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...to the Radio!
The Cut - Once the artist records the song, it still has to make the
album. It is not unusual for an artist to cut 15 songs and only put 10 on their
album. The album is also usually recorded in several stages over several months with
3-4 songs recorded at each session. Eventually, it is decided what songs will
actually make the album.
Example: John Michael Montgomery recorded "Home To You" during the second week
of December. There was still to be one more recording session for the album in
January. They would ultimately end up with 14 songs, 10 of which would make the
album. At this point, everyone was VERY excited that he recorded the song and
we were keeping our fingers crossed it would make the album. We eventually
found out it made the album in late February when "Home To You" was among four
songs John Michael previewed at a concert at the Houston Astrodome. We celebrated
that night with pizza along with Sara's co-writer, Arlos and his wife Beth Ann.
The Single
- Often the record company releases the first single before the album
comes out. This is to try to build up demand for the album so sales will be high the
first week of its release. The album release date is often a month after the
first single comes out.
Example:
When the first single, "Hello L-O-V-E" was released
in early April, the new album was still untitled. Eventually, we learned that the
album release date was scheduled for late May and would be titled, "Home To
You". And on June 16th, John Michael Montgomery
announced at Fan Fair that "Home To You" was the second single.
To listen to a sample of the John Michael
Montgomery recording of " Home To You", click here
The
SONGPOWER Index - Before the
official radio "add" date, the new single is reviewed and ranked
in the SongPower index by several radio programmers across the
country. While a high ranking in the SongPower index does not
guarantee chart success, it is statistically more probable. A song
will usually appear in the SongPower index for two weeks along with the
other new singles due to hit radio.
Example:
"Home To You" was ranked second in
the SongPower index for new singles the week it was reviewed.
Interestingly enough, the song which came in first in the SongPower index,
"I'll Go Crazy" ultimately failed to break top 10 and the song
that scored third "Start Over Georgia" failed to break the top
40. Still, industry professionals give a lot of weight to the
SongPower index ranking.
To view a sample SongPower
index, click here
The
Music Video - The ultimate goal of
the single for the record label is to sell albums. Record labels and
artists, unlike the songwriter, do not make any money from radio
airplay. With that in mind, the record label's goal is to increase
exposure for the song on both radio and TV to try to convince consumers to
buy the album. One of the tools used to generate such exposure is
the music video.
Example:
The "Home To You" video was shot at
a truckstop in southern Tennessee and eventually became the #1 video on
CMT in addition to becoming one of the top music videos for 1999.
To view a sample from the
music video, click here
The
Charts - There are basically three
music industry charts (Billboard, R&R
and Gavin) that professionals watch to
determine how well a single is doing. All three charts monitor
various radio stations across the country that report every week how many
"spins" a song is receiving. The more spins a song
receives, the higher up the charts the song moves. Since a
songwriter will receive money based on airplay, the ultimate goal is to
move slowly all the way up the charts, generating as much airplay as
possible. Depending on the artist and the competition at the time,
it can take a song as long as 26 weeks or more to "peak" at its
highest chart position. While a song is rising up the charts,
it is said to have a "bullet." Once a song has peaked, it
is said to have lost its bullet, meaning that it is now moving downward on
the charts and receiving less radio airplay.
Example:
"Home To You" took 23 weeks to
"peak" at #2 on all music industry charts. It actually
held the #1 spot briefly on a Friday morning, but the charts do not
officially close for the week until Monday morning and by that time it had
slipped back to #2. Artist appeal, record company clout and luck all
factor in to a song's "peak" chart position.
Weekly
Chart Activity for "Home To You"
# of weeks on the chart to peak = 23
Home To You peaks at #2!!!
Billboard:
#61,#47,#41,#37,#29,#26,#24,#21,#20,#16,#14,#12,#8,#6,#7,#6,#3,
#2
R&R:
#37,#35,#31,#30,#28,#24,#23,#18,#17,#16,#13,#11,#9, #8,#6,#6,#5,#4,
#2
Gavin:
n/a, n/a, n/a, n/a, n/a, #23,
#21, #19, #17, #16,
#13,#11, #8, #8,#6,#3,
#2:
Check out the new
webcast of an interview with country star John Michael Montgomery where
he talks about and sings the hit, "Home To You". You'll
also hear the story of how that song became the title cut on his current
album. You can watch this interview currently available at www.countrycool.com
by clicking here.
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