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Interview With: Michael D. Vogel

By: Jackie Madrigal

© November 7, 2008. Michael D. Vogel.  All Rights Reserved. 

Published in:       

Radio & Records Magazine– November 7, 2008

The New And Active Factor – Bubbling-under chart feature helps labels and radio identify tomorrow’s hits today:

R&R’s charts are packed with information record promoters and programmers can use to gauge what’s hot – and what needs a little push. Since R&R hasn’t published Latin charts as long as it has for other formats, one chart feature that may be lesser-known in the Latin market is New and Active. For those readers who don’t fully understand New and Active – what determines which songs are listed there, what it means for a song and how to use it – the answers are here.

A song’s inclusion in New and Active is worth noting, Vogel says, because “radio is always looking for a story, and it is the launching pad for a new song,” drawing attention to records that are building momentum in anticipation of their chart debut. New and Active songs “are records that have significant action at radio – in airplay gains from the previous week, total spins for the designated chart week and total stations (on the record) and sometimes a combination of all three – that fall just below the last title on the chart,” he adds.

Promotional, Programming Tool

As a song picks up new stations and additional airplay, labels can see exactly where their record is in relation to the chart itself and how many more spins are needed to debut. “It can be extremely helpful in maximizing a label’s promotional efforts as they bring new stations onto the song, “ he says. 

For smaller labels that don’t have the arsenal of resources that the majors have, New & Active can be an effective vehicle. “By drawing attention to their respective record, labels can employ the domino affect to bring more stations into the fold each week and quantify that story as the record gains in spins and stations,” Vogel says.

But how much importance do programmers actually place on airplay charts and features like New and Active? Most PD’s say they use a variety of tools to determine that new music to add – research chief among them – with charts serving as a general indicator of songs they should pay attention to. MVS Latin pop XHPX (Exa)/El Paso PD David Castillo says he looks not only at U.S. charts but also those from Mexico. (Nielsen provides weekly Mexican radio charts via R&R’s weekly Spanish-language email update, Radio y Musica).

Curtis Media regional Mexican WYMY (La Vey)/Raleigh PD Julie Garza agrees that national charts are useful. “I try to balance what’s hitting nationally with what works for my market,” she says, adding that she takes chances on new, unproven music because it’s another way to find out what people really like.

© November 7, 2008. Michael D. Vogel.  All Rights Reserved.  This originally appeared on the Vogelism blog at https://www.vogelism.com, authored by Michael D. Vogel. This article may be shared or reprinted as long as this entire copyright message, including the source location of this article, accompanies it.