New Rolling Stones Music and Classic Rock’s Missed Opportunity

Last week I managed to shoehorn Shakespeare into a column about the value of using the words Classic Rock as a positioner. The question I posed was, other than saying those two words repeatedly, what are you doing to earn that position in the listener’s mind?

This week, I’m turning to 18th century Irish philosopher George Berkeley, who is credited with originating the thought experiment: if a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? I want to amend that question. If the Stones roll out new music and no one gets to hear it, does it make a sound?

In both cases, the answer is yes. I won’t delve into the science, but when the proverbial tree falls, based on what we know about vibrations, it absolutely makes a sound. When the Rolling Stones release a new song, a simple web search yields hundreds of articles covering the event. It absolutely makes a sound. Unfortunately, I don’t think that sound was on a lot of Classic Rock stations.

The Stones released two songs in the last few weeks. The first came out under the pseudonym The Cockroaches called “Rough and Twisted.” Then on May 5th “In the Stars,” came out along with the announcement of a new album called Foreign Tongues due July 10th.

Let’s put this in perspective. Despite leaning more on music from the eighties and incorporating bands from the nineties, the Rolling Stones are still among the top ten most-played acts in the Classic Rock format. That means they are still highly relevant to your audience.

This Isn’t Just Any Band

And while not all new releases from Classic Rock artists are noteworthy, even from the highly relevant ones, this is the Rolling Stones. Unlike other bands where the average listener can’t name a single member, or where the original members have retired or passed away, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are household names. Somehow, they are still making music.

But from what I can tell, Classic Rock radio’s response to these releases was the equivalent of a big yawn. I’m willing to guess a good number of Classic Rock stations didn’t play these songs at all, and many others gave them only a single spin. I’m sure a lot of hosts talked about the new songs as they went into a Classic from the band. That feels counterproductive, considering it’s likely to send any listener who wants to hear them running to their favorite streaming service.

Finding the Space Between Ignored and Overplayed

By no means am I advocating for massive rotations or trying to make a case that these songs have a future in the station’s library. I am challenging stations to consider how to use this type of opportunity to further own the position of the Classic Rock station. There must be a comfortable space between one spin or less and heavy rotation. That space will strengthen the station’s image in the consumer’s mind. Otherwise, we’re leaving that distinction to YouTube and Spotify.

And I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that between having your hosts tease ahead and creative use of simple production pieces, you can make a few spins sound like you are playing these new Rolling Stones songs all the time. There will be little disruption to your precious, carefully plotted power rotation.

The Album Drop and the Holiday Setup

All right, now I’ll climb down off my soapbox but not without implanting one final thought. The new Stones album drops Friday, July 10th. You will likely be coming off a July 4th holiday weekend where you celebrated the country’s 250th birthday with programming focused on American artists – at least I hope you are.

That makes the following weekend a great opportunity to turn around and celebrate one of the greatest Classic Rock bands that happens to not be from the United States. I’m thinking minimal spins for songs off the new album and maximum spins for the rest of the Stones catalog. If you don’t like that idea, at least plan something for the release. Don’t let another stone roll in the woods without your station.

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Mike Stern is a Classic Rock columnist and Features writer for Barrett Media. He has been with Jacobs Media consulting stations in the Classic Rock, Rock, Alternative and AAA world for more than a decade. Prior to that he programmed stations in Chicago, Detroit, Denver Las Vegas and other markets. He also worked as News/Talk Editor for Radio and Records, wrote about Top 40 Radio for Billboard Magazine and had his own radio talent coaching business called Talent Mechanic.