Here Are a Group of Sta- to Take Music Calls...We’Re Always Tions Where Their Speciality Is “Music Very Early on Everything
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17 FEBRUARY 20, 2020 Year A NN I V E R S A R Y ! THE Sands REPORT 17 YEARS OF UNIFYING THE ALT COMMUNITY Dedicated To New Music: rock station—the kind that might have existed way back in the 1960s—competing against the staid old school stations by playing only the newest cool music. A Look From The Outside his week, we wrap up our deep dive “Needless to say, with nothing but currents, the record into stations that play more new mu- companies and promoters love sic from newer artists. As we found us,” he continues. “We don’t have out last week there are a group of sta- to take music calls...we’re always tions where their speciality is “music very early on everything. The discovery.” In many cases, these are listener- audience is thrilled. Most of what T we play isn’t heard anywhere else supported stations. While writing about this in the market—giving us a very subject I heard from one station that is both fresh cool sound.” Chip Morgan commercial and listener-supported that plays only currents. That’s right—no recurrents or Farm Fresh Radio lives in the AAA world, but Morgan gold at all! They’re called “Farm Fresh Radio” watches the Alt charts and station playlists, always on and are located in Burlington, Vermont. the lookout for new music. So what do other “music discovery” stations think of the “We seek the newest music and put it on immediately Alt format? I asked Jim McGuinn of KCMP-Minneapo- if it fits within our fairly broad alternative format,” says lis. The Current PD told me he doesn’t feel that connec- GM/PD Chip Morgan who has been with the station tion to the history of the format, back when we since 1999. (He’s also worked in Harrisburg and San were trailblazing artists, and neither does he get Francisco.) Morgan thinks of the station as an early a sense of that “smart fun” that used to exist. Contact: Richard Sands (415) 383-5955 • [email protected] ©All Rights Reserved STREAMS +18% GLASS ANIMALS PEARL JAM OMAM POST MALONE TWO FEET “YOUR LOVE (DÉJÀ VU)” “SUPERBLOOD “WARS” “CIRCLES” “YOU?” IMPACTING NOW WOLFMOON” TOP 15 TOP 25 HEADING TOP 30 OVER 2 BILLION #1 MOST ADDED 11 MILLION STREAMS OVER 1 BILLION 11 MILLON STREAMS ARTIST STREAMS AT ACTIVE ROCK THE NEW ALT STREAMS EARLY DENVER & BEND, OR SOLD OUT TOP 5 ROCK THIS 1.25 BILLION US ARTIST 47% MALE 18-34 TOUR STARTS GIGATON OUT 3/27 STREAMS TD 53% FEMALE 18-34 PINK OUT MARCH 13TH NEXT WEEK HEADLINE TOUR ON TOUR FEVER DREAM TOUR STARTS ON TOUR NOW STARTS IN APRIL THIS SPRING THIS SUMMER MILLION CLICK TO WATCH STREAMS IN ONE 7 WEEK AJR “BANG!” #2 ALT Current 3M+ 1.5M+ Views IMPACTING NOW ALREADY ON: ALT NATION KTCL WSUN KKDO WGHL WLKK KUCD KMYZ WHHZ KYRK KXNA WGMP + MORE Karen Glauber: [email protected] | Ted Volk: [email protected] | Ronny Gutfreund: [email protected] US +34%... Consumption +12% MAGIC GIANT Denver +83%... “DISASTER Streams +44% PARTY” Dallas +73%... Streams +12% Good Morning America 3.6.20 NEW TW: CLICK TO WATCH KMAX 38* MB ALT ON 30+ MC KVIL KDKB WSUN KTCL KKDO WWCD WRRV WROX WLKK WZNE KPOI WEQX WFUZ WARQ KRXP WAQX WWWX + MORE Ronny Gutfreund: [email protected] | Amy Kaplan: [email protected] THE SANDS REPORT ● page 2 of 6 McGuinn states, “I think about the clever promotions, losing their gigs and/or have lost local autonomy. But the programming stunts, the musicality of the format McGuinn has a ray of sunshine to offer if you are one in the early days, and these are the things that I miss, of those people who recently lost a gig: The Current maybe because commercial radio stations are so short- is right now looking for a new Music Director! So if staffed now....maybe the corporate theory is that the you’re reading this and feel inspired by what they do in audience doesn’t care anymore, maybe the stats prove the Twin Cities, now is the time. McGuinn says,“We that you don’t need local humans to win on the com- need the best MD in the world to come help us head mercial side. into the future. Get us your stuff and let’s rock!” “And I have to say that to my ears, too much of what At Indie 102.3 in Denver, former Alt PD Willobee I hear on Alt radio sounds Popternative—it’s like an Carlan understands the constraints most programmers alternative version of are under so he felt it was a tough assignment to assess Too much of what I hear sounds Top 40—pop music our format, but he took a stab at it. “I don’t see an Popternative—an alternative for people that don’t adventurous spirit like when I first got into Alternative. want to hear HipHop I think the format is being stifled and over-thought. version of Top 40 or Urban music. Of Some of the big companies are way too tight and afraid course, I’m well past the 18 to 34 demo those stations to take the lead on artists. While smaller independent seem to be chasing, so it could also just be me.” companies allow for more freedom, they are not repre- sented fairly on the charts,” he asserts. Mostly though, McGuinn loves radio. He says, “The vastness of choice in the Spotify world proves we still Willobee still has a fondness for the format. “I just need trusted filters to help us wade thru life and listen want to say how much I miss all my friends and col- to the best music possible—their algorithms have not leagues in the alt world. I also want to send my won—they have not matched the feeling of a great host thoughts out to all those who have been dislocated and setting up a new song that blows my mind, discovered wish them all to stay strong.” together by thousands at the same moment in time. But so many stations are failing to do this as well as Matt Reilly is the PD at KUTX, the music discovery they could be, at least to my ears.” station in Austin, Texas. I asked him his impression of Alt radio and he told me, “I was in high school McGuinn told me he was really sad to see the job cuts in the early ‘90s, so I was there for the birth of at iHeart and feels horrible for so many peers who are the format and it’s a part of my musical DNA. THE SANDS REPORT ● page 3 of 6 A Look From The Outside (Con’t) “REALLY ENJOYED That said, I hear an inordinate amount of ‘90s bands in any given hour. I get the ratings game and if that LAST WEEK’S ISSUE. works, then it works. You don’t want to mess with it THANKS FOR SHARING.” too much because you’re talking the bottom line in a very tight industry.” -KYLE MEREDITH, WFPK Another thing that strikes him is how similar commer- cial Triple A and Alternative are now. He laughs, and jokingly says, “I blame Mumford and Sons.” He then quickly added this observation, “I used to hear harder and more experimental music and, with some excep- tions of course, it’s melded into a Alt Photo Corner gentler sound.” Matt Reilly In closing, Reilly shares some sage advice for PDs everywhere. “Your audience is your north star. Don’t let the labels dictate what you do. Take your time. Your audience will wait while you breathe. Listen to your gut—the labels may not vote to give you MD or PD of the year at the next convention in the hotel ballroom, but your audience will appreciate you more and they’re the ones that matter. Dare to be interesting. Do more events. Kiss more ba- The Overcoats paid a visit to Atlanta. That’s 99X’s bies, shake more hands. Have a solid musical knowledge Adam Schneider (left), and Evan Brando (second from right) with the duo Hana Elion and JJ Mitchell. base of many genres—it’ll make you more hire- Rush your Alt photos to [email protected] able when your corporate overlords flip your format into smooth jazz.” Our Mailing Address: The Sands Report LLC • 38 Miller Avenue, #469 • Mill Valley, CA 94941 [email protected] NEW @ WKQX EOB WWCD WROX MC ALT + MORE! SHANGRI-LA AIRPLAY NOW! NEW SINGLE FROM RADIOHEAD’S ED O’BRIEN EARTH OUT APRIL 17 CONTACT: GARY GORMAN 323.871.5260 GARY CONTACT: THE SANDS REPORT ● page 4 of 6 Added/New in the Top 50 Alt Leaders WRDA-Atlanta No adds Third Eye Blind 1. The Strokes KROX-Austin Strokes, Tame Impala Music Choice Cold War Kids, EOB, Grimes, Machine Gun 2. FINNEAS WEND-Charlotte No adds Kelly, Palaye Royale, Peach Pit, 3. CWK WKQX-Chicago EOB, 1975 Post Animal 4. Kennyhoopla CD102.5-Columbus Cold War Kids, WBUZ-Nashville Cold War Kids Easy Life, EOB, Taylor Janzen, Alt 92.3-New York Guardin 5. AJR Kennyhoopla WZRH-New Orleans No adds 6. EOB Alt 103.7-Dallas Joywave, 1975 WROX-Norfolk Bakar, Cold War 7. Cage The Elephant KTCL-Denver CWK, Kids, FINNEAS, Strokes Eliza and the Delusionals 8. Head and the Heart The Edge-Ok City Half Alive, KTBZ-Houston No adds Incubus iHR Custom No adds WQMP-Orlando FINNEAS, Alt 105.3-San Francisco Joywave, Kennyhoopla, Hayley Williams KRBZ-Kansas City FINNEAS, Kaleo, Strokes Little Hurt, Hayley Williams WRFF-Philadelphia Cage The The End-Seattle lovelytheband, Elephant KXTE-Las Vegas Strokes, 1975 Tame Impala KDKB-Phoenix Grouplove KPNT-St.