Mergers and acquisitions. The homogenizing of radio made it such that, while it played the top-40s in each major genre, it become excruciatingly boring because they'd only play the top-40s. You'd literally hear the entire selection of music they'd play within a couple of days of light listening.
Top-40 music is by definition the music for the largest possible audience -- or put another way for the lowest common denominator of listener. It's boring, format stamped mediocrity that favors Nickelback over any better band.
Every so often I'll surf the stations and be amazed that songs that were playing and popular 10 years ago are still playing in regular rotation. Songs that have since moved onto regular rotation in doctor's office waiting lounges and elevators.
I remember a time when you could turn on your station of choice, listen for an hour and hear 3 or 4 songs in the top-40, 3-4 in the top-100 and 3-4 new songs as they tried to bring in new material for listeners. There also used to be just better selection in stations representing slightly different formats in the same major genre, it was possible at one time to find a station that played hard rock, classic rock and alternative rock. Now it's just "rock" and all three will play Nickelback at the same time.
At least a fourth of these bands I remember getting airplay in the 90s. These are bands so old that the beginning of their careers are starting to see some play on the classic rock stations.
Mergers and acquisitions. The homogenizing of radio made it such that, while it played the top-40s in each major genre, it become excruciatingly boring because they'd only play the top-40s. You'd literally hear the entire selection of music they'd play within a couple of days of light listening.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clear_Channel_Communications
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infinity_Broadcasting_Corporati...
Here's the history of a great example:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WHFS_(historic)#Abrupt_format_s...
Top-40 music is by definition the music for the largest possible audience -- or put another way for the lowest common denominator of listener. It's boring, format stamped mediocrity that favors Nickelback over any better band.
Every so often I'll surf the stations and be amazed that songs that were playing and popular 10 years ago are still playing in regular rotation. Songs that have since moved onto regular rotation in doctor's office waiting lounges and elevators.
I remember a time when you could turn on your station of choice, listen for an hour and hear 3 or 4 songs in the top-40, 3-4 in the top-100 and 3-4 new songs as they tried to bring in new material for listeners. There also used to be just better selection in stations representing slightly different formats in the same major genre, it was possible at one time to find a station that played hard rock, classic rock and alternative rock. Now it's just "rock" and all three will play Nickelback at the same time.
Here's the current top-40 in rock http://www.billboard.com/charts/rock-songs#/charts/rock-song...
At least a fourth of these bands I remember getting airplay in the 90s. These are bands so old that the beginning of their careers are starting to see some play on the classic rock stations.
Radio killed itself.