Sherrie Austin $4.95 Countryhighlights
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COUNTRY 1 AIRPLAY Ore We Listen To Radio April 30, 1999 Volume 7. No. 18 SHERRIE AUSTIN $4.95 COUNTRYHIGHLIGHTS MARK WILLS Wish You Were Here (MERCURY) * * AIRPOWER * * MARTINA MCBRIDE Whatever You Say (RCA) LILA MCCANN With You (ASYLUM) * MOST NEW STATIONS * ALABAMA God Must Have Spent A Little More Time On You (RCA) ON YOUR DESK ALABAMA God Must Have Spent A Little More Time On You (RCA) T. GRAHAM BROWN Never In A Million Tears (PLATINUM) MATT KING From Your Knees (ATLANTIC) REDMON & VALE If I Had A Nickel (One Thin Dime) (DREANIWORKS) KELLY WILLIS Not Forgotten You (RYKODISC) Does Label Pre -Testing Help Or Hinder Radio's Hunt For Hits? by Dana Hall, Marc respondents are asked to listen to the Schiffman and Phyllis Stark album at least once a day for 10 days, which, Hart says, "replicates two weeks Does doing their own product in heavy rotation as far as awareness." research on singles better prepareThey get a follow-up call halfway labels for the research gantlet they run through to make sure they are actual- at radio? While the concept goes back ly participating. After 10 days, the re- several decades, it's finding new pro- spondents are called again and asked ponents, who, while not claiming to be a series of questions about each song. able to replicate the call -out process in The research, Hart says, can help advance, think they can determine a determine "which songs will drive call - project's viability by doing consumer out research. We're trying to build a testing prior to the release of the prod- predictor model of how that song will uct. It's also finding detractors, who react at call -out." remain dubious about researching art. But Barnes points out that research Many of the proponents of pre -test- is not a promise of airplay. "All that ing music come from the radio side, research can do is tell you what kind including Bullseye Marketing Re- of chance you have and what kind of search owner and former country resources are worth devoting to a giv- programmer John Hart, Zapoleon en record, not whether it's a hit." Media Strategies' Lorrin Palagi, Sin- As an artist manager and label ton/Barnes & Associates' Tom Barnes, head, Allen Kovac embraces the con- and former R&B programmer Tony cept of researching the market, al- Gray, now president of Gray Consul- though his emphasis is not on re- tants, all of them looking to partner searching music, as much as looking with labels for pre-release research. at lifestyle and consumption patterns Barnes sees research in today's label of a given act's core fans. He thinks environment as key because of the ex- the music industry is slow to embrace pense of taking a song to radio. La-research, because "everyone's got to bels, he says, must ask, "Is this song be the man behind the curtain, where going to do what it needs to do in or- their ear or their gut makes the artist. der to justify the amount of money The reality is the audience makes the that we're putting into it?" artist, not the executive." Scott Borchetta, senior executive of Dream Works Records in Nashville, THE CREDIBILITY GAP has been doing research projects with But there are other pockets of resis- Hart's company for years and says, "It tance. Programmers already view any helps you identify passion, good or research that they didn't personally bad. We all sit here on Music Row and oversee with some skepticism. Strat- try to be plugged in, but at the end offord Research R&B VP of program- the day it doesn't matter what I think ming Ken Johnson says labels "can tell "NEVER 3EE\ KISSED" or what a producer thinks or what a me that the record tested well with fe- IMPACTING RADIO: MAY 10TH PD thinks. It's what the listener thinks, males 25-54, but can I see the infor- and this is our one way to get a snap- mation?Who performedthe from her new alburr shot vote from the consumer." research? If we can't see the hard evi- Hart has been doing consumer test- dence ... it still lacks credibility. Labels LOVE IN THE REAL WORLD ing in country for nearly four years should be using research internally and says almost all of the Music Row and not to get programmers to play labels have used his services at various records ... If it helps them to pick bet- A NEW ALBUM. A NEW SINGLE. times, and his business has now ter singles to release, then it will help extended into other formats as well. them at radio." A NEW OUTLOOK ON AN CLD SUBJECT. He sends a cassette of the album Hart says he encourages labels not Produced by Ed Seay and Wit RamEecux project to 150-200 respondents who to use his pre -testing research to try to lhaLMt have been pre-screened according to get songs added, "because radio has a www.twangthis.corn © 1909 arise Records, Inc., a unit of BMG Entertainment NusFIVIllE criteria set up by the label. Those Continued on page 6 From the forthcoming DreamWorks album REDMON )7-' VALE Airplay May 3 www.redmonvale.com WVVW.DREAMWORKSRECORDS.COM 1999 SKG MUSIC NASHVILLE L L C DOJ Approves Clear Channel, Capstar Deals The Justice Department has approved two of to buy the five sticks, but that deal has now the largest radio deals before it, signing off on been withdrawn. Capstar expects to dose on COUNTRY CONfIDENTIAI the $3.8 billion Clear Channel/Jacor merger the Triathlon stations April 30. and Capstar's addition of 31 Triathlon stations. 1111111-321-4291 wjessenealrplaymunitoncom The Clear Channel/Jacor marriage was ap- KENNARD SEES PROGRESS proved on the previously announced condition Advertisers are making progress toward the company sell 18 stations in Tampa, Fla.; spending more money with black, Hispanic, Wills Knocks Chesney Out Of No. 1 Spot Cleveland; Louisville, Ky.; and Dayton, Ohio. and Asian stations, according to FCC Chair- Mark Wills scores his first No. 1 on our Nov. 22, 1997. While the FCC still needs to finish its review, sta- man Bill Kennard. He is praising advertisers Country Airplay chart (3-1), as "Wish You Were Morgan's "War Paint" set continues to repre- tion managers have been told by corporate for making progress, specifically pointing to Here" (Mercury) gains 130 detections to bump sent her first -week sales bench mark. It entered brass that a dosing could occur as soon as thisTrue North Communications, which has set up Kenny Chesney's stubborn six -week chart -top- Top Country Albums with more than 17,000 Friday. Clear Channel becomes the third -largest three minority -focused agencies. "Large ad- per "How Forever Feels" (BNA) back to No. 3. units in the May 28, 1994, issue. Discounting a radio group in terms of revenues and has the vertisers are also responding with business so- With 4,779 plays, "Wish You Were Here" fin- '95 greatest -hits package that bowed at No. 5, second -biggest portfolio of stations, with 458. lutions. For instance, Pepsi -Cola recently an- ishes 95 detections ahead of Tim McGraw's Morgan's new album matches the record -high nounced a 10%45% increase in its advertising "Please Remember Me" (Curb) and 195 spins debut of her "Greater Need," which popped on on black radio stations," said Kennard. The ahead of Chesney's song. at No. 8 in '96. American Advertising Federation has created Had Chesney's song held for a seventh con- On the radio, "Maybe Not Tonight" gains CAPITAL & a task force to bring more attention to the issue. secutive week, it would have ended a 32 -year 194 plays to rise 27-22 on our Country Airplay AAF is working with Procter & Gamble on a dry spell for such a feat. The last time any title chart (see Song Activity Reports, page 19). Air- survey of work -force diversity and multicultur- spent that long at No. 1 was in late '66, when play is detected at 151 monitored stations. ...,AusakCAPITOL al ad practices. Results will be released next Jack Greene's "There Goes My Everything" Following VH 1's "Divas Live" special, Shania month. reigned for seven weeks. livain's "Come On Over" (Mercury) takes the George Jones enters the chart at No. 71 with biggest gain on the album chart, up 11,000. BY FRANK SAXE OWNER SELLS STATIONS ONLINE "Choices," the lead single from a forthcomingTwain's set logs more than 114,000 units this 212.536-5268 hame@airplaymonaorcom The owner of country KDJR (K100) and Asylum album (see IMPACT!, page 20). Jones' week. sports KHAD De Soto, Mo., found an innova- last solo chart appearance was "Honky Tonk Elsewhere on the album chart, Andy Griggs Separately, DOJ has signed off on Capstar's tive way to cut out broker fees and complex Song," which bowed in the autumn of '96. enters with more than 9,000 scans at No. 15 $190 million purchase of Norm Feuer's haggling to sell his stations. Kim Schafermeyer "Choices" was previously cut by its co -writer with "You Won't Ever Be Lonely" (RCA), and Triathlon Broadcasting, with the caveat that it sold the combo via the eBay.com site. With a Billy Yates for his Almo Sounds album. Mandy Barnetes sophomore set, "I've Got A spin five stations in Wichita, Kan. Capstar minimum bid set at $150,000, bidding quickly Right To Cry" (Sire), bows with about 2,000 plans to put the Wichita quintuplet in a trust dimbed to $999,999, until two days later, when DOUBLE DEBUTS: Airplay for Sammy units at No.