Tequila eventually made #3. |
Switch on any pop radio station over the next few days and you are likely to hear a chirpy little song, Tequila, by a rock band from Bradford called Terrorvision. The early success of the song - likely to zoom straight into the Top Ten on its release later this month - marks the second time in the past four weeks that Radio 1 has used its enormous power to "create" a hit. If Zoë Ball, Radio 1's hyperactive breakfast DJ, had not given Tequila a frequent and gushing endorsement on her morning show - and on Twenty-First Century Pop (in which Radio 1 DJs predicted the hits of 1999) - it is unlikely the song would already be on the play list of most of Britain's regional stations. Similarly, Chris Moyles, Radio 1's yobbish afternoon DJ (who many see as the next Chris Evans), had an enormous influence on the Christmas charts through tirelessly plugging Chocolate Salty Balls by Chef, a spin-off from the cult cartoon series South Park. It seems that although most music industry pundits believe that Radio 1's influence has diminished over the years, it is still seen as the best platform from which to launch a new act. Moyles, for example, begged his audience to buy the record before Christmas and so prevent the Spice Girls from topping the charts. More than 500,000 copies of Chocolate Salty Balls were sold in just 14 days and, during the Christmas week, it became the biggest-selling record for 14 years not actually to top the charts (reaching number two). The week after, it replaced the Spice Girls' Goodbye as the top seller.
we had no plans to release it as a single over here Jason Reckham, a product manager at Sony's Columbia Records, says of Chocolate Salty Balls: "In America, the single was banned by the CBS network and we had no plans to release it as a single over here. But once we had heard Chris Moyles play it on Radio 1 a few times we decided we could release it without it being banned. Of course, as soon as Radio 1 played it, all the wacky breakfast shows on independent local stations started playing it. It would have been the Christmas No 1 if we had got the stock out fast enough." | It must be something of a relief for Radio 1 to see its new star DJs finally building up the kind of power enjoyed by Chris Evans when he was at the station. Evans has seen his once-awesome influence over the music industry diminish while at Virgin Radio. The other good news for the BBC is that the revitalised Radio 2 is now as likely to create hits as Radio 1. Recent chart success enjoyed by acts such as pop band The Corrs and veteran rockers Aerosmith - given hours of airplay on Radio 2 - is proof of that. Earlier examples of Radio 1 DJs having the power to create hits can be found by turning to Mark and Lard, the duo who took over the breakfast show after Evans left. They were instrumental in breaking an obscure act called White Town by playing Your Woman. Similarly Pete Tong, a Radio 1 specialist DJ, was responsible for Underworld's Born Slippy charting. Radio 1 is understandably proud of its ability to make or break new acts, yet DJ endorsements are not always as straightforward as they appear. According to Simon Garfield, author of a book about Radio 1 called The Nation's Favourite, individual DJs are only occasionally allowed personally to choose records, with most of the station's play list decided by a committee of producers.
Radio 1 allows its DJs to take sole credit for breaking records, even when the decision to play them has been made by a much larger group Alex Jones-Donelly, a music scheduler at Radio 1, agrees: "In the case of Chef, Chris Moyles and his producer came across it and decided to play it. But we already had an awareness of it and gave them encouragement to play it." And Zoë Ball? She was "certainly part of that decision". | However, it seems that in many cases Radio 1 allows its DJs to take sole credit for breaking records, even when the decision to play them has been made by a much larger group. DJs, of course, are keen to go along with this. Like Chris Evans, Zoë Ball and Chris Moyles realise that by associating themselves with certain records, they can manipulate their public image. It is no surprise, therefore, that Ball chose to endorse Tequila - a happy-go-lucky "indie" anthem about the joys of boozing - while Moyles chose Chocolate Salty Balls - a risqué spoof packed with sexual innuendo. Jonathan King, the music industry pundit, says: "I think Chris Moyles and Zoë Ball are very wise to start backing songs. Most DJs have very little say at all over what gets played because most of them are brain-dead and have to be told what to do. But when they do have an influence, it can be enormous." Record companies recognise this power and often bring forward release dates (Tequila, for example) after a DJ's endorsement. "The best record companies will realise that having a DJ on-side is a major advantage," says King, "and if they have any sense they will give credit to the DJ to boost his or her ego." This raises questions about Radio 1's place in an increasingly commercial industry. Garfield says: "There is a very interesting relationship between a publicly funded broadcaster such as Radio 1 and the commercial world because they still have the power to launch a career and make millions of pounds for a record company. But I think they are aware of that responsibility." |
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