Shunned By Radio, Hard Rock Is Still Alive And Well In America

Two hard rock bands, one young and one old, walk into a bar. The bartender asks to see the older band’s ID. “Welcome,” she says. “I loved your music when I was a college student in the 90s.” The younger band hands the bartender its ID. “Sorry,” she says, fiddling with the knob on her FM radio, “you’re far too young to be in here. Go get a few radio hits and come back in a decade or two.”

Ghost BC, a.k.a. Ghost, one of the few metal bands with songs popular at both Pandora and hard rock stations.

Such is the dilemma for young hard rock and metal bands. Radio has all but turned its back on the hard rock and metal stars of tomorrow. It’s a shame. Radio has remained the most common source of music discovery, according to numerous surveys over the years. The old-fashioned format is tied with friends/family at 68 percent, according to Edison Research and Triton Digital. Where do fans of metal and hard rock go for new music? Not commercial radio. Metal, and its umbrella genre, hard rock, has become a format for the middle-aged listener. People wanting to find new, hard music will find what they’re looking for at Pandora.

But hard rock and metal do well at Pandora, a democratic platform that rewards songs for their listeners’ positive reactions, not the decisions of radio program directors. Metal, a sub-genre of the more popular rock category, is tied for 13th in monthly time spent listening and currently gets over 6 million unique listeners per month. Rock, which includes hard rock and other types of rock music, has the most monthly listening hours on Pandora, ranks 2nd in monthly time spent listening and gets 50 million unique listeners each month.

The numbers show the severity of hard rock radio’s problem. According to Nielsen BDS data, only 10.5 percent of hard/active rock stations’ playlists are current tracks while 82.9 percent are legacy/golden tracks and 6.6 percent are recurrents (“active rock” stations have an emphasis on hard rock, “recurrents” are former current songs that still get spins). For comparison, current songs are 85 percent of music played at both pop and rhythmic (a catchall spanning upbeat rhythmic pop, hip hop and upbeat R&B) and 68 percent at country.

Corrosion Of Conformity Releases New Self Titled Album Through Candlelight Records

Not sure if yall have been sleeping under a rock or maybe just worn out by being obliterated with the amount of albums being released, but damn if we aren't stoked for the new Corrosion of Conformity self titled release. As a fan of the band since the early 90's I missed out on their early hardcore albums, but have gone back and listened to their entire catalog numerous times over. Seeing them as a three piece, is a different beast, but does not feel as if they lose any steam. If anything, it has made them more feral and ready to claw their way back to the top with or without Pepper Keenan back in the band. 

Below is a great interview with Reed Mullin about the band, their history and where they are heading.The new album is coming out on the amazingly great label Candlelight Records and looking forward to picking up one of their cd bundles.

New self titled Corrosion of Conformity album being released by Candlelight Records

Link to article on Metalholic Magazine

Corrosion of Conformity‘s eighth studio album is self-titled, which is perhaps a metaphor for the band coming full circle three decades after its formation. Founders Reed Mullin (drums), Mike Dean (bass, vocals) and Woody Weatherman have been on a lifetime journey of friendship and music. Over the years each member has stepped away for a bit, but all have come home. The band’s newest release, which hits digital outlets and stores today on Candlelight Records, marks both a return to the band’s early days as a trio, and another example how much each has grown together and apart. The whole of C.O.C. is much stronger than the sum of its parts. There exists a dynamic, a synergy between these three men which allows them to bridge into any musical sub-genre and still retain the essence of their signature sound.

While many Corrosion of Conformity fans are sad that the band’s fourth member, Pepper Keenan is too busy with Down at the moment to partake in this joyous reunion, one listen to the new record should salve that wound. In fact, it feels more appropriate that the band made this album as a trio just as it began. For had Pepper been available, this three decade sonic celebration might simply have become a moment of nostalgia rather than a stepping stone for another decade of C.O.C.

The night before the album’s release I spent some time talking to Mullin about the band’s history, the new album, his hope for a special show with both Pepper and former vocalist Karl Agell, his list of best drummers, and the five albums that changed his life. We also spoke of conspiracy theories and men dancing naked with owls, how the band came to record this album at Dave Grohl’s new Studio 606, and what’s going on with his Righteous Fool project. Tune in for 30 minutes of C.O.C. and Roll with Reed Mullin.

Raleigh, North Carolina's favorite sons, Corrosion of Conformity

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