HRD Radio Report – Week Ending 9/7/14

HRD RADIO REPORT 

The HRD Radio Report showcases the weekly Active Rock Mediabase Charts (compiled by AllAccess.com), and appears every Tuesday on HardRockDaddy.com.  The HRD Radio Report digs deeper into the weekly Active Rock charts, providing commentary, reviews, recommendations and predictions.  This weekly report also features quotes from radio and record industry people on a regular basis, in addition to talking directly to a variety of hard rock artists about their music, tours and more!

Many of the artists featured on the Active Rock charts have already been reviewed on HardRockDaddy.com.

Click on the hyperlinked song titles to read song reviews, and the hyperlinked artist names to read album reviews.

The following is the Active Rock Mediabase Chart for the week ending 9/7/14.  All exclusive HRD content is featured below the chart:

CHART POSITION THIS WEEK	CHART POSITION LAST WEEK	ARTIST	SONG TITLE	RADIO SPINS THIS WEEK
1	3	LINKIN PARK	“Until Its Gone”	1739
2	2	PRETTY RECKLESS	“Messed Up World”	1688
3	1	NOTHING MORE	“This Is The Time (Ballast)”	1525
4	6	RISE AGAINST	“I Don’t Want To Be Here…”	1344
5	7	YOU ME AT SIX	“Room To Breathe”	1333
6	4	SEETHER	“Words As Weapons”	1271
7	9	SLASH	“World On Fire”	1233
8	8	STARSET	“My Demons”	1206
9	5	GODSMACK	“1000hp”	1192
10	11	WEEZER	“Back To The Shack”	1189
11	10	CHEVELLE	“Hunter Eats Hunter”	1185
12	13	NICKELBACK	“Edge Of A Revolution”	1068
13	12	KORN	“Hater”	1055
14	14	SIXX A.M.	“Gotta Get It Right”	820
15	15	CROBOT	“Nowhere To Hide”	801
16	16	ROYAL BLOOD	“Figure It Out”	755
17	18	SLIPKNOT	“The Devil And I”	747
18	17	SKILLET	“Rise”	536
19	20	BLACK KEYS	“Gotta Get Away”	532
20	21	DEVOUR THE DAY	“Respect”	490
21	23	OTHERWISE	“Darker Side Of The Moon”	489
22	22	FRAMING HANLEY	“Criminal”	459
23	25	ISLANDER	“Coconut Dracula”	453
24	19	THEORY OF A DEADMAN	“Drown”	443
25	29	FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH	“Wrong Side Of Heaven”	406
26	24	BRING ME THE HORIZON	“Can You Feel My Heart”	373
27	26	A DAY TO REMEMBER	“End Of Me”	356
28	28	ASKING ALEXANDRIA	“Moving On”	354
29	31	HELLYEAH	“Moth”	312
30	33	POP EVIL	“Beautiful”	299
31	32	NONPOINT	“Breaking Skin”	275
32	34	THOUSAND FOOT KRUTCH	“Born This Way”	255
33	35	DEATH FROM ABOVE 1979	“Trainwreck 1979”	253
34	30	FOZZY	“Lights Go Out”	253
35	27	LIKE A STORM	“Love The Way You Hate Me”	248
36	41	KONGOS	“I’m Only Joking”	226
37	36	SLEEPWAVE	“Through The Looking Glass”	210
38	38	FUEL	“Cold Summer”	179
39	43	FLYLEAF	“Set Me On Fire”	176
40	37	EVE TO ADAM	“Locked & Loaded”	173
41	45	TRIVIUM	“Villainy Thrives”	132
42	46	SHAMAN’S HARVEST	“Dangerous”	116
43	86	VOLBEAT	“Doc Holliday”	103
44	47	RIVAL SONS	“Open My Eyes”	97
45	55	TWELVE FOOT NINJA	“Coming For You”	91
46	49	STARS IN STEREO	“Leave Your Mark”	91
47	52	ADELITAS WAY	“Save The World”	86
48	57	BLACK STONE CHERRY	“Remember Me”	85
49	53	HEARTIST	“Skeletons”	84
50	54	YOUNG GUNS	“I Want Out”	82

 

HARD ROCK DADDY PUBLISHER BREAK-IN

There is a lot of great stuff this week in Bam-Bam’s Breakdown, but before we get to that, we have a break-in from Hard Rock Daddy.

This week, Hard Rock Daddy announced that there will be a number of special features throughout the month of October to coincide with National Bullying Prevention Month (Click here for details).  Look for special messages and more from the artists that are featured on Hard Rock Daddy and the HRD Radio Report.

While bullying is an ongoing issue that tears people apart, this week marks the 13th anniversary of a tragic event that, once upon a time, brought the entire population of the United States together…9/11.  Having experienced 9/11 in a very up-close-and-personal way, I know firsthand how painful this day is for many people.

In times of tragedy, sometimes the best therapy comes from the escape that music can provide and the unity that it promotes through shared experiences.  Nothing will ever erase the memories of 9/11 for those who were directly (or indirectly) impacted by it.  No words can ever ease the pain or sense of loss that people feel on this anniversary every year.

Hard Rock Daddy ALWAYS REMEMBERS and NEVER FORGETS!

 

 

BAM-BAM’S BREAKDOWN

By Craig “Bam-Bam” Stegall

In a jolt that literally left me speechless, we’ll discuss the shakeup at the top of the charts, predict what songs are poised to break out and talk about a hard rock radio stalwart that has rocketed up the chart this week with their latest single.

We uncover a few cool tracks that need to be permanent fixtures on your iPod with Bam-Bam’s Big Ones, and we get an exclusive look into the life of Munsey Ricci, a seasoned Indie-Promoter who is the President and Owner of the famed Skateboard Marketing.

Munsey will be sharing a peek into his philosophy of artist promotion, and you won’t want to miss his thoughtful insight and advice to new artists.

Let the games begin….

 

 

CHART TOPPERS:

Linkin Park rallies from a #3 position last week to totally knock off the reigning 3-week chart toppers, Nothing More, in a battle that simply had them both “flip-flop” this week in a nail-biter.  While Pretty Reckless stays comfortably at #2, the stage is set for some new names to start making a play at the Top 10 in the coming weeks.

Nothing More slipped from the #1 slot this week, but I don’t think that we’ve seen the end this year’s tour de force though.  Look for a new single to be released very soon from this amazing band.  I predict that they will rise to the top of the charts again before long.

 

 

CHART HIGHLIGHTS:

Two weeks ago, in our exclusive interview with Roadrunner VP Of Marketing, Mark Abramson, we discussed the excitement surrounding the new Black Stone Cherry single.  Clearly, this wasn’t just hype, as the good ol’ boys from Edmonton, KY have already cracked the Top 50, coming in at #48 with “Remember Me.”

Just like the reigning Program Director’s dream artist, Shinedown, these guys are just radio gold.  I’m predicting a rapid rise into the Top 20 for BSC’s latest single!

I’m very excited to see the boys from down under, Twelve Foot Ninja, making a show at radio as they roll headfirst into their debut week on our countdown with “Coming For You”.

After winning this year’s Revolver Magazine Golden Gods Award for Best New Talent, they’ve started hitting programmers’ radar in a big way.  I predict that “Coming For You” will jump up at least 10 spots next week from their current #45 slot.

Adelita’s Way, the once mighty machine for Top 10 singles, makes another run at the game entering the Top 50 at #47 with the third offering from their latest album, Stuck.  “Save The World” is a decent song, but not one that is likely to have staying power.  Don’t get too attached to this one, because it looks like it may be nothing more than a “one-night stand” on the Active Rock Radio Top 50.

 

 

CHART CLIMBER:

What’s to say about Volbeat that every other critic hasn’t already said?  They’ve made a connection with listeners both at radio and on the live stage, so it’s no surprise that we see them jumping from the deserted island of #86 last week, to a jaw-dropping #43 this week.  While “Doc Holliday” is far from my favorite song by the Danish dynamos, I think that, like Metallica, listeners just don’t care.  It’s Volbeat…nuff’ said!

 

 

BAM-BAM’S BIG ONES!:

Get your minds out of the gutter!  “Bam-Bam’s Big Ones” is not about my nether region.  This weekly feature is simply one man’s opinion on the music that you SHOULD be listening to if you like the music that is regularly featured on Hard Rock Daddy and the HRD Radio Report.  You dig?  No payouts, no bias…just killer music that I get the chance to hear before others because I’m cool like that! J

 

This week’s “Bam-Bam’s Big Ones!” are:

Twenty12Tribe – “Stranded”

A very cool track from this Virginia band with a hot female guitarist.  Produced by Sevendust’s Clint Lowery, “Stranded” is tailor-made for radio, and listeners will totally dig the melodic progressions that straddle the fence between Gemini Syndrome and Sevendust.  Get this band on your radar immediately.  Follow them on Facebook for album release date details and their tour schedule.

 

Anti-Mortem – “Wake Up”

The band does everything right on this track from their debut album, New Southern.  Highwire vocal theatrics that summon Pantera-era Phil Anselmo and Mudvayne’s Chad Gray, this little gem is Active Rock bliss!  While the whole album is on constant rotation in my iPod, this song seems to be my go-to fave!  Follow them on Facebook, purchase the album and check them out live when they come storming through your area.  But beware, their live show is LOUDER than f#ck!

 

 

BAM-BAM’S BANTER: Featuring Munsey Ricci (Skateboard Marketing)

This week, we bring you a cool exclusive with one of Metal and Hard Rock Music’s hardest working Indie Promoters around!  To those in the industry, Munsey Ricci needs no introduction.  His office walls are adorned with gold and platinum albums from artists that he took from the streets to major stages around the globe while working in high-level, major label positions throughout the 80s and early 90s.  Seeing a need for artists to get a proper “leg up” in the industry, he focused his efforts on what is now one of the most revered Metal Radio indie promotions firms in the U.S.

Starting out as a college radio jock in the 80s, Munsey was also a Metalhead musician.  When things didn’t work out for his band, he made note of his collective “hits” and “misses” and used that knowledge to land jobs at CMJ (College Music Journal) and Polygram Records (as the head of their Metal Radio Department A&R).

As the founder of Skateboard Marketing, Munsey shares his daily ration of phone calls to programmers around the map with positioning strategies for bands like Judas Priest, Motorhead, Overkill, Slash and countless others.  He is always on the cutting-edge of working new bands to radio, and was one of the promoters responsible for slugs like me at radio back in the day getting their first listen to bands like Godsmack, Disturbed, Static-X, Dope and many more. To say he comes with commanding respect is the understatement of the year!

HRD Radio Report sat down with Munsey to get his take on the state of radio, album sales and what up-and-coming bands can do to properly place themselves in the game to garner the attention that they need to get to the next level.  This is one interview that you’ll want to save and share with your buddies who have been banging their head against immovable objects to open doors in their music career.  Sit back, pour a tall one and don’t expect to get a word in edgewise because this guy has seen it all!  I give you, New York’s Metal Guru – Mr. Munsey Ricci…

 

 

HRD:  “The tape’s rolling, my friend, I had that thing cued up before you answered the phone!”

Munsey:  (laughs) “What’s going on Bam-Bam?”

 

 

HRD:  “A crazy week at radio, that’s what.  (laughter)  C’mon, man, what’s the secret?  How the heck does a new band break into this crazy, money-hungry business of radio?  I mean, I know if they’ve got money, anything, (including a #1 hit) is possible.  What do the majority of them do, man?”

Munsey:  “Well, Bam, look…it’s different for every artist.  When I was working Kid Rock to Metal Radio [yes, you read that correctly…Kid Rock was first worked to Metal Radio] back before anyone knew who this kid from Detroit was, throwing rock music over rap and everything in between, I knew it was going to be a different approach.  Every artist is different, and so every campaign that I do is different. 

The first step is listening to the record.  Once I know where the music is headed, then I can come up with a way to build their story.  That’s one of the most important things that I think most new bands miss with their attempts these days.  You have to build a story that will attract peoples’ interest and make them WANT to listen to your music. 

I wish young bands would just quit asking advice from local bands that have been doing it for ten plus years and are still playing local clubs.  There’s a reason that they are still playing local clubs with no results.  Why are you going to ask them for advice? 

When you hire an indie promoter, you’re not only getting their knowledge of the business, how it works and what to avoid, but you’re also building a story that’s much larger and more interesting than the bands around you that aren’t even able to have their call returned from a local radio station.  Why?  Because they don’t have a story to lead in with.  Indie Promoters have established relationships with program & music directors at radio, media & promotions people within the industry, and most importantly, they hear what’s going on in and around the music business 24/7.”

 

 

HRD:  “Try pulling that information out of your stars of the local bar scene!”

Munsey:  “Exactly!  That’s my point, Bam.  I think there’s a majority of new artists out there these days that say, ‘I’m a hard rock band, so why would I want to work my music to Metal radio?’  Well, like I said before, Kid Rock wasn’t really a ‘metal’ artist, but the metal stations are more likely to spin a new hard rock artist (especially one as different as Kid Rock was) than a commercial rock station.  That’s not to say that it won’t play big on commercial radio, but it’s got to get a start and help build that story. 

A lot of the college metal stations have incredible programmers who are willing to take a chance on a new rock artist because the music is good rather than whether it fits the typical ‘metal’ profile.  We did that early on for bands like Disturbed.  No one had ever heard of them when we first took it to metal radio, and look…their debut album caught on and couldn’t be denied at commercial radio.  Now, we’ve got a huge, multi-platinum record on our hands! 

Korn was the same way back in’94.  They were a metal band that got worked to Metal/College Radio and now they’re always on the Active Rock Radio charts. 

Another example of how it works (in reverse) is Islander.  Here’s a good band that’s not metal, but they appeal to both the metal and hard rock listeners.  Ron over at Victory Records did an incredible job with this band.  He worked it to Metal/College Radio, got it played, and then used the spins to build his case for playing it at commercial Active Rock radio and now look….you’ve got a Top 25 single on the charts this week! 

It doesn’t take a ton of money like most new bands think.  You have to have a good record with good songs and then you need to build that story.  Metal radio has built MANY good stories, trust me!  Just look at what Mark Abramson and Amy Sciarretto did with Slipknot if you don’t think Metal radio is a great sounding board!”

 

 

HRD:  “So, for any bands out there reading this who are sitting on a solid recording, good songs and a decent social media and local following; where do they begin and how do they pitch their music to you?”

Munsey:  “Well, just Google me or Skateboard Marketing. (laughs)  You’ll get about three pages of my contact information.  It’s simple; I listen to the music first.  If it’s good, it’s good.  We go from there and start building the story.  Now, keep in mind, no matter what anyone says to you, you will never see the end of physical product in the music business.  Digital downloading just doesn’t work for a lot of guys.  They have to have the physical product with album art, liner notes, photos…the whole bit.  You will never fully get rid of physical product in this industry, so bands need to pay attention to things like their album art and liner notes. 

With a band like Motorhead, you know what you’re getting.  You look at the album cover and you say, ‘Oh, this looks cool’ and you get what you expect.  Nowadays, you get artists with a crayon drawing of a sunrise or some shit like that and you’re like, ‘What the hell is this?’ 

You’ve got to have a full package that represents the band.  It’s not rocket science, but obviously a lot of bands miss the mark. Then, we work it to the proper channels.  If it’s a metal track, we go straight to College/Metal Radio.  If it’s more of a hard rock track, we hit a few of the stations that kind of bridge the gap with it and get it spinning.

We then concentrate on some of the specialty and syndicated radio shows like Roxy and Lou over at HardDrive or Full Metal Jackie’s show and try to get it exposure with listeners who fit the overall genre.  Sometimes, it takes off immediately.  Most of the time, we have to work it for a bit to develop its legs and ease it up the charts week by week. 

Now, not every artist wants to concentrate on album sales as much as they want to tour.  It happens.  Every band is different and that’s why I say I want to hear the music first, and then develop a marketing plan based on the band’s sound and their goals.  For bands that don’t have a budget for tour support, sometimes they want to concentrate strictly on one region or area so that they can tour and build their story and press.  In cases like this, I’ll utilize the syndicated shows and push hard on the stations in that region to help the band build a name in that area, which helps with them getting the gigs to tour. 

It’s different for every artist, as I said.  But the one thing you never want to do is listen to advice from someone who is in the same position you are.  There’s a reason they’re still just a local band after playing clubs for 10-years!”

 

 

HRD:  “So, just to clarify, bands can’t afford NOT to hire an indie if they’re interested in airplay and/or touring these days, right?”

Munsey:  “It certainly doesn’t hurt, and here’s the thing, Bam, it’s not out of range in a band’s budget to do it! Every campaign is built with that in mind.”

 

 

HRD:  “So, there’s a package for every budget?”

Munsey:  “That’s right.  It starts with me hearing the music, the track, the album..whatever, and then we build the campaign based on the music and the band’s desired results.”

 

 

HRD:  “Any parting tidbits of knowledge, advice or gripes?”

Munsey:  (laughs) “You know, Bam, I’m not one to preach, really I’m not.  I guess I just keep going back to the same thing which is don’t listen to, and copy, what everyone else is doing.  It’s obviously not working for them, so why would it work for you?  Build your story as a band.  Give what you do some meaning to the listener beyond just what the lyrics to your song are saying.  Use that story to promote what you’re going to do in the future, and then just make killer music!  That’s really where I start.  If the music isn’t there, the audience won’t be either.  Make good music and ignore shitty, worn-out advice!”

 

Our thanks to Munsey and Skateboard Marketing for the time this week, and for giving us an inside look at how the game is played.  For those who are interested in contacting Munsey about developing their band, and/or looking for information on a promotional radio campaigns, head over to www.SkateboardMarketing.com for all the details.  Tell him HRD sent ya!

 

 

I CALL B#LL$HIT!:

Each week (for reasons unknown) there are songs on the chart by bands that don’t belong on Active Rock Radio.  Hard Rock Daddy launched the HRD Radio Report to showcase and report on hard rock bands on radio.  Rather than edit these bands off the chart, we decided to add an “I CALL B#LL$HIT!” feature to this column to point out the bands that have no place on Active Rock Radio.

Here are this week’s “I CALL B#LL$HIT!” bands:

• Weezer
• Black Keys
• Death From Above 1979

Yawn!  Go away already!!  Please!!!

 

 

WRAP-UP:

Thanks again for following us this week.  Tune in to HardRockDaddy.com every Tuesday to check out the HRD Radio Report and Bam-Bam’s Breakdown.

Please be sure to share the link to this column on your social media outlets, and email it to anyone you think may have interest in what we’re spearheading here.  I think after a few more weeks, you’ll see a common theme and start to realize that HRD Radio Report and Hard Rock Daddy are all about discovering and sharing new music.  We plan on being the catalyst to affect change on radio so that fans get to hear what they want to hear on radio.

Our special thanks again to Munsey Ricci for spending time with us, and sharing some well-versed knowledge about the biz.

Next week, we’ll see if Linkin Park has what it takes to stay atop the countdown, we’ll examine any new entries to the charts and as always, we’ll bring you a special guest to help us break down what makes this business so undeniably tough to predict, and as usual, I’ll give you some artists to put on your radar.  Until then….

Peace/Out!