Radio Monopolies







 Right now music is mainly focused on streaming numbers including marketing, social, and promotions such as TikTok, Spotify, Reels, livestream numbers, radio plays. Same as other businesses there tends to be a curtain number of artists who dominate the radio waves where smaller names are't as noticed, not even that, but the one hit wonders barely get their play. Out of 641 song slots during 5/30 and 5/31 only 279 songs were played, with Green Day's Dilemma playing over two days 12 times.

 112 songs only had One single play over those two days, consisting of legacy bands like Metallica, Nirvana, some classics like Fall Out Boy Blink 182 All American Rejects, etc. Radio does not seem to be kind to new acts, at least on the alternative side, pop hits might be better suited for iHeartRadio stations with their promotional options of interviews, meet and greets and private shows and giveaways. 

But why is there such a big gap between the smaller acts and larger legacy bands? At least touring wise, I know tons of companies were hugely effected by covid and had to shutdown or people retired . I wonder if that's the issue, not finding bodies to bring on tour or the funding for touring isn't there and only there for huge acts like Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Twenty One Pilots, and Greenday...

Things are not yet back to the 2019 numbers for radio, for touring, maybe merch, probably a million times better for social and marketing but things might be more digital rather than radio hits tours or selling physical copies...

Below are the numbers for radio plays for an alt radio WMRQ in CT and a break down top 25 plays. At least more newer acts but there are only about 150 artists in those two days, so definitely more established bands getting more songs played and multiple times, legacy bands with one hit wonders have 1 to 2 plays and the newer acts 



Count

GREEN DAY

Dilemma

12

FOO FIGHTERS

The Glass

11

CAGE THE ELEPHANT

Neon Pill

11

ROYEL OTIS

Murder On The Dancefloor

10

IMAGINE DRAGONS

Eyes Closed

10

PAPA ROACH

Leave A Light On

9

GLASS ANIMALS

Creatures In Heaven

9

THE DRIVER ERA

Get Off My Phone

8

SUM 41

Landmines

7

PEARL JAM

Wreckage

7

PEARL JAM

Dark Matter

7

LETDOWN.

Hate Myself

7

BLAME MY YOUTH

The Break

7

AWOLNATION

Panoramic View

7

THE BLACK KEYS

On The Game

6

MICHAEL MARCAGI

Scared To Start

6

TWENTY ONE PILOTS

The Craving

5

SMITH

Pathetic

5

NIRVANA

Smells Like Teen Spirit

5

HOZIER

Too Sweet

5

SUBLIME

Wrong Way

4

RAINBOW KITTEN SURPRISE

Superstar

4

PRESIDENTS OF THE USA

Lump

4

POWFU

Coffee For Your Head

4

KROOKED KINGS

Sick Of Being Young

4

Alternative Music Breakdown

 

where music rules lighted signage



FORMAT: ALTERNATIVE LAST UPDATE 05/04/2024 02:22 AM

RANK



MEDIABASE (C) 2024

SPINS

lw

TW


Artist

Title

Label

TW

LW

Move

3

1


TWENTY ONE PILOTS

Overcompensate

FBR/Elektra/Atlantic

2914

2634

280

1

2


GREEN DAY

Dilemma

Reprise/Warner

2805

2819

-14

2

3


CAGE THE ELEPHANT

Neon Pill

RCA

2578

2646

-68

6

4


SUM 41

Landmines

Rise/BMG

1946

2046

-100

8

5


FOO FIGHTERS

The Glass

Roswell/RCA

1846

1761

85

9

6


ROYEL OTIS

Murder On The Dancefloor

Royel Otis/Triple J/ABC

1830

1703

127

10

7


IMAGINE DRAGONS

Eyes Closed

Interscope/ICLG

1823

1565

258

7

8


KINGS OF LEON

Mustang

Capitol/ICLG

1822

1775

47

11

9


DJO

End Of Beginning

AWAL

1621

1508

113

4

10


LINKIN PARK

Friendly Fire

Warner

1583

2086

-503

5

11


PEARL JAM

Dark Matter

Republic

1444

2079

-635

12

12


GLASS ANIMALS

Creatures In Heaven

Republic

1431

1314

117

13

13


FALL OUT BOY

So Much (For) Stardust

FBR/Elektra/Atlantic

1171

1187

-16

14

14


MICHAEL MARCAGI

Scared To Start

Warner

1127

1027

100

16

15


PAPA ROACH

Leave A Light On

New Noize/ADA

1003

995

8

15

16


THE STRUTS

Pretty Vicious

Big Machine Rock

991

1001

-10

17

17


BLEACHERS

Tiny Moves

Dirty Hit

981

936

45

21

18


GOOD NEIGHBOURS

Home

Neon Gold/Avenue A

790

714

76

20

19


BLAME MY YOUTH

The Break

Big Loud Rock

790

729

61

18

20


ST. VINCENT

Broken Man

Virgin

788

747

41

22

21


RAINBOW KITTEN SURPRISE

Superstar

Elektra/Atlantic

688

625

63

29

22


HOZIER

Too Sweet

Columbia

664

407

257

19

23


THE BLACK KEYS

Beautiful People (Stay High)

Nonesuch/Warner

578

747

-169

24

24


RAMONA FLOWERS

Up All Night f/Nile Rodgers

Distiller

564

566

-2

25

25


SMITH

Pathetic

Hitmaker Music Group

552

508

44

26

26


GIRL IN RED

Too Much

Columbia

543

483

60

30

27


AWOLNATION

Panoramic View

TwoTwentyFive/The Orchard

514

398

116

27

28


ALEXSUCKS

What're We Doing Here

Stairs/Hallwood Media

482

442

40

23

29


THE MAINE

Thoughts I Have f/Bch Weather

Photo Fin./Arista/Virgin

481

590

-109

53

30


PEARL JAM

Wreckage

Republic

429

76

353

28

31


MILITARIE GUN

Do It Faster

Loma Vista/Concord

388

418

-30

32

32


LETDOWN.

Hate Myself

Big Loud Rock

378

333

45

31

33


THE MARIAS

Run Your Mouth

Atlantic

352

346

6

34

34


CIGARETTES AFTER SEX

Tejano Blue

Partisan

339

306

33

33

35


JUDAH & THE LION

Long Dark Night

Cletus The Van

338

316

22

43

36


THE LAST DINNER PARTY

Sinner

Island/Republic

304

198

106

48

37


THE BLACK KEYS

On The Game

Nonesuch/Warner

284

110

174

40

38


BLUE OCTOBER

Everything We Lost In The Fire

Up/Down-Brando

283

250

33

37

39


THE DRIVER ERA

Get Off My Phone

Driver Era/Pasadena

278

264

14

38

40


LATE NIGHT DRIVE HOME

Stress Relief

Epitaph

254

260

-6