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#7 Lisa Sonkin

We'd kill for a surveillance tape.

The Columbia Records rep benefits from the label’s strong roster and A&R, but rarely do records get themselves played.

Columbia took the sophomore release from Adele to new heights and new formats, and the album still dominates the AAA charts.

But Sonkin gets props for breaking two developing acts at Adult Rock — Cults and Foster the People — the latter probably the best new band of 2011. Throw in strong work in getting play for outliers Raphael Saadiq and Tony Bennett.

Lisa will be extraordinarily busy in 2012. Train and The Shins and Bruce Springsteen in January alone. Add to that new albums from John Mayer, Brandi Carlile, and a Leonard Cohen album that you’re going to like, plus a handful of baby bands…

Bonus points: Late in the year, Lisa got run over by a deer. Standing at a bus stop. Yep, run over by a deer, which was being chased by cops. Awesome.

#6 The Whole New Media Thing

When making the list, there were so many potential new media pieces of the puzzle, they threatened to take over the list entirely. So we wimped out and combined them. And while their combined force should be way higher than #6, we’re simultaneously fatigued with packed-with-statistics new media stories.

So it is with those conflicting emotions that we salute Pandora, which could be the most amazing solution for labels — if the labels could only see it. The music industry needs to lower royalty rates to encourage new media innovation. If the Pandora’s and the Slacker’s and the Spotify’s fail in any way due to ridiculous royalty rates, expect a rise in piracy — among other things.

But it’s not just the streamers making noise this year. We see the return of video. Yes, video may again kill the radio star as Vevo unquestionably turned the corner in 2011, increasingly making promotional videos viable again.

Lastly, on the independent musician side, we’re loving the off-the-shelf tools being delivered to the DIY set. Who cares that MySpace is dead — it needed to die to make room for everything from Bandcamp to crowdsourced funding sites like Kickstarter.

#5 WXPN/Philadelphia

WXPN host and NON-COMMvention ruler Dan Reed.

Where do we start?

How about with congratulations to David Dye and World Cafe on its 20th Anniversary, celebrated in 2011.

And then there’s the NON-COMMvention, clearly emerging as the annual gathering of the AAA set. After successfully taking the show on the road to Wilmington in 2011, the event returns to Philly this May.

If you’re in the business of breaking artists, the NON-COMMvention is a must — whether you’re on the label side or the radio side.

Period.

#4 Sky Daniels

Skyboy on the right, circa 1980.

Last year Sky Daniels made our list for his work on the label side.

2011 found him back where he started — on the radio side with scrappy startup (or relaunch) KCSN/Northridge.

What the station lacks in signal and budget, it will more than make up for with hustle and smarts — as evidenced by its Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – headlined fundraiser.

With so many artists with no place to go in LA, we expect a line to be forming shortly outside KCSN.

#3 Jim McGuinn

The Public Radio pay scale sometimes forces McGuinn to live off the land to make ends meet.

With a playlist that can only be described as “that shouldn’t work,” KCMP/Minneapolis-St. Paul (The Current) somehow manages to make it work.

With a 3.1 share and an audience that approaches 300,000, The Current is the envy of many in public radio.

One reason for success lies in the fact that the Twin Cities have been primed with Left of the Dial-style radio since way before The Replacements sang about it in 1985.

Another is that The Current is part of pubradio juggernaut American Public Media – packed with smart people who know how to program, promote, market and sell.

It’s interesting to note that, in a market with a commercial AAA (Cities 97) and a non-comm, the ratings share and related cumes demonstrate almost everything about the differences in the execution of the two related formats.

Cities pulls a 3.4 share with 625,000 audience. Compare that to The Current’s aforementioned 3.1 with much less than half the audience. Cities arguably suffers from low TSL — much of the 625k simply isn’t engaged. Over at The Current, it’s a community – and they’re locked in.

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#18 Jack Barton

FMQB's Jack Barton

There are only a few people who carried over from last year’s list, but Jack Barton is one of them.

Editing the AAA section of Friday Morning Quarterback, the primary AAA radio trade publication, Jack is also lead dog on the Annual Triple A Conference in Boulder.

That conference, amazingly, will turn 20 years old this year, and we have Jack to thank for carrying it forward.

Mark your calendars for August 8-11, 2012 — and by the way, cheapo registration of $200 ends December 31.

#19 Art Phillips

Art Phillips Boxman with a classic from his collection.

Art was on our list well before his surprise layoff from Vanguard Records just a couple of weeks ago.

For starters, Art basically put Vanguard on the map. This year, Vanguard charted the likes of Matt Nathanson, Greg Laswell, Shawn Mullins, Viva Voce, Chris Isaak, and Sarah Jarosz. And then there’s that little Indigo Girls comeback album.

Giving credit where credit is due, Art is one free agent to watch in 2012.

#20 John McGue/WNKU

WNKU MD John "Patrick" McGue

Northern Kentucky University has assembled a three station trimulcast for WNKU — positioned as Public Radio That Rocks. The  addition of the new signals now take NKU past Cincinnati and into Dayton.

The Cincinnati metro agrees with the mix of rock, Americana, and indie rock, and the station now cumes more than 77,000.

But with the signal coverage they’ve assembled, 77k feels small, and it will be interesting to see if and how NKU can grow in 2012.

#21 Amy Kaplan

Promotion vet Amy Kaplan

Amy makes our list due to sheer tenacity.

With the state of the industry being what it is, many of us have needed to reinvent ourselves – or at least try to figure out what niche we could fill.

And so it is with Amy, who represents an emerging type of independent promotion person — one who primarily works on behalf of a management company.

Using her skills honed as a Chicago local for RCA/BMG, Amy and her Black Dog Promotions now works with Mick Management – the management company run by ATO co-founder Michael McDonald.

With albums from John Mayer, Sarah McLachlan (we’re hearing it’s a departure for her), and Justin Townes Earle coming in 2012, expect to hear from Amy.

#22 Jim Nelson

Jim Nelson, Senior Year.

Most of the Adult Rock world knows Jim Nelson from his monthly music sampler A Taste of Triple A and Americana.

But there’s a lot more on the resume — stints at KLOS/LA, KTWV/LA, KCAL/San Bernadino, The Album Network, and countless syndicated radio specials.

2011 found Jim back behind the microphone, pulling morning drive duties on buzzworthy relaunch KCSN/Los Angeles.

That’s plenty enough to land Jim in our Top 22.

Vevo views are way up, but that’s not the only indication that we may soon witness a new golden age of music video promotion.

Bjork recently announced that her upcoming release Biophilia album will feature iPad apps for each song. John Mayer and Arcade Fire have already released interactive videos.

The newest to play in the interactive space is Polyphonic Spree, who have released an app for the new song Bullseye, which works on iPhone and iPad.

For a buck-99 you can hear the new track, and play along — tapping various creatures as you travel through an animated forest. Here’s a sample:

Bullseye iPad App Teaser from Moonbot Studios on Vimeo.

App-oriented music videos may well flourish considering the opportunity to liquidate some or all of the cost through direct sales. A great idea may even turn into a revenue generator.

While we’re talking video, let’s go old-school with HuffingtonPost’s stab at 10 Visionary Music Video Directors.

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#2 Tim Westergren: Pandora

Pandora's Tim Westergren explains the algorithm that makes the same songs play over and over.

In April, Pandora crossed the 50 million user mark. Today, the census told us that there are 308 million people in the United States.

Let’s do the math. 300 million people divided by 50 million users… carry the one…um… do we have to show our work? Should we subtract everyone’s grandma?

Show me someone who has not used Pandora, and I’ll show you someone who really isn’t into music that much.

What’s ahead? Pandora has been advertising jobs for people who know video and have experience in artist relations. Yeah, we applied but haven’t heard back yet. They’re probably waiting ’til after the holidays to call. Keep an eye on our Facebook status!

#3 Lisa Sonkin: Columbia Records

Famously difficult to photograph, Lisa Michelson circa 1974, in third grade. If we could do math, we could figure out her age.

Columbia was the number one label in terms of AAA radio airplay this year — a fact that Lisa is sharing only with her closest friends and family– so please keep this information to yourself.

John Mayer, Train, Avett Brothers, Courtyard Hounds, Band of Horses, Broken Bells, Bruce Springsteen, John Legend and the Roots, and Bob Dylan.

We’re probably missing something. Maybe it’s that most of AAA radio totally blew it on the Court Yard Hounds album. Never too late, though!

What’s next? Adele is already #2 — and the album isn’t out ’til next year. Plus a new one from Raphael Saadiq.

#4 Everyone at WXPN

David Dye, Helen Leicht, and Roger LaMay of WXPN

Here’s the problem we had with WXPN: too many players in one place. There’s GM Roger LaMay, PD Bruce Warren, OM Dan Reed, World Cafe’s David Dye, and a very strong bench.

We could either litter the Top 22 with XPN staff, or we could combine them into a supergroup, which is what we did. And now that we’ve done that, we’re thinking they should be closer to #1.

World Cafe has hundreds of affiliates, the 11th Annual Non-Commvention May 19-21 in Wilmington, DE will have hundreds of attendees (nice plug), and XPN has hundreds of thousands of fans.

And while we hated to see the Y-Rock project take the hit it took in 2010, we congratulate them for making a go of it, and doubt it will be the last big idea they try.

Just goes to show what can happen when you take non-comm core values and combine them with aggressive entrepreneurial thinking. WXPN is writing the playbook for how to run a radio station.

#5 The Coalition of Independent Music Stores

Every year, jerks in “the media” write more stories about how record stores are going out of business.

Wrong again, “media.” So what if some of the stores need to sell a few bongs to make the rent?

Not only is Record Store Day one of the coolest days of the year, we were green with envy when Mom & Pop stores got together to do an awesome Black Friday event with plenty of exclusive vinyl.

We should all be so lucky to live in a town with one of these stores. If you don’t, visit their online site ThinkIndie.com.

#6 Daniel Glass: Glassnote

Daniel Glass

Daniel Glass makes our list for doing something no one else has ever done — he made history by breaking a French rock band.

Don’t even bother arguing Daft Punk or Air — they’re Electronica. And don’t try us with Plastic Bertrand or the Singing Nun — they’re Belgian.

But in Phoenix we had three words you never thought you’d hear together: French Rock Band.

And if you throw in Mumford & Sons and Temper Trap, you have a hot streak that hasn’t been seen since the SBK Records trifecta of Jesus Jones, Vanilla Ice, and Wilson Phillips.

#7 Jack Barton: FMQB

If you Google Jack Barton, a lot of Jack Barton's turn up -- including Jack Barton "The Original Dry Cleaner to the Stars"

When Radio and Records went belly up in 2010, Jack Barton convinced Friday Morning Quarterback to become the third proud owner of the annual Boulder AAA Summit.

Jack had literally just days to make a diving catch, and he delivered one of the best conferences in memory.

In 2011, FMQB will extend its reach into live events by partnering with Michele Clark for not one but two different Sunset Sessions.

This year’s AAA Radio Conference hits Boulder August 10-13. Learn more about it here.

See #8-#12 here.

See #13-#17 here.

And #18-22 here.

]]> http://www.thetop22.com/2010/12/the-top-22-players-in-adult-rock-for-2010-7-2/feed/ 0 http://www.thetop22.com/2010/12/53rd-grammy-nominees-arcade-fire-for-album-of-the-year/ http://www.thetop22.com/2010/12/53rd-grammy-nominees-arcade-fire-for-album-of-the-year/#comments Fri, 03 Dec 2010 13:40:41 +0000 The Top 22 Editor http://www.thetop22.com/?p=6099 Adult Rockers are scarce in the Big Four categories, but plenty of nods elsewhere as NARAS announces the nominees for the 53rd Grammy Awards. Download the complete list…

We called it when it came out — Arcade Fire has the best album this year. But whether it picks up a Grammy Award remains to be seen — competing with Eminem (who has been snubbed in this category before), and Lady Gaga.

We’ll handicap this later, but first, the nominees:

The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) has announced the nominees for the 53rd Grammy Awards, to be handed out in L.A. February 13, 2011.

Fans of AAA shouldn’t expect to see many of their heroes picking up statues – not only because the actual number of televised handouts is small, but there aren’t many adult rockers nominated in the large, likely-to-be-televised categories.

Among the Big Four, here’s what crosses over to adult rock:

Record of the Year: Cee Lo Green’s F**k You
Album of the Year: Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs
Song of the Year: Cee Lo Green’s F**k You, Ray Lamontagne’s Beg, Steal, or Borrow
Best New Artist: Florence and the Machine,  Mumford & Sons

Some nice nods there, but stiff competition. Perhaps the Mumford boys will pull a Kanye and try to take the statue away from Justin Bieber.

Plenty of familiar names in the deeper categories, of note:

Rock

Best Rock Solo Performance: Eric Clapton Run Back to Your Side, John Mayer Crossroads, Paul McCartney Helter Skelter, Robert Plant Silver Rider, Neil Young Angry World (We smell supergroup performance possibilities.)
Best Rock Performance by Duo or Group with Vocals: Arcade Fire Ready to Start, Jeff Beck & Joss Stone I Put a Spell on You, The Black Keys Tighten Up, Kings of Leon Radioactive, Muse Resistance
Best Rock Song: Neil Young Angry World, Mumford & Sons Little Lion World, Kings of Leon Radioactive, Muse Resistance, The Black Keys Tighten Up
Best Hard Rock Performance: Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots, Them Crooked Vultures
Best Rock Album: Jeff Beck, Muse, Pearl Jam, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Neil Young
Best Alternative Rock Album: Arcade Fire, Band of Horses, The Black Keys, Broken Bells, Vampire Weekend

Pop

Best Female Pop Vocal Performance: Sara Bareilles King of Anything, Norah Jones Chasing Pirates
Best Male Pop Vocal Performance: John Mayer Half of My Heart
Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals: Train Hey Soul Sister (Live) [Ed. Note: Love the band and song, but this nomination points to behind-closed-doors horse-trading among the nomination committee -- gaming the system, not cool.]
Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals: Herbie Hancock & Friends, Elton John and Leon Russell
Best Pop Vocal Album: John Mayer Battle Studies

American Roots

Best Americana Album: Roseanne Cash, Los Lobos, Willie Nelson, Robert Plant, Mavis Staples
Best Traditional Blues Album: James Cotton, Cyndi Lauper, Charlie Musselwhite, Jimmie Vaughan, Pinetop Perkins and Willie “Big Eyes” Smith
Best Contemporary Blues Album: Solomon Burke, Dr. John & the Lower 911, Buddy Guy, Bettye La Vette, Kenny Wayne Shepherd
Best Traditional Folk Album: Carolina Chocolate Drops, Maria Muldaur
Best Contemporary Folk Album: Jackson Browne & David Lindley, Ray Lamontagne & the Pariah Dogs, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Guy Clark, Richard Thompson

Download the complete list of nominees in PDF form here.

The Top 22 Commercial AAA Albums for the Week Ending 11-21-10

Download The Top 100 here.

The Top 22 Commercial AAA Albums for the Week Ending 8-22-10

Download The Top 100 here.

The Top 22 Commercial AAA Albums for the Week Ending 7-25-10

Download The Top 100 here.

AT&T announced today that it is killing new unlimited data plans. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

Why is this important? Because there are a lot of internet Utopians who think everything should be free. Then there are a bunch of media thought leaders who think that the internet in your car and Pandora in the dashboard is a reason to kill HD Radio.

They may be right. But this is gonna at least delay Utopia a bit. Because if you’re gonna have to pay real money for all that bandwidth you’re sucking down, you’re gonna be a little less likely to let Pandora rip on both ends of your commute. Full story in The New York Times.

Jobs’ Creation

Isn’t it interesting that Apple managed to not only grow, but become dominant — during a recession? How’d that happen? Leadership + Research & Development.

Actresses Like Rock Stars

Lastly, John Mayer has canceled European tour dates due to an undisclosed illness. Rumors point to food poisoning. Let’s hope he recovers in time for Clapton’s Crossroads show in Chicago later this month – because we have press passes.

In the meantime, enjoy this Six Degrees of Separation mapping of John’s manhood.

The Top 22 Commercial AAA Albums for the Week Ending 2-28-10

Download the Top 100, including spin counts and more, here.