Light On is #3 on iTunes!

Actually, this is it:




I don't look at that total at the bottom. That's sort of deceiving. This is what it actually is. The audience impression is way down from where it's been the past few days but it's still gaining spins even though the gain isn't what it has been the past few days.

As far as the # of stations go, 32 isn't that bad considered the song isn't going for adds officially till the 14th.
btw, LO is #3 at i-tunes.

I know that the song hasn't "gone for adds" yet, but it doesn't seem to me that losing stations is a good sign at any point.

Sometimes this happens to songs before they go for adds or the song will experience a huge drop in spins before it goes for adds. TOML did. *Sigh*

http://www.hitsdailydouble.com/home/home.cgi

Just found the link for hits daily double. How does the video and numerous promotions sound to you???? I am so excited.

"19/RCA/RMG American Idol winner David Cook’s debut album, produced by Grammy winner Rob Cavallo, hits Nov. 18, but there’s already action on the single, “Light On,” with major spin increases at Top 40, including adds at KRBE, WBZW, WWWQ, WQAL, WQAI, KMXV and CKEY. After one day on iTunes, the single is Top 10. Look for multiple TV appearances and a video, now filming, to impact by the end of the month."

I just posted a thread with that same info. lol I'm excited about it.

Pam we are on the ball today. Scrounging for all these exciting new event unfolding. I found some very interesting posts in my Shayne Ward site today all asking where they can buy David´s new single and I informed them that unfortunately it was not available in Europe and UK at all but that the album was available and could be preordered from Amazon.

LO


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How long after it was released was TOML available for purchase outside the US/Canada?

Tee: You and I must be on the same wave length this morning - I just emailed RCA to found out when Light On will be launching Internationally (UK, Europe, Asia/Pacific, ect.) of course the beginning of the email was to give Kudos to David and Light On.

Pam, Would it be possible to show a mediabase quote for a song like Disturbia. I'm curious how Light On matches up to another very popular single. By itself, these numbers don't mean much to me. I think its just crazy how we've all essentially become a marketing arm for RCA to the point where we're following these numbers! I'm really enjoying learning more about how the music business works.

I would love to hear what your response from them is. I don't understand why downloading singles is available strictly in the US and Canada. I'm positive there is a reason for this because no label would intentionally hold their artists back from gaining a larger audience and (probably more importantly to them) making them a greater profit.

Yes, I can do that. Here is LO:



Here is Disturbia:

Thanks Pam. Looks like we got some more spinning to do!

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LO


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Top 40

+2 spins

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+1 spin

LO

+2 spins on Pop

LO


The 1 Active spin, apparently that's a hard rock/metal type chart.

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AC

David's on a metal station ? WOW, never imagined that happening!

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+1 spin

Pam you're doing such a great job tracking the mediabase info. I was looking around and I may have missed it but, I was wondering if the DC fans are familiar with RateTheMusic.com? Sign up is free, you can sometimes find the site on your local radio station website. You do need to pick the radio format that DC's single will most likely make the biggest impact after the adds date "top40mainstream" also called "chr/top40'.

You will get periodic emails taking you to the RTM site and asking you to rate songs. They don't give the artist name but every fanbase recognizes their favs. Light On will come up at RTM soon. Very soon.

Thanks. In fact, I am registered at RateTheMusic myself.

racci, I'm registered there as well (for well over a year now). I signed up through Z100 and get this - I took the three surveys they had up today - one for the station, one for Top 40 and another for an artist (its always someone I never heard of, today was Tickle Me Pink or something like that). Anyway, tonight when I took the survey Light On was featured on the one for Z100. This made me happy because someone on DCO said that TOML appeared on their survey shortly before it began airing.

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Heh! I saw that myself. It gives me hope that Z100 will put LO into rotation in the next 2 weeks. The sooner the better.

Looks like Ryan Seacrest will be the Z100 new midday DJ. So I think this will help a bit too.

ETA: Pam08, Great! The more fans that participate at RTM the better for DC.

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That Rainbow sure does have a grip on the #1 spot doesn't it

It's the rainbow that never dies.

That's cause It's "Magic" LOL!!!

AC

+2 spins

Look at that, almost 5 months in and the thing is still gaining spins. Behold! The power of the Magic Rainbow...may there be a Light On at the end of it.

Amen.

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Tee- I love that.

check it out. LO entered the charts at HOTAC http://www.hitpredictor.com/hotac.php

and at Top40 too. Ok, so I may need someone to fix the link so it actually takes you to the site. I somehow didn't get it right.

It entered the HAC Chart at #73 with a score of 72.50

Entered the Top40 Chart at #63 with a score of 68.20

Great scores for LO

Racci, thanks for this! I just put the link at DCO on two threads and credited you for finding it!

If you click on the 'Sort' button at the top of the Score column, you'll see the songs ranked by their hit predictions. And LO comes in 5th on HAC and 14th on Top 40. It will be interesting to see how close to reality their predictions are.

Thanks Scott. At DCO my screen name is nanofan. A bit confusing I know, but at all other music sites I am known as racci.




So True.

hitpredictor scored TOML as going to #11 on AC and look where it's at now. #1

LO is a really good radio friendly song. It will do well too.

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LO

+1 spin (Pop)

LO has slipped slightly on the Pop side but has made some minor gains on other formats.

LO


On the other hand, TOML gained a small handful of spins on pop.
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LO


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What do the scores of 72.50 and 68.20 mean exactly?

I have seen some confusion on this board about those scores. Some seem to be confusing these scores with callout numbers. I hope I am not stepping on anyone's toes if I answer this question. I worked in radio as a program director *hangs head in shame* for a number of years and still occasionally DJ when one of the "regulars" in any of four local stations goes on vacation or is unexpectedly absent. I have been able to "spin" TOML on several occasions but have not filled in for anyone since LO was released. May as well share the knowledge, right?
These scores are from the Mediabase/BDS-affiliated HitPredictor.
To explain the difference between HitPredictor and callout:
HitPredictor scores are compiled from a website called Promosquad. Anyone can join Promosquad. And here is what they do: When a label is considering sending a song to radio as a single, they first send the song to Promosquad to see how it performs in a "focus group" environment. When a person signs up for Promosquad, they select what type or types of music they are interested in (these are based on radio format, like CHR/pop, Alternative, HAC, country, modern rock, etc.). When Promosquad has accumulated enough potential singles from labels (anywhere from 10 to 20) in a given format, they send an email to those who signed up in that format, asking them to come listen to the "jukebox" and rate the songs. The beauty of Promosquad (unlike ratethemusic.com where you can just vote without listening, multiple times) is that the listener can't skip through songs. In other words, you can't go on there simply for the purpose of rating a favorite (they may not even show up in your jukebox). And, sometimes, the artist isn't named (you are simply hearing the song). After each song, you give it a score from 1 to 100. After a period of one or two weeks, Promosquad compiles the average score for each song in a given format and sends them to HitPredictor for publication to the radio industry. Songs must have an average of 65 or better to be considered as having hit potential and therefore be listed. These scores are based on popularity on initial listen, not familiarity. HitPredictor is usually what will get a major market (and by extension, smaller markets) to play a song (especially if the label isn't doing too much in terms of promo push). So, the scores that LO received indicate that it has hit potential in both CHR/pop with an average score of 68.2 and HAC with an average score of 72.5. (It is disturbing somewhat to note that Archie is referred to as the AI winner on HitPredictor, because this indicates that 19/Jive is sending his music to Promosquad with that notation. RCA is not making that distinction with DC, which is fine (good, even). But, if he doesn't get that distinction, no one else should. It's bad enough that everything from album release schedule to video release to single promotion has been handled as if DC were the runner up, but I am getting off topic.)
Callout, on the other hand, is something entirely different (although it involves the number 65, which might be the cause of any confusion). When a single is on a radio station's playlist (or about to be) it will be included on their station's music survey (usually updated weekly). People who belong to a station's music panel then take the survery. They are asked three questions: Are you familiar with this song? (They are asked to listen to it if it is unfamiliar to them.) Rate this song from 1 to 4. Are you tired of this song?
A song must have a 65% familiarity in order to be included in a station's final callout tally. The scores are then averaged and the songs are placed in order from highest to lowest average score. The average of people who respond that they are tired of a particular song is deducted from the song's score to give the final result. The final results from all monitored stations are then sent to Mediabase and/or Arbitron BDS to be added together and averaged to show the national callout scores. For example, in the nationwide callout score from 10/9, TOML ranks at #1 on AC with a score of: 79.9 familiarity, 75.9 positive feedback, 11.6 negative feedback and 6.5 burn (tired of it). These scores are readily available for public consumption (to those who know they exist) at allaccess.com. Callout scores generally help formats determine which songs should be getting more airplay (and which should be getting less). Also, if a song is ranking high on national callout and it isn't even on a station's playlist, it usually gets added. Callout scores tend to be far more reliable than ratethemusic.com because each participant can only take the survey once. Some more rabid fans do attempt multiple surveys but the final tally takes into account IP address (not just email) so multiples are thrown out. (This expains why "Crush" is #1 across the board on ratethemusic.com in AC, HAC and CHR/pop but only appears on one callout list - at #11 in CHR/pop.)
Of course, every station (and program director) is different. Not everyone uses these industry tools in the way they were intended (some pay them no mind at all). But, in general, my mini-novel (sorry about that) sums up exactly what these things are meant to do and what the various scores mean.
However, always keep in mind that some labels have significant influence and sway over program directors in certain formats (i.e. Jive in pop, Arista in R&B, Roadrunner in rock, etc.) and major markets have a tendency to go "where the money is". Smaller markets, in an effort to be seen as up-to-date and current also have a tendency to do what the "big boys" are doing. So, while stations in general will at least give some credence to HitPredictor and callout (not necessarily ratethemusic.com as it has become a joke in recent years) and give a chance to songs that the public is actually saying it wants to hear, the "big boys" (start in New York and follow the trail) and the label giants to which they adhere still, sadly, play a much larger role in determining what gets played, when it gets played, and how much it gets played.
Sorry for the novel-like explanation, but I think this information will be beneficial to those who are following the radio progress of DC's songs (and the inevitable questions that arise).

Very interesting! Thanks

Thanks so much for taking the time to explain. I does help me understand a lot more. Good thing we got somebody like you around.

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What is considered Rhythmic?

So, here's the small problem for LO, based on the numbers I'm still seeing for TOML in mediabase (and billboard & yes.com). And why we should NOT panic if we don't hear LO quickly added to radio this week, even though the adds start today (Impact day has arrived). Things move like molassis on the formats which will embrace LO the most.

Ok, first the small problem. TOML, which showed signs of declining a little over the weekend... really isn't declining that much, if at all. It just won't budge, and that's typical of how AC and HAC work. Stations that play TOML every 2 to 3 hours (those with it in their top 5) will have a problem adding LO because then Cook will be on every hour. WE may like that, but the program director will not!

Rock stations are going to be slow to add David Cook. I hate that it's this way, but it's reality. LO will eventually make it onto many rock stations, but it will take time.

AC stations (in particular, the ones who play soft rock and love songs) might find LO "too" rock. TOML is more their speed.

HAC stations will LOVE and embrace LO, but they move like molassis and have huge playlists with limited new slots. So it will be a little longer until we hear LO added to stations like WPLJ and KBIG.

Top 40 stations in markets where there are strong HAC stations may not opt for it. KIIS-FM in LA probably won't play it at all because their sister stations KBIG and (hopefully) KYSR will. They don't play guitar oriented pop/rock.

So, bottom line, I predict LO will be a huge hit, but it will take some time. Some of us may have expectations that the radio impact date will translate to lots of spins very quickly, and it just may not. It will be as big as TOML, and probably will be bigger because it will go higher on HAC and Top 40 than TOML did, and some rock stations will play it too. But I have a feeling it's going to take as long to reach the top of the charts as TOML did.

A Rhythmic Top 40 is a station that leans a little more heavily toward Rap/Hip Hop/R&B songs, but they still throw in some of the top Pop songs, too.

And all excellent points there, Scott!! "Patience is a virtue" should be our mantra.