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10 Questions with ... Gabby Canella
January 15, 2019
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. Rock is always evolving and remaining relevant in the world of music. Rock and Metal have the most loyal and passionate fan bases. For the fans, myself included, this is not just a genre of music -- it's something we eat, sleep and breathe. For that reason, Rock will never go away. Rock tours are continuing to sell out around the country; just look at bands like Ghost and Greta Van Fleet, who are both selling out headlining shows around the country
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1) What was your first job in radio? Early influences?
My first experience in radio goes back to my college station out of Seton Hall University, 89.5 FM WSOU. It's because of that station that I am where I am today and even decided to pursue music as a career in the first place. WSOU set me up for some great experiences at The Syndicate and SiriusXM, which further solidified my passion for working in radio. I completed the trifecta of learning programming, promoting and marketing music after working at Roadrunner Records. At WSOU, I served as a DJ and MD, where much of what I learned has transferred to my current job at Music Choice.
2) What led you to a career in radio? Was there a defining moment that made you realize "this is it?"
While I was studying at Seton Hall Univ., I was dead-set on being an English major. I joined the student-run radio station WSOU purely as a hobby, but after spending some time there and getting to host my own show as a DJ, I quickly realized how much fun doing radio was and changed career paths. Music has always been a deep passion of mine, so making a career out of it was something I didn't think twice about.
One of my career-defining moments happened recently. Metallica have been one of my favorite bands since I started listening to heavy music and are a major influence in my life. It's been a lifelong dream just to meet James Hetfield alone. Two months before they released their most recent album "Hardwired ... To Self-Destruct," I was invited to Electric Lady Studios to preview about half of the album. In addition to hearing new music before anyone else, there was another surprise waiting: I got to meet the entire band! I've never smiled as much as I did getting my picture taken that day. To top off the whole experience, the following year I received a plaque with my name on it from the band celebrating one million copies sold. That album will always be special to me because of those experiences and I still can't believe I got to meet my favorite band. Talk about a "pinch me" moment!
3) How long have you been at Music Choice and what are your main responsibilities there?
I've been at Music Choice for almost six years. I program our Rock and Metal audio and video channels across all of Music Choice's platforms, including linear TV and digitally on our app and website. I also curate all of the Rock and Metal videos available On-Demand. My main responsibility is maintaining the Rock and Metal audio channels and selecting the best new music to add each week.
One of the nice things about Music Choice is that we are commercial-free and stream completely uninterrupted, which allows for so much more room to break new artists and feature more music. Our weekly cume for the Active Rock channel is over four million listeners, and Metal has almost two million fans that tune in weekly. While my main musical taste may be a bit aggressive, don't let that fool you. I also program our holiday channel, Sounds Of The Seasons, as well as All-Christmas, Teen Beats and even Hawaii! Other channels I oversee include Classic Rock, '80s Rock, Classic Metal, Rock Hits and Emo X Screamo.
4) Can you give us more details on Music Choice? How many formats does the service have and how many homes are you streaming into?
Music Choice is available in 65 million cable TV households nationally. All of the major providers from Direct TV and Comcast to Verizon carry us. We have over 100 different music channels available on TV that cover everything: Rock, Pop, Blues, Jazz, Latin, Rap, Hip-Hop, Kids, International and more.
With your cable TV subscription, you also have access to the free Music Choice mobile app, where you'll find all of our linear TV channels to stream. There are also bonus audio channels only available on our app, as well as video channels. There are currently 25 different video channels from all different genres that play a continuous stream of music videos, as well as exclusive content and artist interviews. We're excited to offer Rock fans something unique to take on the go with them.
On-Demand we offer over 500 music videos from all different genres that are free to watch. We also have artist interviews and exclusive original content. Our entire 25,000 video library is also available on our app and on our website.
5) Describe your weekly music meeting for both the Active and Metal formats? Approximately how important by percentage is gut, research, sales, video play and chart position when determining the status of a record?
For programming the audio channels, I take everything into account when considering new music. I'm always scoping out blogs and listener reaction on social media to understand what listeners are latching onto. Streaming platforms have become an important piece of the puzzle for me to check out audience engagement and to find emerging artists. I check charts every week and while chart position is important, it may not necessarily mean that a song will fit on a channel. Ticket sales are also interesting to consider and tell an important story. While I weigh all of the data that's available, my gut reaction is something I always trust above all else. At the end of the day, I always try to program what I think my listeners will enjoy best.
The other side of programming that I do for On-Demand and the video channels is very different. It's a unique task to curate our video selection because the On Demand audience is different from the audio channel audience. If a song goes #1 at Rock radio and becomes a hit on the audio channel, it does not necessarily translate to it being the #1 most-watched video. I also have a select number of videos I can program On-Demand, so I always have to choose which videos to program carefully. I consult online views for comparison, but the most effective way to program is to really understand my VOD audience and program what I know they enjoy watching the most.
6) What's your take on current Active Rock music and the Rock format as a whole?
Rock is always evolving and remaining relevant in the world of music. Rock and Metal have the most loyal and passionate fan bases. For the fans, myself included, this is not just a genre of music -- it's something we eat, sleep and breathe. For that reason, Rock will never go away. Rock tours are continuing to sell out around the country; just look at bands like Ghost and Greta Van Fleet, who are both selling out headlining shows around the country. 2019 is going to be a strong year with so many amazing festivals like Sonic Temple, Chicago Open Air and Epicenter, among a long list of others. As long as Rock continues to be genuine and passionate, the fans will continue to be there. Don't listen to any nonsense: rock is not dead!
7) Are there any Metal bands you are now playing on Music Choice that you think can cross over to getting regular airplay on Active Rock radio?
It's amazing to see so many bands grow and prosper between the formats. Over this past year, we've seen the success stories with Ghost, Bad Wolves, Parkway Drive, Asking Alexandria and Trivium, among others. These bands are vital to reaching younger listeners and helping the format continue to move forward. It also puts the "active" in Active Rock and gives this format some edge.
Some other bands that have broken through this past year are Ice Nine Kills, Memphis May Fire, Light The Torch, and While She Sleeps. Beartooth and In Flames also continue to grow at Active Rock. I can't wait to see who will tip the scales next.
8) What are your three favorite artists or songs of this past year and why?
This is a tough question since there has been so much great new music out, but I will go with:
- Ghost "Rats"
- Shinedown "Devil"
- Fever 333 "Made An America"
Ghost is such an amazing live band and it's impressive to see them headline arena shows now. Shinedown is an Active Rock staple and never write bad music. Their latest album "Attention Attention" was one of my top releases of 2018. Fever 333 is one of my new favorites and blew everyone away at the Rock radio convention last year; they have a lot of potential ahead of them.
9) Who are some of your favorite new artists?
There have been so many talented and hardworking bands on the rise recently. These are just some of the many new artists I've become hooked on: Bad Wolves, Fever 333, Red Sun Rising, Like A Storm, and Nothing More.
10) Finally, if you were to look into a Crystal Ball for 2019, what new Rock artists do you think will break through and become Rock format staples ?
Greta Van Fleet: Whether you like them or not, they have been such a buzzing band this past year and GvF have put some attention back on Rock in the mainstream world. They've had an impressive journey so far and I'm excited to see where they go in 2019. They're well on their way to already becoming a staple, but I think they will stick around for a while.
Bring Me The Horizon: 2019 will be a huge year for BMTH. They've been very successful in the Metal world for a while, but they are quickly becoming a mainstay at Rock. We've supported them early on at Music Choice and I think they will continue to dominate the charts.
Badflower: With a #1 single in 2018, the sky is the limit for these guys this year.
Bad Wolves: One of my new favorite artists this past year. They've had a very successful 2018 and I think they will continue to go strong.
Nothing More: They're already becoming staples and I think they will go even further in 2019. One of the best live shows you'll see.
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