CHART MANIPULATION
I could pontificate at great lengths about how the charts are not as meaningful as they used to be.
The folks at Country Radio look at these charts and see the records that iHeart or Cumulus all agree to play. The iHeart “premiers” really can spike a record for a day. They all play the song once an hour all day long.
We used to do that organically for Garth Brooks records back in the 90s. Same for Michael Jackson records on pop and top 40 stations the day they were released.
Record reps used to hide a cd of the new Michael Jackson in both the Z100 building and WPLJ building. They would call them at the same time and tell them where they were. That way it would be more likely that they would be played at the same time. (Rather than one station jumping the gun on the promise to play it at a certain time.)
The folks at every label do various shenanigans.
Perhaps some folks at Warner Brothers will get upset with me but here goes.
A couple of weeks ago a Morgan Evans record jumped over songs by Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan and Thomas Rhett. That’s pretty impressive after a long chart life to have a big leap week like that at the very end.
#5 to #1 after 30 weeks! WOW!
Now don’t they know we have the tools to see the station they convinced to play the song ever hour overnight to spike the numbers? This one station wasn’t even playing it as a power. They increased play of Morgan Evan from 18 spins in a week to 91 spins! Must have been testing really well for them huh?
Another station went from 25 spins to 50 spins in that one-week.
Could it be the testing all happened to pop in that one same week?
Coincidence?
Plus those same stations had tickets to Kenny Chesney shows to support Kenny that same week. No it’s not connected. But it is coincidence.
If I were in the business of building artist careers I suspect I’d drive the same 10 miles per hour over the speed limit everybody else does. It does no good to drive the speed limit and have everybody pass you by and curse at you.
Just know this. After 30 years in a business you get to know it pretty well. I know the business the record folks are in. They build careers. Fueled by stories, statistics and awards. All of which are manipulated. We’ve had award winners that we all said “What?????” to. And certainly #1 songs that we look at and say… “huh #5 to #1 by Morgan Evans.” Guess his label is really committed.
And sometimes comments are legally unpublishable.
For help with know what the hits really are for airplay on your station
call Keith Hill 956-874-8981
