Source: Charlie Charli007@aol.com
I'd like to take a moment to step up on my soapbox so please hear me
out. This issue goes far beyond just
the Backstreet Boys but because I am a BSB fan first and foremost,
I'd like to share my problem with
my fellow fans.
When I have attended concerts in the past, I have often heard artists
thank the fans in attendance for
buying their albums and also calling radio stations and requesting
their songs. I'm no expert on the music
industry, but it is clear to me that album sales are not the only deciding
factor in song ranking on top 100
charts. Radio airplay has a lot to do with this ranking.
I currently live in Atlanta, Georgia, which I believe has the 6th largest
radio market in the country. You
would think that a city that has multi-national corporations, championship
sports teams and that has
hosted the Olympics would have a radio station that has some knowledge
of what the listening public
wants to hear. Now Atlanta does have a radio station which considers
it's format to be "top 40" however,
myself and others have faced hostility when calling this radio station
to request not only BSB songs, but
also songs of a similar genre (i.e. Nsync, 98 degrees, Christina Aguilera,
etc.) It angers me to know that
songs and artists that are in the TOP 10 are never heard on top 40
radio.
Some examples of problems I have encountered with Atlanta radio are as follows:
At the time "All I Have To Give" was a top 5 single,
I never once heard it played on the Top 40
station. (The Adult Contemporary stations played
it, but not the Top 40 station.) When I called to
request AIHTG, I was told that the station had the
song, but was choosing not to play it. This
was followed by the DJ all but hanging up on me.
This situation not only happened to me, but also
to others I know. AIHTG was finally played on Top
40 radio in Atlanta but not until about a week
before "I Want It That Way" was released.
On the subject of IWITW, when the single was released,
I believe it to be one of the most
anticipated songs in the country. Once again I called
the radio station to request that it be played
and once again I was told "We have the song, we
are just choosing not to play it." I only had to
wait three days this time to hear the newest BSB
single. A DJ later told me that the only reason
they played it then was to stop the barrage of phone
calls that the station was receiving from
BSB fans.
And now the struggle has moved onto "Larger Than
Life". When requesting the song last week I
was rudely told that the station would be playing
it, but only after 7 p.m.! WHAT??? Again, I do
not understand the reasoning behind any of this!
My radio listening is not limited to a few short hours each day. I work
in an office 8 to 10 hours a day
with Top 40 radio playing constantly and of course the radio plays
in my car during my daily commute. I
can count on one hand the number of times I have heard songs played
in the last year by other groups or
individuals who can be considered "peers" of the BSB. (One exception
is Brittany Spears, she seems to
be played at least a half a dozen times a day.)
On a positive note, I am happy to announce that Atlanta has just recently
acquired an alternative Top 40
station. 95.5 "The Beat" only went on the air on October 1st, but I
can already tell that they will make a
huge difference in Atlanta radio. In the first two hours I listened,
I heard IWITW and LTL! This of
course is a great achievement in my opinion! It's wonderful to hear
not only BSB, but also other Pop acts
with hit songs that deserve to be played on the radio. Fans of such
music shouldn't have to beg for it to
be played. There is a place on the radio for Pop and R&B musical
acts that don't necessarily play
instruments!
I would be interested to know if my problem is an isolated one, or are
fans of Pop music in other cities
having similar experiences. There is no excuse for it. We constitute
a very large part of the music buying
public and deserve to be heard and treated with respect. I would appreciate
any feedback anyone would
like to share with me.
Thank you for listening.