FAYETTEVILLE : Artists seek outlet to get music heard
Posted on Monday, November 3, 2008
FAYETTEVILLE — Huddled around a microphone, three local hip-hop artists took turns talking up their latest effort to create synergy in local music.
Deantae Wright-Smith, Anthony Lions and Matthew Courtney — also known as Duke, D. J. Dont and Evagreen — promoted their first showcase on AM X, the morning show of KXNA-FM, 104. 9. The three are aggressively pushing the local music scene with an effort they’ve dubbed Support Local Music or Die.
The group is affiliated under the name Green City Smokerz and shares common goals, including owning a space where they can host local shows on a regular basis. They also operate their own record label.
The group’s showcase, which was held last month at Springdale’s Rio Bravo, featured artists of different genres. Wright-Smith said the group is working to find sponsors for another show, and he is trying to raise money with his own music to support their goals, in part by selling cell phone ringtones for $ 1. 25 each.
Internet sites like MySpace give artists the chance to showcase their music and increase their fan base. One thing it can’t replace is airplay, something that, in most cases, is an unattainable commodity, said Reggie Sanders, a local artist who also promotes several artists.
Trying to get a song on most local radio stations is next to impossible, Sanders said.
“The local radio stations show no support for us,” he said.
Sanders has tried repeatedly to get local stations to give his music a chance, with little luck, he said. He was able to get a song played on Clear Channel Communications-owned KMXFFM, 101. 9 about five years ago because he was friends with a former disc jockey’s brother.
“He did some talking for me and they played it a few times, which I am grateful for, but we need more than that,” he said. “People are wanting more than that.”
More recently, Sanders has traveled out of state to find support.
“I had to go to Atlanta, Ga., just to get a song played on the radio,” he said. Sanders also has had success in Los Angeles, where there were ample opportunities to get on the air, he said.
EXPOSURE NEEDED Exposure is everything for local musicians, but without some means of accomplishing it, it is difficult to become an established act, Sanders said. Local support also is vital to success in other markets, he said. “If you’re not able to show that you have support at home, how can you go to Memphis, Atlanta or anywhere and expect for them to give you support ?” Sanders said. “It’s all about creating a buzz, and that buzz starts with where you’re from.” Wright-Smith said he and his colleagues have had experiences similar to Sanders. Most radio stations simply won’t play local music, he said. “We support the radio stations, but they don’t support us,” he said.
Wright-Smith suggests it is time to stop supporting those stations. If a bar or club supports local music, then artists should support those businesses.
“Keep the money in the circle,” he said.
KXNA disc jockeys Chris Bobbitt, Bailey Mendenhall and Branden Lee sympathize with the local artists’ efforts and are ardent supporters of their music. The trio regularly showcases local acts and promotes their shows.
Musicians such as alternative rock rising star Benjamin Del Shreve use the show to network. Del Shreve, whose band is about to sign appearance contracts in Australia and New Zealand, said he can’t give total credit to KXNA, but it has helped on the band’s latest album.
Getting into regular rotation on the station generated interest from American record labels, Del Shreve said. KXNA is a reporting station, which means it shares information on the music it’s playing with record labels, he said. Being on the radio changes public perception of a band, Del Shreve said.
“It goes from ‘you’re a local artist’ to ‘ I can’t believe you’re a local artist, ’” he said. “There is a different attitude. It’s almost like you’re 20 feet tall just because you’re on the radio.” UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS ?
Most of the stations in Northwest Arkansas are owned either by Georgia-based Cumulus Broadcasting Inc. or Texasbased Clear Channel Communications.
Getting on the radio isn’t the boost many artists think, said John Baker, local operations manager for Cumulus. Baker is in charge of the seven Cumulus channels based in Fayetteville and is a disc jockey on KQSMFM, 98. 3, a contemporary country station.
Previously, regional popularity could help a musical group gain success, Baker said, quoting from the Cohen Brothers movie, O Brother, Where Art Thou ? in which the fictional act was going to be signed to a “big fat contract” because they had been played as far away as Mobile, Ala.
Most radio stations are programmed locally, although they are heavily influenced by their parent company, Baker said. Corporate stations have their own professionals who monitor music trends.
Research shows most people want to listen to familiar music, Baker said. Because of that, stations typically stay away from local music.
Representatives with Clear Channel in Fayetteville and at the corporate headquarters declined to comment. Telephone messages left seeking comment weren’t returned.
A receptionist at Clear Channel’s corporate office did explain how artists can submit their music on its Web site, www. clearchannelmusic. com, by following the link marked unsigned artists, where bands can upload one song.
Each station also has a link to the site on its own home page. Artists are offered a chance to get a song on the air if it gains enough popularity.
In larger markets, companies sometimes launch stations to increase their market share, using what is commonly called the Jack format, Baker said. Those stations play two to three times the amount of songs played on typical stations, the goal being to emulate hitting shuffle on a music player.
That type of format is initially popular but quickly loses steam, Baker said. The stations offer variety, he said, but that comes with a lot of songs that don’t appeal to enough listeners.
The trend of commercial stations is to play only music that is successful on the charts, Baker said.
Though Baker has never been approached by a local country act, he probably wouldn’t play it. Even if the music was good, he said, the decision would come down to whether to play the unknown act or the Kenny Chesney song people are clamoring for.
It would be better for the band to court labels instead of trying to get on the radio, Baker said, because it will be the label that will give them the best chance for airplay. Artists should focus on creating well-produced music and creatively presenting it to labels, Baker said.
Getting on the local radio won’t mean much to a label anyway, Baker said. They are more interested in the band’s potential to record a hit.
Radio stations have to play what people want to hear to make money, said Dan Hentschel, program director for KAMO-FM, 94. 3, a classic country station.
It’s easy on the classic stations, Hentschel said, because the songs already are established as such. Contemporary stations have to focus on charts and work with record labels.
Hentschel laments how the industry has become so compartmentalized. Now, there is a station for every genre of music, he said, and not even a true Top 40 station.
In the 1960 s and 1970 s, listeners could hear Frank Sinatra and Led Zeppelin on the same chart, Hentschel said. No longer exposed to such varieties of music, people often get stuck on one type, he said.
“People aren’t growing anymore, they’re stagnating in life because of it,” Hentschel said.
When radio stations do play local music, its typically in a time slot that people don’t listen, Hentschel said. Shows aired late Sunday night typically only draw people whose bands are featured or their family members, he said.
KKEG-FM, 92. 1, had a local music show, but it ended because program directors simply got too busy to continue filtering the music, Baker said. AIRPLAY FOR LOCAL ARTISTS
KXNA appears to be the only station that still has a local music show. Dan Robinson, a local musician, hosts Dr. Dan & the Local X, which airs Sundays from 10 p. m. to midnight.
“Dr. Dan will play just about anything from Jed Clampit to Benjamin Del Shreve,” said Dave Jackson, program director.
Jackson is in charge of what music gets into the regular rotation, which currently includes two local acts, Del Shreve and A Good Fight. Jackson said he has had up to six bands in regular rotation.
Getting into regular rotation on KXNA depends on two factors: A band has to be good enough and fit the format, Jackson said.
“Jed Clampit is never going to be in regular rotation on the X,” Jackson said, because he is more of a folk musician while KXNA plays new rock-alternative music. The amount of local music in rotation always can increase, he said.
“The talent has gotten a lot better,” Jackson said. “It’s just unfortunate there’s not as many venues.”
With few exceptions, radio no longer plays a key role in breaking new music, said Nic Harcourt, music director of KCRWFM, 89. 9, a National Public Radio affiliate in Southern California.
Harcourt is often called a “tastemaker” and has been credited with launching to stardom artists like Norah Jones. His show, Morning Becomes Eclectic, features performances by new and established artists. “The bottom line is, radio has in general abandoned the principle of playing new music,” Harcourt said. “With the exception of midnight on Sunday shows, it’s really down to public and college radio to pick up the mantle and try to do that.” People have to look elsewhere for their music if they’re not “happy to watch American Idol and go buy the top three,” Harcourt said. The old formula still remains largely unchanged for bands trying to make a career of music, Harcourt said. “Do what bands have always had to do: Develop a good live show, and develop a sound base playing live,” he said.
To contact this reporter: awallworth@arkansasonline. com
FEEDBACK:
Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online
