The Top 22 Selling CDs at the Coalition of Independent Music Stores for the Week Ending 2-5-12

The Top 22 Selling Vinyl Albums and Singles at the Coalition of Independent Music Stores for the Week Ending 2-5-12

Download the Top 200 CDs and Top 50 Vinyl Charts here.

Mediaguide tracks airplay on thousands of radio stations nationwide. From that data, we present our six exclusive airplay charts…

David Hall

Everyone in the Adult Rock community was taken aback at the news of the passing of David Hall.

We all knew him, and we all continue to have great respect for a great guy.

But, most of us knew him from a business/industry perspective. We knew him as a music lover who could break bands and kept the trains running on time at a fiercely independent station.

So when we remember David, we’ll likely remember him in some context related to his Program Director role at WRLT/Nashville.

Then there are his fans. For them, David did exactly what an on-air talent is supposed to do. Curator. Companion.

Just a few posts from the Radio Lightning site, from David’s fans:

Pamela says:

I am just so sad today as I know everyone at WRLT is. I know David was the voice and feeling behind the idea of the fabulous independent radio station we are so lucky to have here in Nashville, and I hope his dream and legacy continues, as I’m sure it will. His loss will leave a huge void, but he touched a lot of folks and kept the spirit of independent music alive and well in an industry that does not honor true independent artists. My heart goes out to all of you who were fortunate to have worked closely with him, as I know you’ve lost a good friend.

Brian says:

Music on the radio is such an important part of life. Where would we be without it? Like so many in Nashville, while I never met David Hall in person, I knew him well through his wonderful voice on WRLT radio and consider him a special friend. He was there for me every afternoon on the drive home and on Sunday nights to wind down the weekend. He brought so much of that special joy of independent radio to my life. His knowledge and dedication to his craft was inspiring. Words cannot fully express my deep appreciation toward him for how much he enriched all of our lives. It is so very sad that he will no longer be there filling those moments for us. Thank you for the many wonderful years, David Hall. As a longtime dedicated listener, I will always remember you, and truly miss you, as a very special friend.

Dan Haseltine says:

Absolutely broken by this. He was definitely a fierce advocate for independent music, and the welcome and familiar voice on the radio for so many years. His passing is so incredibly sad. David… you will be missed. -Dan Haseltine(Jars of Clay)

Lynne Collier says:

Lightning 100 is such a treasure – an independent station that brings a great variety of music to Nashville. David was an equally independent dj and a champion for local music & musicians. My thoughts are with David’s family, both inside and outside the station, and may you all support each other during this difficult time. Thank you David!

kj says:

Just have to say Thank You, David Hall, for rockin’ us all so sweetly for all these years. Your radio personality has always been a true friend and inspiration for so many. You’re one cool Nashville Cat!!!!!

Thank you for culturizing us with some awesome music. You surely did rock us all! Thank you for the tunes, friend…

Todd Adams says:

So few cities are as fortunate as Nashville to have a radio station like Lightning 100, where the music is locally programmed by people who care about music, and David Hall was synonymous with Lightning 100. From hosting his radio show to hosting Sunday evenings at 3rd & Lindsley, you could tell David’s life passion was quality music and there was no bigger advocate for local Nashville musicians than David Hall. He is irreplaceable and will be dearly missed.

Mary Davis says:

I can barely remember a time when David Hall was not a part of Nashville radio. We have lost the best DJ this city will ever know. My thoughts & prayers are with David’s family & the staff at Lightening 100. Rock on, David – you will be greatly missed.

Mindy says:

Although I never met David, I feel like a good friend has passed just in listening to him on the radio all these years in Nashville. My condolences to all those who did know him….. his family and friends.

RIP my “vocal” friend.

mark says:

new to Nashville, I happily found lightning 100 on the dial. A great radio station much in part because of David. I never met David but feel a great sadness none the less that his voice has been silenced. A great loss for his family and the larger Nashville community. My deepest sympathies.

Ruth Ann Minshall says:

I was a year out of high school when David came to WKDF.I can remember how delighted I was when he joined WRLT. Those were the good ‘ole school days! I don’t think I will be able to survive the commute from Nashville to Spring Hill any more without hearing “David Hall rocks y’all!” He was a sweetheart of a guy, and really knew his stuff. He will be sorely missed!

Rufus Wainwright, courtesy RufusWainwright.com

The musical lineup for the 12th Annual NON-COMMvention is beginning to take shape with a slew of announcements.

Brandi Carlile, Sinead O’Connnor, Rufus Wainwright, and Diego Garcia are scheduled to perform at the Philadelphia-based conference May 17-19.

Also announced are Dry the River, JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound, Lee Fields, and Father John Misty. Many more artists are yet to be announced.

Sinead O'Connor by Kevin Abosch, courtesy of sineadoconnor.com

As the NON-COMMvention returns to Philly from Wilmington, performances will take place at World Cafe Live, adjacent to the WXPN studios.

Early Bird registration rates are currently in effect, with multiple radio station employees able to attend for as little as $50. See the NON-COMMvention registration page for details.

The official hotel will again be the The Inn at Penn, with reservations now being taken. Learn more at the NON-COMMvention hotel page.

TheTop22.com will have complete details as the conference further develops. Information is available via the 12th Annual NON-COMMvention tab on the top navigation bar.

The Top 22 Selling CDs at the Coalition of Independent Music Stores for the Week Ending 1-29-12

The Top 22 Selling Vinyl Albums and Singles at The Coalition of Independent Music Stores for the Week Ending 1-29-12

Download The Top 200 CDs and Top 50 Vinyl Charts here.

Feist: The Pantsuit Days

Nova Scotia’s Leslie Feist won the hearts of AAA with her second album Let it Die and the track Mushaboom.

But it was the homespun video for 1234 that broke her nationwide, thanks to Apple. As lo-fi as that clip was, the new mini-movie for The Bad in Each Other is at the other end of the spectrum.

With the new album having scanned more than 120,000 units and Bad having just debuted in the Public Radio Top 22, Feist appears set for a strong year. KBCO, WXRV, KCMP, and WFUV are just some of the stations on board.

Check out the clip, a performance for the excellent Black Cab Sessions, and tour dates below…

And here’s a performance from the UK’s Black Cab Sessions…

Feist from Black Cab Sessions on Vimeo.

Feist has announced the first leg of her upcoming tour…

April 14th Indio, CA @ Coachella
April 21st Indio, CA @ Coachella
April 22nd Phoenix, AZ @ Orpheum Theatre
April 26th Austin, TX @ Stubb’s: Outdoors
April 28th New Orleans, LA @ New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
April 30th Indianapolis, IN @ Egyptian Room @ Old National Centre
May 1st Nashville, TN @ The Ryman Auditorium
May 2nd Asheville, NC @ Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
May 3rd Raleigh, NC @ Memorial Auditorium
May 5th New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall
May 7th Boston, MA @ House Of Blues
May 8th Philadelphia, PA @ Academy Of Music
May 9th Washington, DC @ The Strathmore
May 11th Burlington, VT @ The Flynn Theater

Photo by Jo Lopez courtesy BruceSpringsteen.net

Mediaguide digitally monitors radio airplay nationwide.

Then they allow us to publish six charts from the Commercial AAA, Public Radio, and Adult Alternative world. See ‘em here.

Jane’s Addiction returned in October with The Great Escape Artist, and the track Underground felt like it had huge potential. Now there’s a sepia tone video that offers plenty to look at…

Kate Bush continues to impress with her 50 Words for Snow album, and this inventive clip for Eider Falls at Lake Tahoe continues the compelling story…

Wilco has released their second video for The Whole Love, this time an amazing animation for Dawned on Me featuring the characters from Popeye…

On August 30, 2009 I wrote that radio was blaming all of its problems on the recession, and once the economy bounced back, everything would be fine.

In short, I called bullshit.

Instead, I argued that commercial radio’s business model was on fire well before the recession, and everything big radio companies have done since has simply fed that fire.

I pointed out Bob Garfield’s excellent observations in his book The Chaos Scenario. Among other things, Bob noted that media’s expansion was seriously outpacing the ad dollars that supported it.

The result would be sinking CPMs and a greater proportion of the ad dollars going into digital.

Big Radio’s response to all this has been to circle the wagons, cut costs, and turn the content into a commodity. Arbitron’s Personal People Meter handed over more data, which was immediately misused by managers and consultants who didn’t understand how to use it.

In the almost two and a half years since I wrote that piece, commercial radio has gone literally nowhere. On the other hand, Broadcast TV, Cable, Digital, and Mobile are up big across the board — regardless of the economy. Only print has fared worse.

With commercial radio having just announced another flat month (December year-over-year), Strata’s fourth quarter survey sums it up.

(Strata, by the way, is a software company in Chicago that supports around 1000 ad agencies.)

Check this unfortunate finding…

The top medium of choice for clients in Q4 2011:

* Spot TV (Broadcast and Cable) 51%
* Digital 31%
* Spot Radio 8%

As bad as the 8% is, it’s down from 16% last year.

As Bob Garfield correctly predicted, not enough dollars being spread too thin across too many new forms of advertising.

And if you’re wondering where the next trough of money is going to go, look at your phone. Ad Age reports that mobile advertising will be up 80% in 2012 to $2.6 billion.

If you’re curious as to why Clear Channel dropped radio from its name, the answer lies in this chart:

Mobile Advertising Projection: Ad Age

I’ve said it before and will say it again — it’s not the medium, it’s how the medium is being programmed. Pubradio is hanging in there and in many places, growing. Commercial radio is just plain getting it wrong with a game plan that may provide audience, but that audience is less and less desirable to advertisers.

And that’s all that matters.

Orbo and the Longshots

Orbo and the Longshots sound like they grew up next door to John Mellencamp. But you’ll likely do a double-take when you find out they’re actually from Bergen, Norway.

Ole Reinert Berg-Olsen (Orbo) put the band together in 2000, and they’ve gone from a Rolling Stones cover band to developing a straight-ahead Americana sound.

For their fifth CD, Prairie Sun, the band traveled to Prairie Sun studios in Sonoma County, California, enlisting engineering and production help from Grammy nominated Erick Jaskowiak (Alison Krauss, Trisha Yearwood, Catie Curtis, Shooter Jennings, Colin Hay).

Winners of the Norwegian Grammy equivalent, the band hopes to make more friends stateside this year with a handful of dates starting on February 29 in Nashville.

Prairie Sun arrives January 31.

Check out this clip in the studio, cutting High Grass Dog…

And a performance video of Highway Tears…

The first track from Prairie Sun to radio is Magic…

Orbo and the Longshots – Magic (radio edit) by TheTop22

Upcoming dates:

29.02.2012     US 2012    Exit/In    Nashville, TN (US)
01.03.2012     US 2012    The EARL    East Atlanta, GA (US)
02.03.2012     US 2012    Local 506    Chapel Hill, NC (US)
03.03.2012     US 2012    Red Palace    Washington, DC (US)
04.03.2012     US 2012    Johnny Brenda’s    Philadelphia, PA (US)
05.03.2012     US 2012    Mercury Lounge    New York, NY (US)

Learn more at Orbo.no

Artist Spotlight is sponsored content in association with A Taste of Triple A.