COLLEGE RADIO RECAP WEEK 4, CMJ ISSUE 1425

It is crazy how many of you are loving David Bowie. I mean I guess it is not that crazy considering the circumstances. No one is even close right now. 66 stations have him at #1 up from 57 last week. The #2 record Grimes has 13 #1's and the #3 record Hinds has 5. So we have a long way to go before we see a new #1. 

The record with the best chance might be the new Ty Segall that went for adds this week. Or could we be seeing Ty Segall fatigue? The record was easily #1 most added this week but the # of adds is down significantly. With 233 reporting stations there were 106 stations that added Ty Segall. The last record had 141 adds with just around the same number of reporters.  The record before that also had 140+ adds and around the same number of reporters.   

If I were to have to bet though I would bet on Ty Segall over anything else currently on the charts. Just seems to be off to a slower start than previous records. It will also be interesting to see if the older Ty Segall remains reportable as that could impact the new records run to #1. Will be interesting to watch. 

Not a lot to report this week aside from that. We should hopefully see some bigger records come over the next few weeks and make the charts a big more interesting. 

I would like to talk a bit more about David Bowie though.  College radio is a great community, you were and MD or a DJ at a station years ago and you always will feel connected to that station. I had an old MD message me yesterday on Facebook. This person has not been at his radio station for at least 7 years yet he still listens, still pays attention, still cares what the station is reporting.  

Well he wrote me:  

I see Bowie is #1 on XXXXX charts

That's great and all, but like - who benefits from stations charting Bowie? Yes, we want to remember him. But why? A small indie artist gets cut off the charts because a major label wants to push a record?

Is a promo company pushing that? Sorry Dougy, just curious. I remember one time JJ at Team Clearmont exploded at me because I refused to chart an R.E.M. reissue because i thought it was pointless for a college radio station to do that

I think it is a great question.  ( of course there is a big difference between charting a reissue and a new record ) However you could make the argument that artists that have "made it" don't need college radio at all. How does charting David Bowie or Bob Dylan or Prince help the artist at all? 

For me I think heritage artists do have a place on college radio and completely understand why people are charting him. At the same time I get his point of view as well. 

I don't think one way is right and one way is wrong.  I think charting Adele on college radio is wrong but perhaps that station is fulfilling a need in that area. I don't know. 

What are your thoughts? 

Lets talk on twitter!