College radio has pride itself in bringing lesser-known artists to the ears of those searching for the next no name for as long as it has existed. As a general manager of one of these stations, it’s becoming more and more difficult to sift through the crap that is sent to us. Profits are hard to make with music that no one wants to listen to.

When does Alternative turn into main stream Adult Contemporary “Top 40?” Better yet, give me a clean definition of the word Alternative. iTunes considers plenty of artists I would never let our DJ’s play “alternative” …Alternative music was actually called College Rock before it was even given the name Alternative… With that said there are still “college radio critics” who dissect every song and artist that is put over our airwaves. When do we decide that an artist is no longer worthy of the alternative label and has in some people’s views “sold out”? Is it really selling out, or is it just becoming a successful artist?  

The Black Keys were named artist of the year in Spin Magazine…a magazine that also knighted Kanye West with album of the year…an album that he put out only a month before the end of 2010. I wouldn’t consider The Black Keys as “sell outs” as they deserved artist of the year but wearing that specific crown will probably be enough to stop many followers from continuing to listen to their music…”It’s just too main stream.” The Black Keys played on our radio station before being named “Artist of the Year” and will continue to be played on many of our DJ’s shows as they have been and probably will continue to be one of the most successful artists in college radio.

A while ago I had to have a conversation with a DJ; this talk is part of the reason I’m writing this now. Is there a time when an artist is too mainstream? I enjoy all types of music, and for those who may not know…I’m minoring in Vocal Performance. Bach, Mozart, Beethoven…they all have a special place in my heart…and if they were still alive today, I probably couldn’t play them on KMSA because of their kickass-ness…and their rotation on Magic 93.1. Along with Magic, we fall into a crowd full of Katty Perrys, Lady GaGas and Kelly Clarksons, not to mention the Voldemort of the group- She Who Shall Not Be Named- Ke$ha. When was the last time any of these artists were considered alternative and didn’t shoot for number one on the billboard music charts the second their album came out of the CD tray? But what about artists that make the “popular music stations,” and are considered Alternative?

My all-time favorite memory of working in college radio so far is the one call I received about two weeks into starting my show in November, 2008. I was a timid DJ that would compromise the flow of my show…with the luck that a show like mine had any flow Monday’s 7-9pm (shameless plug) with Metal, and any other request that cooks in the back of the local wing joint had to throw my way. So there I sat, playing a band called The Cab, a pop-punk, R&B, rock sound that made you feel like you had attention deficit disorder trying to figure out what genre the band was trying to pull off next, then the phone rang…”KMSA” I said…

35-year-old male listening in his mother’s basement: “Will you turn this corporate shit off?!”

Me, the innocent rookie DJ: “Ummm sir what would you like me to play that is less ‘corporate’?”

35-year-old male in early from his mother’s curfew…listening in his mothers basement: “Put on some White Stripes.”

Me with a new found swagger: “White Stripes! You want…less corporate White Stripes…”

35-year-old male with insomnia living in his mothers basement: “Seven Nation Army!”

Me, shaking my head: “Alright Seven Nation Army it is.”

For all I knew, I could have been talking down to the future creator of Owl City, who may have just been looking for inspiration during one of his sleepless nights.

I later went on that night to tear the word “corporate” apart as he had told me to turn off a band that had never sold more than 100,000 albums…had never toured in a bus…and had never played a sold-out arena…mind you, get played on a show that wasn’t 7-10 at night in Grand Junction, Colorado.

Back to artists that are alternative and make the mainstream radio stations. White Stripes, a perfect example…but better off let’s go with Colorado native One Republic. I had never heard of One Republic until they did a remix of a song that no one had ever heard with Timbaland. That remix instantly jetted them to mainstream radio, but if you have ever given any of their albums a complete listen…only a few songs make the Top 40 rotation, and the rest are never given any credit. Do we stop playing these artists because one or two songs that are “popular” make it onto mainstream radio? Many extreme indie listeners, we’ll call them “Hipsters”, would turn to NPR and stream the newest indie artist and sip their Americanos in spite…don’t forget, this is all in fun as I love myself some NPR…where else would I get my Mozart fix.

As general manager, I’ve decided that artists who play on KMSA before making it on to Top 40 radio still have a place on our station. We are college radio…our magazine College Music Journal has a message of “New Music First.” So we brought you the artist first…we’re going to continue to play them on our station…if you have a problem change your dial, enjoy the commercials and Ke$ha brushing her teeth with some kind of gin.

Look for new music at KMSA. New Metal, Punk, Electronic, Hip-Hop, Acoustic, R&B and Soul, Pop-Punk, Hardcore, Indie and anything else that isn’t owned by Disney. I hope this answered some questions, or educated those before they had questions. I look forward to a productive year, and interacting with as many of our listeners as I possibly can.

Thank you,

Kyle Cooper
General Manager
KMSA-FM 91.3. The Alternative
kyle@kmsa913.com
(970) 248.1442