Rock and Pop Musicians! Please Make Two and a Half Minute Songs!

"Brevity is the soul of wit." - Lord Polonius from Shakespeare's Hamlet 1602

Everyone knows that the attention spans of people are getting shorter yet rock musicians (people who are appealing to those with the shortest attention spans of all), keep making songs that are getting longer.

I don't get it.

According to the website: Attention Span Statistics data: 

"The average attention span in 2000, 12 seconds. The average attention span in 2012, 8 seconds. "

Yet, people keep making pop and rock songs longer and longer! Ever since "Let it Be" by the Beatles and Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody, which BOTH were six minutes long, pop and rock musicians keep making songs over four, even five minutes! Is this counter-intuitive? Or just plain, well, "Not smart"?

No. This is NOT what I want!

I think it's not very smart. Let me tell you why...

I used to program and select all the music for a very popular morning drive-time program in Tokyo. Our service area covers 42 million homes, so it's huge. I know that many people like me (I've asked) have agreed that the "perfect pop/rock song" is 2.5 minutes long (or thereabouts). Three minutes? Well, okay... Three and a half minutes? You're pushing it. Over 3:30? Hmmm, it had better be as good as the Rolling Stones, "Jumping Jack Flash" (which, I didn't look, but I believe is 3:48!) Still, with that, I will probably cut the last 30 seconds. Over 4 minutes? That's starting to get really difficult to use. Over 4:30 or 5? No thanks... Send me a radio-friendly version, will ya?

(By the way, if I must be going to a commercial in, say, 1:40 from now, and I have to cover the time, will I play the 2:30 song and cut 50 seconds, or am I going to play the 5 minute song that has a 48 second intro? Easy call, isn't it?)

Yet musicians keep sending us their new singles and the songs are all over four or five minutes. I hate it!

Why?

OK. It's simple. Did you know that there are ten times more listeners at 7 am than there are at 7 pm (due to people driving in the morning)? Let me repeat that: Did you know that there are ten times more listeners at 7 am than there are at 7 pm (due to people driving in the morning)? And the number of listeners rapidly declines after the morning driving time ends (in Japan, after 8:30 am). So that's why you want your song on before 8:30 am; there's many more potential listeners for your tunes if they are on early. 

Did you also know (at least in Japan's case) that the average listener listens to FM radio for only twenty minutes at a time? That's right.

Now, morning shows (the ones with, by far, the highest ratings) need a quick tempo and a fast pace. We don't have time to screw around. We have to get lots of information, news, weather, sports, traffic, commercials and music shoved into the shortest time span possible. That means we play lots of short songs in the mornings (when, as I mentioned, the ratings are highest)... That means we (well, I won't) play any songs at all that push the 3:30+ mark (or I just lop off a few minutes - do you want that?) 

I greatly prefer short songs. 

If you send me a 2:30 song, then I will greatly consider that for airplay during the peak times... But, if you send me a 5 minute song? Yeah, later on in the show... Or never. Long songs are difficult to use.

Of course, I'm talking about the fun shows that are on in the mornings (did I say the ratings = more listeners - were higher at that time? I did? Thanks.)

That means, in my case, I will play short, up-tempo songs like early Beatles, Stones, Ramones at peak times to get the listeners pumped-up and ready to go in the mornings. We don't do easy listening...

It used to be that, long ago, songs were always under 3 minutes. What happened? I don't know. But this "long song" business is foolish. 

It's simple; if you want your songs played when there are the most listeners, then make them short. If you can't say it in 2.5 minutes, then you need to work on it.

Of course, there is a time and place for longer songs.... But generally not on the highly rated morning shows... I'm trying to wake people up in the morning and cram in as much as I can in the shortest space I can... But, then again, maybe people don't care about radio anymore... OK. I can understand that too.

But, knowing this, and if you DO want radio airplay, why would you want to make long songs?

Your call.


NOTE: Oh, and PS: If you are a new musician, then make sure you "Like" the FB pages of the radio programs you are (or want to) promote to. Our FB page is here: https://www.facebook.com/MikeRogersShow/

NOTE TWO: THE PERFECT SONG? I don't know but it's a great example of what I'm talking about. Within the first 30 seconds, you hear the intro, verse, chorus and hook... If this isn't perfect, then it's damned close: The Beatles - Paperback Writer (if link doesn't work, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmVwo2DxkGg)

Here's another one (You can argue with me but you can't argue with the success of the Beatles!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qyclqo_AV2M

Musicians, Artists and Politics - The Day the Music Dies

“And you tell me over and over and over again my friend, you don’t believe we’re on the eve of destruction.” – Barry McGuire

I think this needs to be said (not that what I think really matters) but I am so disappointed by so many of today’s musicians and artists who come out and publicly support this politician or that.

I have been noticing this trend amongst musicians and artists growing over these last 20 years or so. It astounds me that today’s artists are so fooled by the mass media that they will come out in support of certain political candidates. This is foolish as well as lacking in dignity and I will show you why.

I expect that Joe-Blow Average Guy – who watches too much TV – to suck it all in and be lead around by the ring in their nose like cattle to support a candidate. But I didn’t expect musicians and artists to be as daft as average Joe-Blow and openly promote criminal candidate A over criminal candidate B. (Yes. Yes. I know most artists and musicians are not rocket scientists but I still expect them to have a little more insight to life and how things work than the average 6-hour-a-day TV watcher.)

I get disgusted when I see artists posting some nonsense supporting some politician (or attacking that criminal – which is de facto supporting this criminal.) It especially astounds me when I see foreigners supporting some American politician. Guess what? No one in America gives a toss what you think. What would you guys from, say the UK, think if the bassist of Hootie and the Blowfish came out and said he supports the Conservative or Labor candidate in England?

You’d think he were an imbecile, wouldn’t you?

I don’t mean artists have to be apolitical, but I mean you need to publicly support principles, not individual candidates. Past history is proof enough that all politicians are liars and crooks. You should understand and know by now that we are ruled by an evil cabal. It doesn’t matter if Candidate A or Candidate B wins; nothing changes.

Or haven’t you been paying attention the last 50 years?

At this time, we don’t know if Candidate A or Candidate B is going to win the election. All we do know is that no matter who wins, the current direction and decline of the country will continue.

Here is what artists are supposed to be in support of End of the wars, end of poverty, end the bombings, end the war on drugs, more freedom for the people.

The fact of the matter is that all politicians are deceitful liars. They have to be. That’s part of the job. To think candidate A is going to change things is delusional. I explained that here inThe US Presidency is a Donut Shop.

What is going on now; the vote rigging; Bernie’s disgraceful and total and complete capitulation; and what occurred with all our US presidents in these last 50 years should have been a wake-up call: The system is corrupt. It’s always been corrupt. It was built that way. It isn’t going to change. There is basically no difference in our ruling aristocracy and the ruling aristocracy of other corrupt nations.

The USA, Japan, and the EU haven’t a leg to stand on when we criticize North Korea or her president.

Besides the above, here is really why you should stop the political posts and support for any politician: when you do support one or the other, it makes you lose your ability to view the world as an observer. When you publicly support a certain candidate you lose your objectivity and are unable to keep your bias level at a minimum. It destroys your art and loses members of your fanbase. It is amateurish and completely unprofessional.

Still not convinced?

Remember when John Lennon was protesting the Vietnam War? Did he ever come out and say he supported this politician or that? No. He understood that our problems are not because of this politician or that. He fully understood that and said that the system is corrupt.

Can you imagine for a second someone like Lennon or David Bowie coming out and saying he supports a particular politician like Cameron or Corbin or Hillary or Trump?

Nope. Neither can I.

Do not support politicians. Support universal human rights and principles.

Of course, it really doesn’t matter what I think. But I think you do yourself a disservice by getting into politics. Musicians and artists are supposed to help us escape – even for a few minutes – the hell we live in.

Don’t pull us deeper into the cesspool.