From: owner-mad-mission-digest@smoe.org (mad-mission-digest) To: mad-mission-digest@smoe.org Subject: mad-mission-digest V3 #191 Reply-To: mad-mission@smoe.org Sender: owner-mad-mission-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-mad-mission-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk * If you ever wish to unsubscribe, send an email to * mad-mission-digest-request@smoe.org * with ONLY the word unsubscribe in the body of the email * . * For the latest information on Patty's tour dates, go to: * http://www.spectra.net/~ducksoup/pattyg/patttyg.htm * OR * go to http://www.amrecords.com * then click "tour" and fill in the blanks :) * . * PLEASE :) when you reply to this digest to send a post TO the list, * change the subject to reflect what your post is about. A subject * of Re: mad-mission-digest V3 #xxx or the like gives readers no clue * as to what your message is about. mad-mission-digest Sunday, June 27 1999 Volume 03 : Number 191 Today's Subjects: ----------------- MM: re:Corrs [Pamela Pollock ] MM: Paul (Careful, long post) [diamondmask@juno.com] MM: who selects the hit 101 [Mooodeee@aol.com] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 25 Jun 1999 23:37:45 -0700 From: Pamela Pollock Subject: MM: re:Corrs >Hello all, > l realize l'm a little late to the discussion, but readingother post >l'm interested in getting one of their albums. Someone mentioned that their >first album was better. Could someone please tell me the name of that album. > > Also, in the discussion of Blue Sky being Patty's most ecent single l >would have to agree with Hazel in that l also think its one one of the best >songs on FR. Just my .02 > Steve Their second album is Talk on Corners (or Talk on Corners Special Edition) so their first album is the one that's not named that :-) I happen to like Talk on Corners. Light, upbeat, nothing earth shattering but good pop, though not real fond of their cover of Fleetwood Mac's Dreams. Also wanted to mention Jason Falkner for those looking for great music. He's from the "Phil Spector sonic wall of sound" school. He plays every instrument, too. And the album is hook laden. Title is Can You Still Feel? I'm tape recording up a storm in preparation for my upcoming trip back to Pennsylvania on Tuesday. I'll need ten days worth of music keep my sanity. And no computer access! Aaargh!!! And I, too think Blue Sky is a great (and readio-friendly) song! ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 26 Jun 1999 07:26:15 -0700 From: diamondmask@juno.com Subject: MM: Paul (Careful, long post) While I'll agree it's the major music labels running the radio airwaves for the most part, I've also found that letting the station know you really can't stand a song can be effective. At least here in the Seattle area. KMTT is the local "Adult" AAA station. You're not going to hear Ricky Martin, N'Sync or Techno on it. You will hear Ben Harper, Willis, Wilco, The Replacements, Peter Gabriel, U2, REM, Jonatha Brooke, and lately, Patty Griffin. That's just a small sampling. I don't think that what's getting played on college stations makes that big of an impact. Otherwise, we'd be listening to nothing but extreme skateboarder/skier/parachuter/golfer speed crunch metal while we watch "Real World" marathons. I would have to imagine, play lists are decided on by a number of things, not just college charts. Scum record company salesmen, CD sales, and requests all play a part. And you're right, the average listener does listen in short time blocks. So, the repeative nature of some stations makes sense. We bitched about it so much on KMTT's web page, that during the week, between 9 and 5, you won't hear the same song twice. This was done in part for the listener trapped in their work cubicle, and for a great ad opportunity. While I still think they play too much Steely Dan, The Stones, The Pretenders, and Sheryl Crow, you at least won't hear the same songs by them over and over and over. I wouldn't call the American public stupid, maybe just having a very short attention span. But see, if the Spanking Monkeys suck, and no one calls for their songs, and their CD's don't sell, they are gone. Just because an insistent salesman harassas's a station does not mean the band or artist is credible and will make it. As far as the single from Flaming Red, they couldn't have made a better choice. The song has an instant hook, lyrics you can glaze over, and it's a medium beat which gets your feet tapping. Then, when you start listening to the lyrics, the song opens up more and you say, "Hey, cool line!" Then maybe perhaps they'll go out an listen or buy the CD. I think Tony would have been a good choice also. The word "faggot" is pretty tame. The Who, many years ago shocked us with "Tell me who the fuck are you?", and that gets played. So does Sarah McLauglins (sp), "Beautiful fucked up man", and one song, (can't remember the band) talks about doing Meth and how his girlfriends red panties look while she's laying belly down on the bed. So, no, I don't think the word faggot is that big a deal. (Dire Straights in their "MTV" hit used the word faggot, even vaguely referring to Michael Jackson as said "faggot") Perhaps content. Talking about kids killing themselves hits really close to home these days, and while the subject shouldn't be avoided by any means, those cautious radio stations, while maintaning their "We're pretty brave here" attitudes, may not want to stir the pot with a song about a gay teenager killing himself. Not now. You said...."We can send you some more CD's to give away and the newest Faith No More EP for yourself." That's payola, and that's illegal. Of course it happens, but a reputable station can't have it. I would hazard a guess that any DJ or Program Director at KMTT caught recieving anything like that would be gone. As far as filmaking, why did you have to hire creativity and then tear apart the writers work to fit your 15 minutes? And then get angry with the guy for not tearing up his work to satisfy a film class? "....This went on for three weeks before we just said "screw this guy". That's like going to Patty and saying, "You know babe, that Tony song is the bomb, but how about instead of him being gay, he's an American Indian, and instead of killing himself, he has plastic surgery and skin treatments so he looks like everyone else and is finally accepted? How 'bout that babe? Love ya now...." My take is, if you can't come up with something on your own, don't rip apart someone elses work to fit your own. We have a word for that. It's called "Rap". I really like Patty's "Flaming Red". However, I think "Living With Ghosts" is a much more powerful album. I don't know if that rankles Patty or not, but you just don't get much closer to an artist as you do on LWG. Of course, it won't get much airplay because it's raw. I don't know what it takes to get women played on the radio. I mean, why not more Patty and Jonatha and less Jewel? I just think the American public deserves a little more credit. While we are still stupid enough to go see shows that Ticketmaster has an absolute monolopy over on ticket sales, I don't think we're all that collectivly stupid. We may not all see the worldwide implications in the latest Spanking Monkey song, but we know what we like, and CD sales drive what we hear. (Ricky Martin??? Come on!!!!) But you're right in that we give way to much credence (a great band by the way) to what TV, commericals, magazines have to tell us, but they know our society, and they know how to direct us. And, we are stupid for that. Right now, it's just our money...... Take care Paul.... john in sumner wa oh hey, just noticed your email addy....... ________________________________________________________________ Get free e-mail you don't need Web access to use -- Or get full, reliable Internet access from Juno Web! Download your free software today: http://dl.www.juno.com/dynoget/tagh. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 26 Jun 1999 19:33:47 EDT From: Mooodeee@aol.com Subject: MM: who selects the hit 101 muzikman@worldnet.att.net writes: << One other thing - I know that management and record companies have most of the say as far as what gets released - but you'd *think* Patty would have a little say in the matter - I'd be really curious as to what her slant is on the matter. >> The performer, on the most, part has no power in choosing the hit. Their suggestions may be taken into account, but they do not determine the hit. The record label (and no one else) makes the final decision as to what gets *pitched* to radio. It is actually the collective body of all of the music directors of individual radio stations that determine if a song is "a hit." Think this: Pitch... Hit. The record label's job is to pitch a particular song to radio. That costs some serious bucks, so the decisions have to be careful and educated. Radio is divisible by format. (stations are classified by what kind of music they play... structured generally on how they report their playlists to radio-monitoring organizations who publish the compiled information like Gavin, FMQB, CMJ, Album Network, etc.) blah blah... Record labels pitch song after song from a new CD until they finally give up on that CD and then tell the artist "um...just make another CD... this time make it more like this or more like that so we can have a better chance of having a widely accepted "hit" this time." Sometimes they might even say "we spent $xxx,xxx.xx on the making and promotion of that last CD and only recovered $xx,xxx.xx, so please consider what we recommend since we are the ones forking out the bucks on this stuff... AND we are the ones invested the business of studying what finickey radio station music directors will eat or cull." In a weak defense of the buttheads of radio... radio station music directors only add to their playlists what they think their listeners will like (this is of course mixed with their personal opinions of what new songs are "a priority"). Your feedback as a listener does count. When you hear something new that you like, call the station every time you hear it and TELL them you like it!!! 90% of the time, music directors follow their own trend, and will only add a song to their playlist if they see it on charts showing that other music directors have added it. To quote Jazz drummer Jae Sinnett who is also a DJ at a virginia radio station, "Nobody wants to be the first one on the dance floor." Most music directors wait until everyone else is dancing before they finally step out onto the floor and wiggle their lazy butts. God bless the risk-takers who embrace something new.... those music directors are the ones to thank for going out on a limb and being the trend setters. Yes, the label and the ebb and flow of the music business does influence the artist. Sorry! That's just the way it works. So please stop blaming management and record labels for what songs don't become the hits. Mimi in Austin (who is also the director of promotion and publicity for a record label) PS: FYI, "Change" WAS released as a single... it just wasn't widely accepted by A3 radio... in other words, don't blame her record label for it not being a hit...blame A3 radio stations for not choosing to add it to their playlists. PPS: Management has absolutely nothing to do with choosing a hit. ------------------------------ End of mad-mission-digest V3 #191 *********************************