January 1, 2008,
By now this is history, time flies faster during these days of
constant motion and information overload so a month becomes a
year and a year becomes a decade. I used to joke about "my
archive" - a collection of papers related to music and radio
that went back way too far and had gathered too much mildew.
Given that people are now referring to us with all those buzzwords
that get tossed around when something significant happens, finding
this random note from the early buzz days, summer 2006, did seem
like an archival event. Or at least a big "whew" at
the narrow escape from oblivion that it set off for the music
people call Smooth Jazz. Timing is everything. So is having a
charmed clerk do your quick pick an hour before the drawing on
a full moon Saturday night.
Dude! (smile)
Unbelievable! When we used to joke about how if either
of us won the lottery we would buy a radio station and put our
dream smooth jazz format on it I didn’t know you were driving
across two state lines twice a month and buying tickets for the
big one. I’m glad you told the reporters you were going
to buy your mom a house, pay off your bills and spend a lot of
time on your new boat and that’s it. We'll get attention
soon enough. Our hometown is low profile in spite of its size
and the station is small so maybe we can stay under the radar
till the first ratings come out. Then that will tell the story
and we won't have to. We’re going to have fun, make a lot
of people happy, and make enough money to keep the staff in high-end
vehicles and designer shoes (!)
When word gets out the powers that be are going to say there
is no way that this will work. That we are out of touch with
the realities of the business (just like we were when our shows
were #1 in their respective dayparts), that we are jazz afficianados
with elite tastes (after years of being criticized by the local
jazz police I was sure that they gagged collectively when they
said that about us because we liked the Rippingtons, Acoustic
Alchemy, and those funky Everette Harp songs more than moody
riffing over a wash of string synths). Or that we are overestimating
the audience (thats why they dance in the aisles and give standing
ovations to the type of songs we are going to be playing). We
aren't breaking rules for the sake of breaking rules anyway,
and we sure aren't trying to prove we are progressive and cool.
We're just getting our game plan from Top 40 and A/C instead
of Beautiful Music (aka Elevator Music), the format that died
out when even the current crop of "seniors" found
it too slow, stodgy and out of synch with their lives. To tell
the truth, Smooth Jazz is the only format out there where there
is only one approach. All we have to say is that yes, the current
approach works in some high profile situations, but there is
no such thing as one size fits all. We're creating an alternative,
opening another door, not trying to shut the one that already
exists.
So just to clarify and get focused and all that good stuff here's
what we came up with in those change-the-world conversations
over the last 10 years. This is our mission statement:
To play great songs that have melodies and hooks and balance
a variety of energy levels. The ingrained conventional wisdom
has been that it has to be all about mood and relaxation. Maybe
that worked for the generation that was headed toward 50 in 1987
when the format as we know it was starting out. But what about
people turning 50 now who grew up with Top 40 and Rock. What
about people in their thirties and forties now, MTV kids and
GenX'ers. People like ballads, but they like funky songs and
uptempo songs too.
Music evokes a lot of moods, there is no reason to stick to just
one or two.
We have to make the artists we play become stars to our listeners.
There is a group of core artists that have been around long enough
to be an excellent foundation. When we play enough of their strongest
songs to build an identity around them it not only creates a
bond between the listeners, the station, and the music but it
gives us the framework for introducing new artists and doing
the same thing for them. This includes new music. If they can't
hear new stuff from their favorite artists here, where are they
supposed to hear it?
Being entertaining, uplifting and fun is just as important as
being "smooth and relaxing". People want to relax,
but these days they want inspiration and escapism too. We are
going to give them that buzz you get when you flip out over a
song. Songs without words are great for that because they leave
so much room for the imagination. When you're stuck in a cubicle
glued to a spreadsheet or trying to run errands with three kids
in the car hearing something that linspires, motivates, or just
flat out lights you up can make your day.
Remember how we kinda laughed at that article that said you should "caress
every word" if you were on the air. Which only made me,
the least sexy person on the planet, crack up into giggles. All
the other formats have gone to upbeat, natural voices that are
usually not what would have been considered "radio voices" 20
years ago. We both know people who know and love this music and
can talk about it just like they are having a real conversation
with someone. That's who we put on the air! .
Play our hits! Of course since what we
are doing is not about being progressive there are going to be people who say
we've just come up with another evil format. But ya gotta have structure and
consistency. The difference is that we are going to take a group of great songs
and make them familiar by playing them often enough for listeners to get hooked
on them instead of taking a group of overly familiar songs and playing them
so often that nobody notices them. We have a great pool of songs to choose
from. Some may have been format hits. A lot were not because they were "too
foreground" or "too exciting." They've got tight melodies
and great hooks, people loved them when they heard them but they didn't get
the chance to hear them enough.
Everyone should be welcomed: blue collar, white collar, pink collar,
shift workers, full-time moms and dads.This music has a fan base that goes
way beyond "upscale and professional." A lot of people can't pay
for childcare and petsitters and take off work for a week to do a cruise or
vacation package. After a hard day at work they don't want to have to get all
spiffed up for an "elegant evening" either. Everyone isn't at a corporate
office or in the bedroom. People listen while they are doing yard work, working
on crafts, cleaning the house, answering emails and doing all that other everyday
stuff. We can come up with things that will keep them entertained and make
their lives easier too.
We get to do research, after all we have the budget. We can do
a lot of different stuff and use it in different ways. People
aren't numbers. There are big parts of us that can't be quantified.
We can talk to actual people, watch them, and hang out with them
at concerts and events. By hanging out we can out can really
fine tune our instincts for what they want. Then you can hear
a song and know whether it will work for your listeners. Obviously
you're going to miss on occasion but if we have this relationship
with our listeners and we are giving them what they want, they'll
stick with us through that a song here and there that doesn't
thrill them. In this town what are the alternatives anyway. Lite
gold, country gold, 80s oldies, 90s oldies, classic hits, and
classic rock!
So that's a start. There will be other things to do like put
up a website and get interactive, set up a tie in with one of
the CD stores, and start thinking about concerts. Guess that
in spite of my inclinations there will have to be a VIP section
and chairs, that's fine as long as beer and nachos are as plentiful
as wine and cheese. We've got guitars and saxes (and trumpets
and flutes and drums and basses). Let's rock! (in spirit and
sometimes even in reality)
Wanna see the fantasy station music hours and iMix links?
Go here: http://blog.myspace.com/shannonwest
- Shannon West
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