# Same OLD song on the radio? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 23, 2004, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/same-old-song-on-the-radio/236000 "2004-03-23T21:58:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/same-old-song-on-the-radio/236000/1 "2004-03-23T21:58:40Z")
Maybe it’s just me, but I just noticed something on the radio. Every now and then, in addition to the usual corporate-ordained new playlist, the stations will occaisionally play something a bit older. But these older song seem to come in waves. For example: our “new rock alternative” station has recently been playing an inordinate amount of “Monkeywrench” by the Foo Fighters. Great song, but they do ahve several albums to choose from. And our “hits of the 80’s, 90’s and today” station seems to have an odd fascination with Alanis Morissette’s “Head over Feet,” hardly a huge hit compared to some of her other stuff. Is there a reason they do this? Are they trying to spur interest in an upcoming album by these artists and are told to play one of their old songs to remind people? Or am I seeing patterns where there are none? ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_Bowe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df788c/32.png) [@Doug\_Bowe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_Bowe)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/same-old-song-on-the-radio/236000/2 "2004-03-23T22:11:06Z")
Hmmm. The Program Director may be using on a “safe” list from a consultant. ---
**Author:** ![ThatGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e5b9ba/32.png) [@ThatGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThatGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/same-old-song-on-the-radio/236000/3 "2004-03-23T22:27:37Z")
I have also noticed the trend…but every tme a country/western station reaches my ears (usually against my will) it’s the same stuff they have been playing since the early 90’s during their big boom…somebody please tell me that country music is mostly a southern thing and if i were to move north it wouldn’t be such a big genre (I’m from Texas) ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/same-old-song-on-the-radio/236000/4 "2004-03-23T22:32:58Z")
Sorry, Dude. It’s everywhere. I lived in Ohio for the first 25 years of my life and I couldn’t get away from it. ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/same-old-song-on-the-radio/236000/5 "2004-03-23T22:49:33Z")
> **[Uru patch released | Adventure Gamers](https://adventuregamers.com/news/view/19220)** > > From Gamer's Hell: Google is your friend. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/same-old-song-on-the-radio/236000/6 "2004-03-23T23:22:33Z")
I’ve noticed this, too. I used to listen to a lot of country music (sorry, **ThatGuy** , I’m in Washington state, and it’s all over the place here, too), and the local country stations did this all the time. For example, once The Judds dissolved, and they had no new music, the radio fell back on playing _Grandpa_ and one other of their hits all the time, despite the fact that The Judds had numerous other hits. Completely ignored the rest of their catalog. Same with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Several hits, but all you’ll ever hear again on the radio is _Fishin’ In The Dark_. Haven’t noticed this so much with the rock stations. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/same-old-song-on-the-radio/236000/7 "2004-03-24T01:36:50Z")
I believe Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York are without country stations. I can only wish Ohio was. ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/same-old-song-on-the-radio/236000/8 "2004-03-24T06:04:01Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > I believe Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York are without country stations. I can only wish Ohio was. New York STATE has a billion. New York CITY had one a couple years ago, but it might be gone now. ---
**Author:** ![BabaBooey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dfb087/32.png) [@BabaBooey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BabaBooey)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/same-old-song-on-the-radio/236000/9 "2004-03-24T12:18:45Z")
Big into country as well (Louisiana) and I’ve noticed the same thing. They were doing this with Restless Heart’s “When She Cries” last time I listened to the radio, but in general it seemed to simply alternate between old Garth Brooks and Tim McGraw songs… ---
**Author:** ![Blind\_Guardian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/df705f/32.png) [@Blind\_Guardian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blind_Guardian)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/same-old-song-on-the-radio/236000/10 "2004-03-24T16:06:29Z")
I’ve noticed this phenomenon as well, in several different genres of radio station: the oldies station my mother listens to, the pop station that my sister listens to, and the new rock and classic rock stations that I lean toward. It seems that every so often, a song that I haven’t heard in a while suddenly pops up in the rotation, and then gets played every day or every few days for a couple of weeks. Recently, it seemed that “Come As You Are” by Nirvana was getting a lot of airplay for no apparent reason. I know that we have several dopers in the radio industry. Do any of them want to offer some insight into this? I imagine that the answer would be different for independent radio stations than it would be for corporate owned stations that have detailed programming regulations. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/same-old-song-on-the-radio/236000/11 "2004-03-24T17:25:24Z")
For some reason, the station I listen to just randomly started playing Bon Jovi songs. Why? WHYWHY? I know absolutely nothing about how a station comes by its play list, but do they pay each time they play a song? If so, could it be that they bought “20 plays” of a song or something? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/same-old-song-on-the-radio/236000/12 "2004-03-24T18:20:58Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > I know absolutely nothing about how a station comes by its play list, but do they pay each time they play a song? If so, could it be that they bought “20 plays” of a song or something? 😕 No, that’s not how it works. You don’t pay in advance for a particular number of plays. Individual stations pay fees to royalty collecting organizations, the largest ones being Ascap and B.M.I. These organizations offer differing licensing “packages,” which allow the station to play any song as many times as it likes under the terms of the license. Occasionally, they might ask the station for a sample of its actual playlist and the station will record, say, two or three days of exactly what songs it plays. These things are done based on statistics and sampling. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/same-old-song-on-the-radio/236000/13 "2004-03-24T18:41:55Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > I believe Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York are without country stations. I can only wish Ohio was. Of course there are country stations in LA. At least two. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/same-old-song-on-the-radio/236000/14 "2004-03-24T18:44:26Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > No, that’s not how it works. You don’t pay in advance for a particular number of plays. Individual stations pay fees to royalty collecting organizations, the largest ones being Ascap and B.M.I. These organizations offer differing licensing “packages,” which allow the station to play any song as many times as it likes under the terms of the license. Occasionally, they might ask the station for a sample of its actual playlist and the station will record, say, two or three days of exactly what songs it plays. These things are done based on statistics and sampling. Aha! So there really _is_ no reason I’m being tortured with “You Give Love a Bad Name” other than there being a sadist at the station? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/same-old-song-on-the-radio/236000/15 "2004-03-24T19:48:15Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > Aha! So there really _is_ no reason I’m being tortured with “You Give Love a Bad Name” other than there being a sadist at the station? On the off chance you’re not just being sarcastic … Of course there’s a reason. Someone has decided that more people will like the song rather than being put off by it. Regrettably, in my day, Bon Jovi was quite popular for a couple of years.