Want the inside scoop on how its playlist is compiled and just how Perry fares so well?
Full story via ‘The Guardian’ below…
Excerpts from Nadia Khomani’s ‘Radio 1’s playlist secrets uncovered: the battle of the ‘brands” reads:
At the head of the playlist meeting table sits George Ergatoudis. He’s funny, he’s smart, and – as Radio 1’s head of music – he’s the most powerful man in the music industry. Ergatoudis decides whether your band gets daytime airplay on the biggest radio station in the country (Radio 1 reaches 12 million listeners a week, including 42% of all 15- to 24-year-olds, and its Facebook community numbers 15 million). Ergatoudis, therefore, decides whether you’re going to make it commercially or be exiled to the darkest corners of the musical underground. On his right sits Nigel Harding, Radio 1’s music policy executive (three years ago, he was ranked the fourth most influential player in the industry by theGuardian, below Adele’s music team, Universal label executives and Simon Cowell).
The playlist committee’s job is to choose around 40 records each week for repeated daytime play (A-list records get 25 plays a week, B-list 15, and C-list eight to 10). After deciding whether to keep current playlisted tracks, the discussion moves on to new additions. A snatch of each song blares through speakers before Ergatoudis lists the artist’s YouTube views, Soundcloud hits, Shazam ratings, Twitter followers and Facebook likes.
“It’s a real privilege to be in this room and also it’s a great responsibility,” Harding says. “People can’t just turn up and proffer an opinion having just heard something for the first time.” Indeed, committee responsibilities extend beyond this room: there are constant meetings with label reps and promotions teams (the pluggers) every week to hear the hard sell on upcoming artists. “Everyone has to foster those relationships; go to gigs and really be immersed in new music and the specialist output,” says Harding. “We probably see anything up to 30 separate plugging teams a week.”
When I ask about artists the station has been late to, such as Drake, “it’s because their songs are not suitable for daytime radio play”. And what about the artists they haven’t broken? What about the songs they don’t play? In the late 2000s the BBC Trust criticised the station for having too old an audience and said it must focus on getting the average age down to under 30. The Trust promised to monitor Radio 1’s listening figures among the 15- to 29-year-old demographic over the coming years. But despite introducing younger presenters, the average age of a Radio 1 listener is still 32.
When I mention this, Ergatoudis shuffles in his seat. “Average is a ridiculously blunt measure,” he says. “Today’s 30- to 50-year-olds have lived through just about every genre of music that’s ever existed, from the most hardcore metal to hip-hop to dance and house.”
He tells me that if you look at the list of the 1,000 favourite artists for 60-year-olds and the 1,000 favourite artists for 13-year-old, there is a 40% overlap, and if you take 30- to 39-year-olds and 13- to 19-year-olds, over 50% of their favourite artists are the same. “So their worldviews are nowhere near as separate as people think they are.” The only thing Radio 1 can focus on, then, is its output. “Every decision we make is based on the questions ‘Is this relevant for a young audience?’, ‘Will this track be appreciated by 15- to 29-year-olds?'”
Well done Katy!
But that list is Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz *yawns*
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Good for her and those fast food hits cause the girl def lacks talent but good for her, and please don’t reply to me telling me that she writes her own music because with those kindergarten song she be making is nothing to brag out
I wonder why??
I’m no fan but congrats Katy!
Lol, but we all know why Katy Payola is the most played.. 😀 😀
Too bad payola couldn’t save Applause, DWUW, or G.U.Y
im be a lil give kongradulations when it be due and i aint go lie and say payola aint play a big role but that aint go be from me.
i just found a real cute and all em mariah poster someone be special gave me and im go be honest im happy to be in e hanging of it…and me just found me a lana poster
Omg girl you really need to double check your spelling is hard to understand I’m not being shady at all but at least make effort to make it more understandable.
aint nun be wrong with my spelling
Girl a 5th grader wouldn’t even spell this bad
One word ..
PAYOLA
Payola: “You’re welcome Katy”
Money can run out but talent is forever.
PPPAAAAYYYYYOOOOOLLLLLA sis, payola…..her generic basic music and vocals couldn’t get anywhere without it we all know thst true.
Lol of course she will, the true queen of payola.
Rihanna is not far behind katy so keep it cute
I think it’s pretty obvious WHY? Not her payola not working in the UK looking at those struggling UK record sales.
She already declining in her domestic area lol , nothin but a fast food singles seller that gives cakes and checks for radio stations to at the top of the charts, and the real kii is that birthday floppin with all the payola!!!
TD sold 1.5 million in the U.K. How is that struggling? M
But they already tired of her basic b**** ass since birthday flopping harder than unconditionally.
How is # a flop when the only promo it got was a via satellite performance at the Billboard Awards?
A tour performance also, lyric video, music video, PAYOLA, lol stfu.
Funny tho cus stay and diamonds was the only hits on rihanna album lol the others flopped worst that unconditionally your singles queen is being replaced rih better watch out who is she gonna rip off next era mmmhm I wonder
GIRL U SOUND STUPID. LET ME SCHOOL U
UNAPOLOGETIC ERA
PEAK
WEEKS CHARTED
SALES
ALBUM
1(For a week)
52(Already Out)
1,140,000 (Certified Platinum)
SINGLES
•Diamonds
1 (For 3 Weeks)
26
4,000,000+ (Certified 4x Platinum)
•Stay
3
32
4,000,000+ (Certified 4x Platinum)
•Pour It Up
19
20
1,200,000+(Certified 1x Platinum)
•Loveeeeeee Song
55
20
500k+ (Certified Gold)
•Right Now
50
9
250k
What Now
25
8
unknown
Overall Single Sales about 11 Million+
You bragging with Right now peak position hehe anyway Birthday peak is #23 just out a few weeks and unconditionally peaked at #14 sold over 1mil Yet yall come for Katy saying unconditionally flopped ? Hypocrites Unconditionally did better than half of those singles !! Talking about albums Prims has sold over 1.3mil soOooo where you going with this? Cus what I see katy did better
People must like torturing themselves.
& not nicki having better vocals than Katy in that video kii
Everyone wants to use payola as an excuse for Katy’s success but no one can explain how payola forced 5 million people to buy 6of her singles in the US or how it forced people to buy tickets to her sold out tour. She has 4 back to back sold out shows at the O2 Arena, I guess payola forced the UK to do that. Clearly no one read the article either. A committee chooses the top song so paying stations for play doesn’t really work in the UK.
She used payola sis and its a fact, most of her number ones are thanks to remixes, her album sales arenice for a kid jingler but her place on the charts are from PAYOLA.
Everyone uses payola. Even Rih and Gaga. However airplay doesn’t impact the charts as much as streaming and digital sales, which comes back the point that payola cannot force someone to buy single much less buy tickets to a show. All of Katy’s hits have sold over 4 million copies. That is where her place on the charts come from.
Katy May be at the peak of her career but just know what comes up will come down and she will come down crashing hard sad reality is that the b**** can’t sing live nor dance and her stage presence is just pathetic she caters for little kids and pre t*** bare in mind that they all grow up and will lose interest in the dumb h** payola and her record label buying her s*** albums won’t help her in the future
God bless payola!
Payola, is used by EVERYONE! Goodbye! Congrats KATY PERRY!
Rihanna fans have a nerve when rihanna is the one buying Youtune views and her singles and using PAYOLA! Saying katy Unconditionally flopped when it did better than What now , pour it up was CKB on unapolegetic or talk that talk lawd she released to many albums to stay relevant you forget
You bragging with Right now peak position hehe anyway Birthday peak is #23 just out a few weeks and unconditionally peaked at #14 sold over 1mil Yet yall come for Katy saying unconditionally flopped ? Hypocrites Unconditionally did better than half of those singles !! Talking about albums Prims has sold over 1.3mil soOooo where you going with this? Cus what I see katy did better