Believe it or not, a fair bit of Willy Wonka-style magic goes into scheduling the music that's played on the radio. Gone are the days of spinning songs from CD players in the studio, which was the case when I did my earliest radio shows back in 1994 (there is a cassette of my first Minster FM show somewhere, but it's buried deep in a vault!).
It used to be a nerve-wrecking feeling leaving the studio to go and put the kettle on, in case you returned to find the song playing on air skipping. It happened to me once at a wedding disco in Wakefield, when I popped to answer nature's call and overhead the YMCA sticking on the letter 'M' during one of the choruses. Awkward.
These days, it's all done via very clever computer software. Although you might think radio presenters choose all of their own songs, this is rarely the case, with technology being used to ensure a decent variety. Even on radio stations that have a small number of songs in play, as long as they are not played at the same time every day, you might not notice if you just dip in and out.
I'm proud of the music variety on Tameside Radio, and whilst I'm obviously a little biased, as I'm responsible for putting the music mix together, I like to think we play a good mix from across the decades. To be clear, I leave Alan Ovington to curate the Rock Zone, Mike Wallbank needs no assistance from me working his magic on The Show That Time Forgot, plus we have country, easy listening and jazz shows that also look after themselves. Always up for a music chat, so do send me your feedback!
A new report from music licensing compay Phonographic Performances Limited (PPL) has named Dua Lipa as the most played artist across radio, TV, and public places, ending a three-year run at the top for Ed Sheeran. Interesting to note that Azizam, Ed's latest Persian-flavoured effort, stalled at number 3 on the Official Chart. Whilst it's often said to me that the chart doesn't hold the same weight these days, it's still a useful barometer of what people are streaming and buying.
Sheeran sits at number 3 in the PPL hit parade too, as he's also been leapfrogged by Taylor Swift as the second most played artist of 2024. Dua Lipa commented: "It's a real honour to be named the most played artist in the UK for the second time - 2024 was an incredible year and I'm so grateful to everyone who has supported my music on the radio, TV, and in venues around the country". Lipa's music is played on average 400 times per day, say PPL, with One Kiss, her Calvin Harris collaboration, her most played song of all time. She also topped the PPL chart in 2020.
In terms of individual most-played singles, Noah Kahan's Stick Season makes number one, followed by Lose Control by Teddy Swims and Beautiful Things by Benson Boone. British artists make up 70 per cent of the top 10, so it's baffling that we can't seem to send an act to Eurovision who makes an impact. The search for a follow-up win to 1997's Love Shine A Light looks set to go on for some time to come.
Talking of the chart, some odd stuff has happened so far this year. Jack Black's track Steve's Lava Chicken has become the shortest song ever to enter the hit parade, at a mere 31 seconds. It's from A Minecraft Movie, which is also the biggest film of the year so far. Go figure. Elsewhere, with streaming meaning anything can be in the Top 100, songs currently inside the hit parade include Dire Straits Sultans Of Swing (number 62), Killers Mr Brightside (457 weeks on the chart!) and both Dreams and Everywhere by Fleetwood Mac.
Dave Sweetmore recently pointed out that last year's most streamed songs contained virtually no groups. It's pretty much all solo artists, and with so many songs being released to streaming services, our Local Music Spotlight feature (curated by Dave) has never been more important to gain bands and artists a little bit of exposure in a crowded market. The quality is top-notch!
I hope you like the mix of music we play on Tameside Radio, and if you've not given us a listen recently, I would genuinely love to hear your thoughts! It's alex.cann@notreallyheremedia.com to get in touch.
