Modern Rock Programmers Ponder What They've Done In 2007 - Idolator Comments

Modern Rock Programmers Ponder What They've Done In 2007

DJorn — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 23:52:19 EST

@Halfwit: "Not ashamed" of your Buzz Bin nostalgia or fo having a Zune?

Modern Rock Programmers Ponder What They've Done In 2007

Al Shipley — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 09:38:23 EST

@dennisobell: Ah, thank you, I think you're onto something. I know that the last single off a given album can have long legs since there's no follow-up to siphon off its momentum. But I guess I underestimated the potential of that phenomenon when the song in question was only the 2nd single off an album that both the label and the artist seemed to abandon actively promoting pretty soon after its release. I still feel like I heard "Survivalism" on the radio 10 times as much as "Capital G," but your theory does make sense.

Al Shipley

Modern Rock Programmers Ponder What They've Done In 2007

Halfwit — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 02:25:36 EST

@GovernmentNames: Don't feel bad about the error. I was putting together a "buzz bin" playlist on my Zune (I'm not ashamed!) and was shocked (SHOCKED!!) to see that "Pardon Me" had dropped so late in the decade. "Warning" being released post-millennium still doesn't make sense to me.

As for "Capital G" -- I haven't listened to music on the radio for a while, but this track was one of the few standouts for me on Year Zero. I think the radio love is for the same reason as for "Closer" and "Only" -- it's got that steady beat that makes you "break ya neck", but it's got enough angst that the meatheads can convince themselves that it's not dance music (see "Paralyzer"). Combine that with TR's already described cred, and the tremendous "I'm not dead" success of his last album and tour, and I think he may do fine as a self-distributed artists.

Halfwit

Modern Rock Programmers Ponder What They've Done In 2007

Chris Molanphy — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 01:31:50 EST

Okay, I'm back with my findings. This is part fact, part speculation on my part, but it appears "Capital G" trumped "Survivalism" on the year-end chart for the same reason most songs triumph on Billboard year-end lists: longevity.

"Capital G" spent 18 weeks on Modern Rock, versus just 13 weeks for "Survivalism." That latter number is particularly anemic for Modern Rock: a total chart run of about three months. No. 1 hit or no, "Survivalism" was a quick-burn hit for rock radio, and it's clear they moved onto "Capital G" quickly -- it was already in its third week on the chart when "Survivalism" spent its last week on the list.

There's also a lot of known unknowns, as Mr. Rumsfeld might say, about which we can only speculate. Simply put, not all weeks are created equal. The springtime chart run of "Survivalism" might've been during a weak period for modern-rock radio in general; whereas "Capital G" spent its four-plus months on the chart at the height of summer, when ratings were likely higher (the midyear boosting of Arbitrons for the modern-rock format might also be a factor here). This would explain both the No. 6 peak -- tougher summer competition -- and the higher position at year-end, with each of its peak weeks fatter than those of its brother single.

Put it this way: just look at what kept "Capital G" from the top. In its peak week, it was behind Linkin Park, Smashing Pumpkins (a short-lived comeback, but still -- big airplay for the first single), White Stripes, that massive Plain White T's ballad and your (and my) beloved Finger Eleven. The first and last on that list ended up being the Nos. 1 and 2 Modern Rock hits of the entire year -- stiff competition. Meanwhile, the week Trent went to No. 1 with "Survivalism," it defeated the likes of 30 Seconds to Mars and Breaking Benjamin - - fat hits, sure, but clearly easier to surpass.

Chris Molanphy

Modern Rock Programmers Ponder What They've Done In 2007

Al Shipley — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 23:55:48 EST

@Charles A. Hohman: I bow to your pedantry. I considered changing the "late '90s" (although I'd thought "Stellar" hit in '99 too) but never got around to it. Either way, 6-7 years since the last time they got a lot of media attention is a good while.

Al Shipley

Modern Rock Programmers Ponder What They've Done In 2007

Charles A. Hohman — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 22:37:07 EST

A fine analysis, with one persnickety misstatement: "Incubus still has a tight grip on Modern Rock radio, even if they're a long way out from their peak of mainstream popularity in the late '90s."

Incubus's mainstream popularity peaked in the early 00's; not the late 90's. Their first radio hit, "Pardon Me," debuted on the Modern Rock chart in late '99, and didn't pick until the next spring; "Stellar," "Drive," and "Wish You Were Here" followed suit. The distinction seems trivial, until you consider the vast sea change modern rock radio experienced in 1999, beginning the year with Sugar Ray and Goo Goo Dolls domination, and ending it awash in Limp Bizkit and Korn.

Charles A. Hohman

Modern Rock Programmers Ponder What They've Done In 2007

RodneyJ — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 17:49:25 EST

'Yeah, "The Hand That Feeds" seems to be joining "Closer" and "Head Like A Hole" as a perennial radio staple.'

"Only", too.

RodneyJ

Modern Rock Programmers Ponder What They've Done In 2007

Chris Molanphy — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 15:48:02 EST

Let me do a little poking around Billboard.biz and see if I can figure this out. You're right, it is weird.

Chris Molanphy

Modern Rock Programmers Ponder What They've Done In 2007

Al Shipley — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 13:46:47 EST

Yeah, "The Hand That Feeds" seems to be joining "Closer" and "Head Like A Hole" as a perennial radio staple. The weird thing that I learned from my aforementioned NIN geek friend, though, is that "Every Day Is Exactly The Same" has had legs on dance charts in Europe well into this year, I guess in some remixed form?
I have no idea if Reznor would keep his stranglehold on rock radio w/ a self-released or independent album, but I'd say his odds are better than that of almost any of his peers. I mean, "Survivalism" wasn't really obviously radio-friendly and the album didn't sell as big as previous ones, but it still got a ton of airplay.

Al Shipley

Modern Rock Programmers Ponder What They've Done In 2007

Antiheroine — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 13:45:45 EST

It seems to me the radio station I listen to most (in Columbus, OH) doesn't distinguish much between NIN songs. In the past year, I've heard "Capital G" played just as often as "The Hand that Feeds" - and that just as often as "Survivalism." Maybe it's just me, but I think that the decision to play NIN songs is less about the individual songs and more about NIN's established cred.

Antiheroine

Modern Rock Programmers Ponder What They've Done In 2007

Maura Johnston — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 13:24:42 EST

speaking of NIN, last night while flipping around the radio i heard 'bite the hand that feeds' from with teeth on k-rock here. al, do you think that if trent goes out on his own for his next album, radio programmers in this format will follow him there? i feel like they will, if only because he seems to still get a lot of his deep cuts played.

Maura Johnston

Modern Rock Programmers Ponder What They've Done In 2007

cassidy2099 — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 13:19:49 EST

"Capital G" received a ton of play in on Detroit/Windsor station CIMX 89x. The station has heavily skewed younger the past few years, but they hold true to certain older acts like Foo Fighters and Nine Inch Nails. Every Nine Inch Nails single gets a lot of play and "Capital G" was no exception. It was fairly easy to flick on 89x at random and hear it this year.

cassidy2099

Modern Rock Programmers Ponder What They've Done In 2007

Vince Neilstein — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 12:32:50 EST

Al, another fantastic article. Keep it up!

Vince Neilstein

Modern Rock Programmers Ponder What They've Done In 2007

doctorsdolittle — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 12:07:43 EST

The unexplained triumph of "Capital G"?

Could it be that Trent Reznor's "Carry On" singing, "Jackson"/disco-esque baseline, and "Monty Python" tongue-in-cheek lyrics have served up such a sumptuous dish of the absurd that we can't help ourselves but swing our hips, stomp our glitter platforms and jump on the carnival float?

None of which particularly cries out "ROCK". But, who knows what rock is anymore?

doctorsdolittle

Modern Rock Programmers Ponder What They've Done In 2007

RodneyJ — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 11:46:57 EST

'a drum pattern that was eerily similar to Michael Jackson's "The Way You Make Me Feel," '

Alright, I'm not crazy.

RodneyJ

Modern Rock Programmers Ponder What They've Done In 2007

Al Shipley — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 11:35:39 EST

I'd like to add that the Z100 list Maura posted the other day supports my Fall Out Boy theory, 3 songs on their list with "Thnks Fr Th Mmrs" just outside the top 10:
[idolator.com]

The other day I grilled a friend who's an obsessive NIN fan about the mysterious "Capital G" triumph and he was as surprised as I was. I hope somebody here has a possible explanation!

Al Shipley