The record labels may no longer recognize the value of airplay, but musicians are not shy about the describing their need for as many over-the-air spins as they can get to make sure their recordings, concerts and paraphernalia sell.
Three successful artists at the American Music Awards made a special point of thanking radio for fueling their success.
Taylor Swift, AMA Artist of the Year, said, “Thank you so much. I want to say thank you to country radio for giving the fans a chance to hear my music.”
Country band ‘Gloriana’ was another. Accepting the award for Breakthrough Artist of the Year, band member Rachel Reinert said, “We gotta thank country radio so much for playing our music.”
Keith Urban, AMA winner in the Country Male category, joined the chorus, thanking “all our friends at country radio.”
RBR-TVBR observation: Label execs are aware too, they just can’t say it in public at the moment while they pretend on Capitol Hill that airplay has no value – but every once in a while one of them slips up and lets the truth out, as Clive Davis did not so long ago. It was over the summer when Davis observed, “Radio is still the leading force of determining what songs and artists break through.”
