius/Internet route to satisfy Rock radio cravings, which is a shame.

[Rojo]

Changing music, changing demographics. A few years ago, San Francisco lost it's last "stardust" station -- Big Band-era music. The audience was dying off.

[Spazzrico]

Radio began its slow death in 1996 with the passage of the Telecommunications Act that deregulated radio markets. Once conglomerates could buy up most of the stations in a market, they had no incentive to compete, and provide innovative and interesting content. This isn't the only reason, but it was the beginning.

[Caveat Emperor]

The market speaks. Cincinnati has had several stations like you're describing (the old "Channel Z," 94.9 "The Sound" and "Frequency" 94.1), but they all end up flipping formats because the ratings in key demos just aren't there.

[OldRightHander]

How many people like me just don't listen to much radio anymore? I tend to buy what I like and listen to that primarily, using the radio for sports and other talk content and plugging in the iPod when I want music. Maybe that's because most of what's on the radio is junk these days.

[fearofpopvol1]

Originally Posted by Spazzrico

Radio began its slow death in 1996 with the passage of the Telecommunications Act that deregulated radio markets. Once conglomerates could buy up most of the stations in a market, they had no incentive to compete, and provide innovative and interesting content. This isn't the only reason, but it was the beginning.

This is spot-on.

Commercial music radio in general is now a dying format. There are just too many options with talk radio, ipods, iphones etc. Most people I do believe want curated music, but the current FM options are just too bland and it's littered with commercials galore and repeated playlists. Not to mention, they've lost a lot of ratings. When I was growing up, listening to the radio was not only something you did in the car, but something you did in the house often. The vast majority of people today do not listen to the local radio stations in their homes as there are too many ways to spend one's time. Now, commercial music radio stations are lucky if they get people to tune in whilst in the car and most people don't. Advertisers are pulling out left and right and some FM stations are turning into talk radio stations. This trend will only continue.

I honestly don't think Sirius or XM will survive too much longer itself, but they may live a little longer because of Stern, their variety and other offerings.

[jwdoc77]

If you are looking for something with a huge playlist that will introduce you to much more music than mainstream radio and a good variety at that, check out KEXP.org. It is publicly funded, listener supported radio out of seatle. Actual intelligent DJ's, all music and no commercials, and lots of in studios from artists. I stream the station all day at work and couldnt live without it. They also have a smartphone app. Good music that you like is out there, you just have to find it.

[reds1869]

The only over the air music station I listen to in the car is WNKU. Other than that it is CDs for me (yes, I still have those shiny disks). I'm a big fan of the format you mention but I fear it will never come back because it just isn't commercially viable.

[Roy Tucker]

I read in the paper this AM that WEBN's ratings are waaaaauy down. I can't remember the last time I dialed over there.

[dabvu2498]

Originally Posted by Roy Tucker

I read in the paper this AM that WEBN's ratings are waaaaauy down. I can't remember the last time I dialed over there.

That's because it's painful to listen to them anymore. They have no identity.

[KronoRed]

Rock is dead.

I don't know about anyone else but I don't enjoy listening to what I have on my Android as much as hearing a station, I know all of the songs on my phone, even if I move them around, I still know what songs are there and nothing is a 'surprise'.

I hope xm doesn't die anytime soon.

[Revering4Blue]

In a March 8th article in Rolling Stone, Bill Werde reported only six percent of teenagers in the U.S. listen to rock at any given time, compared with nearly twenty percent listening to urban radio and forty percent listening to Top Forty radio stations. Since 1998 album-oriented rock stations have seen listenership fall seventy percent while Spanish-language radio ratings are up thirty percent the latter of which could be partly attributed to the Hispanic population becoming the United States’ largest minority population in 2003.

Along with demographic reasons, the decline of rock radio could also be attributed to the Internet and illegal downloading, Satellite radio and the overall ignorance of the music industry towards rock music.

“It seems the current music industry doesn’t focus on rock musicians as much as pop stars,” says rock fan T.J Karpinka of Sherwood Park, Canada. “Too me, it’s more of a cash grab than anything.”

And it’s not just fans that feel that way but performers as well. “An act like ours wouldn’t even be around today if someone hadn’t brought us along and let us make mistakes and grow at our own pace,” said Tom Petty in a Rolling Stone interview with David Wild in 2002. E-street Band guitarist and Sopranos actor Stevie Van Zandt said similar comments in an interview earlier this year with News Hour Correspondent Terrence Smith where the rocker stated that if the Rolling Stones were starting out today, they wouldn’t get airplay on regular radio.

An employee from 97.7 HTZ-FM in St, Catharines, Canada who wished to remain anonymous blamed the decline mainly on the quality of mainstream rock. “I think the primary factor numbers have slid because of mediocre music."

Absolutely. Nu-Metal/Rap-Metal accepted as Mainstream Rock?



http://www.antimusic.com/lowdown/05/radio.shtml

[kaldaniels]

Originally Posted by Revering4Blue

Absolutely. Nu-Metal/Rap-Metal accepted as Mainstream Rock?



http://www.antimusic.com/lowdown/05/radio.shtml

Whoa...

Are you implying Hot Dog Flavored Water and the Chocolate Starfish is not in the same conversation as Sgt. Pepper?

[fearofpopvol1]

I'm not of the mindset that rock is dead. It's just that there aren't too many quality rock bands out there and its radio formats are clustered. Classic rock has a limited audience as it doesn't appeal to most youngsters.

When good rock bands come along, they typically do very well. Unfortunately, they're rare anymore.

[Revering4Blue]

Originally Posted by kaldaniels

Whoa...

Are you implying Hot Dog Flavored Water and the Chocolate Starfish is not in the same conversation as Sgt. Pepper?

Honestly, Limp Bizkit and Disturbed are not really my bag. To be fair, I've never listened to a CD by either Artist--just what I heard on the radio.

Full disclosure: I cannot stand Rap/Hip-Hop and all of the derivatives, but to each his/her own.

BTW, great spot-on comments all around from everyone in this thread.

Thanks.