With no new major releases this week, we thought it might be helpful to give insight and transparency on where our weekly data comes from, how it guides decisions on what music gets played on Liveline, which songs are featured in these articles, and why we choose to ignore songs with no listener passion.
Impressed by our observations and the tight selection of hits we play on Liveline, a question we’re frequently asked by program directors, readers and fellow radio personnel is “how do you decide when it’s time to add a song?” More importantly, when do you sit it out? There are several criteria which go into our process of adding a new song on Liveline, most of which are standard practices at every station.
First, it’s vital to remember that aside from long commercial breaks, the biggest tuneout for radio listeners is unfamiliar music. Most people just want to hear their favorite, familiar and comfortable songs. Gold-based formats like Classic Hits and AC do so well, because they have years of research and data that show what their target listener’s favorite songs are (and aren’t). Because Top 40 is a current-based format, it demands programmers scour every available data source to learn on a weekly basis which songs people really love.
Because we have to play the hits for a wide variety of affiliates, we can’t let personal taste get in the way of adding a song that is clearly a smash or playing something that we like even though it’s doing nothing on Spotify and getting no requests.
We notice a trend in this order: 95% of the time when a song is doing well on Spotify, we start getting requests for it. Once it has achieved a radio airplay base, we start playing the song. The song gets more requests, more stations add it, and the song gets bigger. Sometimes, the “more stations adding it” part doesn’t happen due to a lack of promotion, but that doesn’t matter to the listeners, especially if they’re being exposed to new music in other places, which they are.
Here are two examples of releases that Liveline we added early, before the majority of other stations and why:
Gigi Perez – “Sailor Song”: Released on July 26, 2024. It’s been on the Spotify Top 200 chart for 202 days straight, debuting at No. 88 and eventually climbing to the Top 10 in October where it has sat ever since. It’s currently No. 19, but we think it’s more of a hit than many of the other songs above it.
We were getting a few weekly requests for “Sailor Song” a month before we added it on November 11. Alternative radio was barely playing it, it was No. 51 on Top 40 with only two stations on it. We probably would’ve added it (and dozens of other songs) much earlier, but our job as a syndicated music show is to be in sync with what the majority of Top 40 and Hot AC stations are playing so we are compatible with them and not just playing “whatever we like”.
The biggest objection we get from stations inquiring about Liveline is that they can’t control the music, which we’ve overcome by having a solid track record of playing the hits, not indulging the record label game, and being in-tune with what they play the rest of the day. Two weeks after we featured “Sailor Song” in Mason’s Observations, the song saw a huge spike in airplay. This week, it’s No. 11 on Alternative and No. 15 on Top 40. It was also No. 5 in requests last week and has been consistently top 10 since December 2.
The Weeknd & Playboi Carti – “Timeless”: On November 27, 2019, The Weeknd released “Heartless” as the first single from “After Hours” which wasn’t due until March 2020. A few days later, the second single “Blinding Lights” came out. Both topped the Billboard Hot 100, Pop and Rhythmic airplay charts. Now in 2025, it’s clear that “Blinding Lights” was the better of the pair, having broken records by becoming the most-streamed song in Spotify history and one of the biggest of this century.
That formula seemed to work well enough for his team to try it again, as “Dancing In the Flames” was released as the first single from “Hurry Up Tomorrow” on September 13, 2024. Two weeks later, “Timeless” was released as single No. 2 geared for Rhythmic radio, probably because single No. 1 showed no signs of life on streaming or sales. “Dancing In The Flames” somehow peaked at No. 8 on Top 40 airplay and No. 6 on Rhythmic, despite its complete absence from the Spotify Top 200. Ultimately, it was even deleted from the album’s final track list.
“Timeless” immediately debuted within the Top 10 upon release and generated dozens of requests within two weeks. It reached No. 3 on Billboard and No. 1 Rhythmic, while just this week finally peaking at No. 10 on Top 40. We started playing “Timeless” on October 14 when the song was No. 41 on Top 40, because it was clearly a hit, based on the millions of daily consistent streams and hundreds of weekly requests on Liveline where it was No. 1 for 4 weeks straight, despite the majority of Top 40 radio not playing it until January. To this day, we have never received a single request for “Dancing in The Flames”. Five years from now, which one are fans gonna want to hear at his concert?
A good example of a record we sat out is “Diet Pepsi” by Addison Rae. This week, it’s No. 6 in Top 40 airplay, despite not even being listed anywhere in the US or Global Spotify Top 200 chart. Since its release last August, we’ve never had a single request for it on Liveline, nor have we ever played it. Her huge popularity as an influencer could definitely translate to a hit record at some point. We have to go by the undeniable lack of listener passion for this song measured in requests and total lack of streaming over a period of many months.
So far, we’re also sitting out this week’s most-added song on Top 40. LISA, Doja Cat & RAYE – “Born Again.” It was released on February 6. On February 7 (New Music Friday), it debuted at No. 32 on Spotify. That can be credited to the people who love discovering new music and each artist’s fanbase. Two days later, it took a huge dip and now sits at No. 116, trending downwards. We know the song is No. 26 on Top 40 radio airplay, up 500 spins in the past 7 days. But with no requests and the streaming drop, we need to see something more than the airplay charts and what other stations added. That’s how affiliates know they can trust us.
Buried Treasures of the Week
Sean Kingston – “Fire Burning”: When I Googled “Sean Kingston”, one of the popular search suggestions was “is Sean Kingston still alive?”. Apparently his career isn’t, as 2009’s “Fire Burning” was his last solo hit, though it really has stood the test of time along with 2006’s “Beautiful Girls”, plus honorable mentions “Take You There” (2007) and “Eenie Meenie” featuring Justin Bieber (2010) which all still get requests on Liveline to this day. “Fire Burning” peaked at No. 5 on Billboard, No. 6 on Top 40 and No. 5 on Rhythmic. This song packs every dance floor and is another great example of songs that didn’t reach No. 1 simply because at the time everything above it was so strong. We’ve seen a spike of calls for this in the past few months. In July 2024, he and his mother were indicted on federal charges of wire fraud, allegedly purchasing millions of dollars in high-end goods despite never actually paying for them. He faces up to 20 years in prison.
Fergie – “Big Girls Don’t Cry (Personal)”: Now a staple of Adult Contemporary radio, it reached No. 1 in 14 different countries, including America where it topped the Pop airplay chart for 8 weeks, the most of any song in 2007. It’s an anthem for all women and really anyone who’s going through a hard time. Though the Black Eyed Peas were the brainchild of will.i.am’s production brilliance, Fergie proved to be the glue that held them all together, with a string of other solo hits like “Clumsy”, “Fergalicious” and “Glamorous”. They also had no lasting hits before or after her time in the group. Just don’t let her sing the national anthem again, please.
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