Misery Wednesday

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

A couple of weeks ago we did a thread on what's exciting you about music at the moment.

Here's its inverse: what's annoying you about music at the moment, and why? I'm tempted to ban discussion of Kate Nash upfront - anyway I'm not really after specific acts, more the trends and ideas that make those acts' popularities a bad thing.

And - what do you think could be done about it (if anything)?

(Orgafun update: the missing Pop Open player has been located and a track is hopefully on its way)

Comments

[koganbot]

Lex, in the U.S. the "Potential Breakup Song" jumped in at 17 almost entirely on the basis of downloads but then slipped and got very poor radio play outside of Disney, iirc barely reaching the 50s on mainstream Top 40 and doing way worse overall. Meanwhile it was boffo on Radio Disney, of course, and it does very well on online video views (#5 this week on Launch Yahoo, even though it's been around for a couple of months). But then it's done better than any other Disney song not by Hilary Duff as far as crossing to the mainstream. My guess is that in its attempts to go mainstream it's actually stronger in Britain than in the U.S. And my bet is that your analysis is on the money: if a track is associated with teenpop, radio will decide that it will drive away teen male and adult listeners, so spins will be few. If downloads and airplay build or even stay steady in Britain over the next few weeks that'll be better than I expect.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

This (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/playlist/) is the Radio 1 playlist (probably the most impt station wrt stuff getting in the singles chart)...not tremendously promising for Aly & AJ really, about the only comparable acts are Kylie (national institution), Britney (everyone wants to hear it, global institution) and Avril (which is slightly odd! has she...gained credibility or something in the past few years? or maybe it's the guitars, but then Aly & AJ have guitars) - though all of those are established adult pop stars now.

I dunno, I think 'Potential Breakup Song' should have been the song to have re-established teenpop as the massive commercial and cultural force it should be, and used to be. It's done very well but nowhere near that well, and if it can't then nothing can, really.

[skyecaptain.livejournal.com]

Well, you've got brighter hopes for teenpop than I do! I understand a little better why Frank surprisingly (to me anyway) picked R&B over teenpop in that year-end poll. But I'd do the same thing this year if given the choice, and partly because I'm counting in 2007 stuff I'd glossed over (but Frank hadn't) in 2006, particularly Cassie. And there's also Keke Palmer and the Rihanna/Amerie war and even R. Kelly off the top of my head. Still think teenpop was stronger last year (if we include acts like Paris and Marit Larsen) than R&B is this year, but I'm skeptical of a new massive commercial/cultural force in teenpop when the big story of the past few years is how effectively certain companies have niche-marketed teenpop without really needing "massive commercial/cultural force" outside of that niche itself.