Mass requesting

helpful or harmful?

or is that just too hard to answer?

Just feeling thoughtful today....

Kept in perspective I guess it can't hurt!

its harmful!!!!! Radio stations are onto it big time and they take no notice of it except to not play the song. Radio station base their playing of the song on a little group who decide they like the song so it gets to have more airplay.

Even Darren had to ask the masses to stop doing it as it was harming not helping.


Kat

I agree with Kat and I'll also add that if a song doesn't make it on it's merits, then it's 'que sera sera' [img]wink.gif[/img]

I think mass requesting is a bit of a fraud actually.

I guess I should explain what my perspective is

That is IF I like a song I will request it maybe once or twice on the radio station which I do listen to (even though rarely).

I will also vote on the interactive top 10 on video hits, again only if I like the song and again just once or twice ....this program is watched every weekend here anyway (not by me anymore though just the girls)

I would never make requests out of my own country, that to me is just plain dishonest!

So I do agree mass reqesting or perhaps it is better clarified as ORGANISED requesting is harmful....it does not give a true reflection of the song/artists popularity and as Kat so rightly pointed out annoys the radio stations.

Thanks for sharing your views Kat and Terry.

Nice to see you both [img]smile.gif[/img]

Harmful. It's become so bad that even email requesting has become harmful. You have to call if you like a song, or the station won't care.

It's definitely harmful, imo. In the UK it has reached the point where three of the music channels refuse to play Darren's videos because of it.

I don't believe in requesting abroad or to stations in the UK that I don't listen to either.

Michelle

xx

I'm not a fan of organized requesting... never have been. I do know that in some countries, and at some stations, it is welcomed and actually encouraged; but that certainly is not the case in Canada.

I know it may seem contradictory, considering I run a Street Team, but although that is the title all of these awesome Canadian fans gather under, what we really do is have fun, laugh, share stories and talk about what is happening in radio and television in Canada. When we request, we request locally and only if we feel up to it. Like Barb said, most people don't make it habit to request regularily and so I don't believe in pushing anyone into doing something that is out of their Norm.

*realizes I am probably rambling*

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=2 face="Tempus sans ITC, Papyrus,Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><table border="0" width="90%" bgcolor="#333333" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="0"><tr><td width="100%"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" bgcolor="#FF9900"><tr><td width="100%" bgcolor="#000000"><font size=2 face="Tempus sans ITC, Papyrus,Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by Juliet10:
It's definitely harmful, imo. In the UK it has reached the point where three of the music channels refuse to play Darren's videos because of it.
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Wow! Really?!!! [img]eek.gif[/img]

Which ones are those Michelle?

btw - I'm not surprised, given the constant instructions to vote! vote! vote! for DH by some of his more rabid fans [img]wink.gif[/img]

The Box, Smash Hits and Magic [img]frown.gif[/img]

Maggz even posted a while ago asking UK fans not to request to The Box anymore cos they didn't like it.

Michelle

xx

Blimey! [img]eek.gif[/img]

They must've been absolutely innundated with requests to have taken that stance seeing as how their livelihood depends on phone calls!

No wonder he's not been on lately [img]confused.gif[/img]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=2 face="Tempus sans ITC, Papyrus,Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><table border="0" width="90%" bgcolor="#333333" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="0"><tr><td width="100%"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" bgcolor="#FF9900"><tr><td width="100%" bgcolor="#000000"><font size=2 face="Tempus sans ITC, Papyrus,Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by Juliet10:
It's definitely harmful, imo. In the UK it has reached the point where three of the music channels refuse to play Darren's videos because of it.
xx</font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></BLOCKQUOTE>

That's not good news [img]frown.gif[/img]

Wonder what will happen when (or should I say if) the next album is ready....I hope it doesn't have a negative effect!

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=2 face="Tempus sans ITC, Papyrus,Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><table border="0" width="90%" bgcolor="#333333" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="0"><tr><td width="100%"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" bgcolor="#FF9900"><tr><td width="100%" bgcolor="#000000"><font size=2 face="Tempus sans ITC, Papyrus,Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by BarbT:
helpful or harmful? ....

Kept in perspective I guess it can't hurt!</font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></BLOCKQUOTE>

It's a bit of both, and I think your last comment is closer to reality.

In my opinion (as a former "rabid" fan lol), radio and media expect a certain amount of organized requesting from the active fan base. And to a degree, it can help give a song or an artist a helpful push. Like when Darren does radio interviews. The entire point of those interviews is for the station to get attention and for Darren to promote his song, so yeah....... the station expects and wants to hear from his fans. YES, they want real listeners. But I think they also are counting on the active fan base to give things a push for the average listener.

Having said that, it can easily go too far and become openly manipulative. Faking email addresses to make it look like one person is actually ten is very bad. Pretending to be a listener when you're not is also bad. And these are the types of things that will piss a station off in record time.

There is also the question of when it's time to stop. I think organized requesting becomes harmful once the cd or song has run it's course and all the active fans are trying to do is artifically extend it's shelf life. That's a hard thing to know, but it's also important. Because there comes a point when radio has made up it's mind about a given song, and all continued pushing will accomplish is to annoy the djs and program directors.

I think you summed it up very well Dyan *waits for ppl to faint [img]wink.gif[/img] lol*

From a personal standpoint, and even when I was a pretty solid DH fan, I would never request or vote for his songs if I didn't personally like them. IMY springs to mind b/c I happen to think that it was a very weak song so I didn't actively request it. The same can be said for 'Strange Relationship'. Again, not my cup of tea so no voting/requesting from me.

However, HAD he released LION or 'Spin' as singles, I would have certainly done "my bit" [img]smile.gif[/img]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=2 face="Tempus sans ITC, Papyrus,Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><table border="0" width="90%" bgcolor="#333333" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="0"><tr><td width="100%"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" bgcolor="#FF9900"><tr><td width="100%" bgcolor="#000000"><font size=2 face="Tempus sans ITC, Papyrus,Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by Twizzle:
I think you summed it up very well Dyan *waits for ppl to faint [img]wink.gif[/img] lol*

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*Faints*.....well because you're waiting for someone too Terry [img]wink.gif[/img]

I think Dyan summed it up well too!

I was happy to vote for the IMY video because I liked it (the Dallas Austin Mix was released here).

<font color="#9966FF" size="1">[ April 25, 2003 10:44 AM: Message edited by: BarbT ]</font>

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=2 face="Tempus sans ITC, Papyrus,Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><table border="0" width="90%" bgcolor="#333333" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="0"><tr><td width="100%"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" bgcolor="#FF9900"><tr><td width="100%" bgcolor="#000000"><font size=2 face="Tempus sans ITC, Papyrus,Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by Twizzle:

However, HAD he released LION .....</font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></BLOCKQUOTE>

Had he released LION, he'd have had a solid hit in the US. Maybe even No 1.

I firmly believe that.

Well, as someone who posts reminder threads when a single is out, I guess I count as a rabid fan?!

Anyway as far as mass requesting goes I agree with what's been said. I may be on the Street Team etc but I only request on a couple of stations that I actually listen to.

The only time I will send multiple votes is on shows where it's actively encouraged eg Matt's Select 7 on brmb....and I don't disguise who I am, either!

Emails CAN get songs played - I get an average of one song a day played for me at brmb - over different shows/days of course, and they are all email requests. Or sometimes I haven't actually even asked but been "chatting" via emails with the DJ and he'll play Darren/SG and dedicate it to me cos he knows I'm a fan! Lol!

However, the difference is I don't just email asking for Darren, most of my emails are about other things...only a small percentage are requests, and I do sometimes - shock, horror! - ask for other artists too! But I think that background means the DJs know me fairly well and so when I do request Darren they know I am a genuine listener as well as a DH fan so they are much less likely to ignore me.

OK, essay over, hope it made sense, lol!

Then you are obviously the exception Sue [img]smile.gif[/img]

Michelle

xx

In which way hun - not mass requesting or getting requests played? [img]wink.gif[/img]

I was a bit worried about the mass emailing of a small station by lots of fanclub members last night. I mean it was ok as a one off and people were all genuinely listening. I don't have a problem with that, and I think the DJ probably liked it - esp as he not only read out lots of the emails, but played 2 of Darren's songs back to back - and we are talking DH songs not SG ones.

What worries me is the "let's do it all agian next week" comments a couple have made. I hope they were just joking and/or drunk and that they don't make a habit of it....I have said something about it but I dunno how much anyone will listen, lol!

That said, if the DJ concerned tells someone it's welcome, then fine! I just think that otherwise, once is a novelty and gets lots of attention, but making it a regular thing risks getting DH fans labelled as a nuisance....

Well i may as well say my bit:

i think it is harmful and they have stopped playing darren on smash hits* wondered why i never saw IMY on this channel*, the box and magic (even though truly madly deeply get played on magic once in a blue moon) sometimes you see a vid on things like chartshow tv and mtv hits but it is really rare (thats why i taped the vids cos u never see them), in fact, to an extent i think mtv hits like darren seeing as the put him on things like non-stop darren hayes etc. I used to vote alot but i dont do it half as much as i used to so i suppose i still stand guilty. I still vote on things like VH1 etc but not as much

*is rambling*

[img]smile.gif[/img] but i agree with the majority that it can/is harmful to darren seeing as the voters are pushing the public to hear something they dont want to hear (i cant quite see Darren ever being as big as blue, so really some people are pushing it)

i think the moment you stop requesting a song simply because you want to hear it played on the radio, you complicate things to a degree that is more harmful than helpful. I find it strange how both companies and people have turned the concept of requesting songs into this power-struggle play for airtime @_@ heh heh heh.

Hmm, that raises an interesting question, Steen.

If I want to hear my favourite song on the radio, and the only way to get it is to request it fairly often - presumably I am being manipulated, because fans of other artists are also requesting like mad...and my favourites tend not to be automatically on high rotation (if they even make the playlist at all!). I do resent the idea of being manipulated in this way....OTOH I want to hear the song...and I enjoy flirting.....er....chatting with the DJs in the process! [img]wink.gif[/img]

I mean - it's slightly veering off the topic of the thread but it's an interesting dilemma - allow myself to be used as a pawn in some game....or miss out on a lot of fun and also hearing the song I want to hear! Hmmm!

Mind you, as I said b4, I do request other things....I had SG's Crash And Burn played for me this morning...and A.D.I.D.A.S. by Killer Mike played for me and a few friends tonight! Variety is the spice of life, eh?! Lol!

Oh one thing I would like to mention is that when I post reminder threads about voting, it is meant just to be a reminder for those who are into voting; because what used to happen was one of us would say something like "narrowly missed out on the chart tonight" and several people would reply "Oh I meant to vote but forgot"! So reminder threads are just that - trying to remind those who meant to do it anyway but miss deadlines! I don't do it to plead with people who are not into voting to do it out of any misplaced sense of guilt or duty! Hope that makes sense (and yeah I know it wasn't what we were discussing but I wanted to say it anyway!) [img]wink.gif[/img]