Radio Contraband's Convention 2012 Rocks Las Vegas

Viva Rock Vegas!

The RADIO CONTRABAND ROCK RADIO CONVENTION 2012 kicked off YESTERDAY (9/27) at the MANDALAY BAY RESORT in LAS VEGAS with several panels all focusing on the relationship between Rock radio and record promotion, as well as the overall state of Rock radio today.

This first panel called "THE LABEL PERSPECTIVE" featured moderator PHIL MANNING of RADIO CONTRABAND, along with label reps RAY GMEINER of CAPITOL, DAVID MCGILVRAY of IDJ, CHERYL VALENTINE of ILG and BOB DIVNEY of THE ARTIST COOPERATIVE. A myriad of topics were discussed, including the quality of today's Rock music where GMEINER said, "There's good quality rock out there, but not a lot of quantity." There was also a discussion from the label reps about how Rock radio has a tendency to "play it safe" with their music choices particularly because lots of the music decisions are made on a corporate level.

Research metrics was also a big topic from the labels, as well as a discussion about how the consolidation of the labels has also made it harder to properly service radio today. DIVNEY mentioned that this consolidation has made it easier for indie labels and promotion companies to thrive in today's tough economy.

The second panel of the morning featured "THE RADIO PERSPECTIVE" with moderator JOANNE GRAND of RADIO PRO-MO along with WCCC/HARTFORD MD MIKE KAROLYI, WXQR/GREENVILLE, NC, PD WES STYLES, KQXR/BOISE PD JEREMY NICOLATO, WRAT/MONMOUTH-OCEAN CITY, NJ, APD/MD ROBYN LANE, WBUZ/NASHVILLE MD ZIGZ, and GARY SUSALIS of MUSIC CHOICE. Topics ranged from all the daily responsibilities Radio programmers have to deal with and how much time  they really have to listen to and discuss rock music with the labels.

The panel also discussed the "artist-driven" nature of Rock radio which is driven by the positive relationships Rock radio has developed with bands over the years. ROADRUNNER's NICKELBACK was also a big topic of conversation with many of the programmers saying that the Rock format should continue to champion this band despite it's crossing over to Top 40 and Hot AC.

The final panel of the afternoon was called "WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER" and was moderated by PD RANDY HAWKE of WJJO/MADISON, WI. HAWKE's panel included MARK ABRAMSON, VP/Rock Promo for ROADRUNNER RECORDS, RON CERRITO of PROSPECT PARK Label and Management, KHTQ/SPOKANE, W PD GARY ALLEN, ROXY MYZAL of UNITED STATION's HARDRIVE program, rock artist JESSE DUPREE of JACKYL, concert promoter JOHN OAKES of SGE and ALL ACCESS Rock Editor KEN ANTHONY.

This two-hour panel focused on a multitude of subjects on how all the facets of the Rock world need to work together to create great ratings for rock radio, as well as record and concert sales for the record labels and their artists. There was also a major discussion about how a lack of dollars for radio research are forcing radio stations to think outside the box and utilize more digital and social media to gauge listeners interest in today's Rock music.

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