Why do the same 10-12 of his songs get played on the radio?
Not that it's that big of a deal but i've laways wondered why someone with such a huge catalog always has the same songs played over and over.
shareThat is what radio does.
share
MovieChat Forums > David Bowie Discussion > Why do the same 10-12 of his songs get p...
It is frustrating when his best songs are the one (mostly) that never made the radio at all. Might be that way with a lot of artists, but seems especially so with him.
sharePrithee, regale us with what “his best songs” are.
The OP “always wonders” about a lot of trivial crap.
Well everybody likes different things and height is something I like.
shareImo some of his best songs are Janine, Savior Machine, All the Madmen, Sweet Head, Bombers, The Bewlay Brothers, Panic in Detroit, Big Brother, Word on a Wing, Red Money, Red Sails, Sorrow
shareYou named two of my favorite Bowie songs which are often not given enough recognition - Panic in Detroit and Savior Machine. I've always believed the album Aladdin Sane was his musical zenith.
shareThose are the most accessible to the average radio listener. The others are probably too deep or obscure and would trigger confused, angry calls to the stations.
shareFor me, it's down to radio stations being lazy. They play the more accessible material as they think that is what the audience wants. If they were to play his more diverse work the audience would become in tune with it.
shareDon't blame the radio stations, blame the music companies that didn't pay to get the other songs played. Payola is alive and well with a even more convoluted method of making what is illegal legal, and in the process putting what songs are played on the radio into the hands of a very small number of individuals.
shareYou just described modern radio's treatment of all musical acts and artists. 20+ years ago some radio stations use to have DJs who had hour by hour programs where they'd dedicate music from one artists, but those have for the most part gone away. Jonesy's Jukebox was probably the most recent (but now defunct) program that played Bowie's catalog including his less known songs.
shareI think it has to do with the rights and catalogues these stations owners buy. most stations aren't independent but are owned by the same companies.
whatever catalogues they buy are clearly limited
Its the same with all artists.
shareradio stations owned by the same company only pay for a certain catalogue. tis why the same "classic rock" stations all play the same handful of zeppelin, stones, Floyd ect songs. despite each band alone having hundreds.
I cant stand the radio. especially anything that doesn't play modern music. at least modern music changes (obviously). I remover going to landscape at 5:30am hearing the same fucking songs for the 30 minute drive every morning