Integr8 Research: Should You Program 2019 Like It’s 1989?

Extreme Thinking

In the most recent post on the INTEGR8 RESEARCH blog, MATT BAILEY cited the current Extremes phase as identified by consultant GUY ZAPOLEON, which makes 2019 somewhat reminiscent of 1989. Now, as then, "listeners’ tastes move away from broadly-appealing mainstream Pop songs towards the extremes of R&B, Rock and Country that don’t appeal to the same listeners. With divided musical fan bases who hate each other’s music, Top 40 finds it difficult to consistently delight a broad audience."

Yet BAILEY cutes several reasons fro Top 40 not to cater to extremes such as Hip-Hop. "Unless you’re programming a Hip-Hop station targeting African-American and Hispanic listeners, playing the pure Hip-Hop tiles that get played often on SPOTIFY and YOUTUBE could destroy the mass-appeal cume audience Top 40 needs to succeed," BAILEY wrote.

"If 2019 is in fact like 1989, however, we could be approaching a seemingly sudden shift in mainstream music tastes in the next few years. BILLIE EILISH could be a harbinger of a seismic shift in pop tastes on the horizon. A novelty like 'Old Town Road' might mark a tumultuous point in Pop music history comparable to 'Baby Got Back'’s point in time.

"The Extremes, a predictable phase during which listeners’ tastes move away from broadly-appealing mainstream Pop songs towards the extremes of R&B, Rock and Country that don’t appeal to the same listeners. With divided musical fan bases who hate each other’s music, Top 40 finds it difficult to consistently delight a broad audience.

"It’s wise to be on alert for such shifts -- but also careful not to jump the gun on an underground trend that never goes mainstream."

Read the entire post here.

« see more Net News