http://www.beaversonidol.com/articles/dearmrdj.html my sentiments exactly. Dear Mr. DJ: Will You Play Clay for Us? by Sheri Liles (2003/10/30) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The eagerly awaited first CD "Measure of a Man" by American Idol star Clay Aiken debuted last week as # 1 on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart, after having sold a phenomenal 613,000 copies. According to Billboard Magazine, it was the second best selling CD for first week sales for a new artist in Soundscan history. It was also the third highest selling CD for first week sales of any artist this year. Based on outstanding first day sales, RCA, Aiken’s record label, shipped two million copies, assuring double platinum status which is based on shipments rather than sales. Aiken’s first single "This is the Night" sold over 900,000 copies and was the second highest selling single in history. It debuted at #1 on the Top 100 Single Chart, spending two weeks at that position, and spending 16 weeks at # 1 on the Sales Charts. It was certified platinum after only 37 days on the charts. Aiken’s second single, "Invisible", though not released as a single for sale, has been released for radio play. As of this writing, it has not charted. So how does a single selling as many copies as "This is the Night" only spend two weeks at the top of the charts while being the best selling single for 16 weeks? How does a single such as "Invisible", from one of the best selling albums of the year, fail to chart? It has to do with radio play. Or, in this case, lack of radio play. Billboard chart positions are determined by a combination of sales and radio play. There is no question that Aiken has the sales. However, disc jockeys and radio program managers have been resistant to playing Aiken’s songs on radio effectively limiting his charting opportunities. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons that have been offered for this. The songs do not fit our format. It is understandable that if your radio station plays only hip hop, rap, oldies, or country Aiken’s songs would not be a good fit. However, this excuse has been rendered by stations that play Celine Dion, Jason Mraz, John Mayer, Daniel Beddingfield, and others of the same ilk. It is inconceivable that Aiken’s music would not fit here. We have had no requests for him. I find that doubtful. Aiken has a wide range of fans of all ages and walks of life and they are requesting. They are calling and e-mailing every day and they are becoming frustrated at the lack of response from the radio stations. They are voting on your countdowns and they are almost begging you to play Clay. We are tired of fans e-mailing and calling requesting Clay. Make up your minds. What better way to know who is listening than through calls and e-mails. Don’t you want to play what your listeners want to hear? Don’t you want to increase your listener base? He has a questionable personal persona. Okay, I’m trying to be nicer than some of you have been. He’s not macho. He has also said he is not what some of you have accused him of being. My question is how is that relevant to his music? We are waiting for the large markets to play him, or, once he is on the chart, we will put him on our playlist. Oh, come on, live a little. Be a trendsetter. He is not a legitimate artist because he came from American Idol and he didn’t even win. Three words: Mickey Mouse Club. Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera are alumni of the Mickey Mouse Club with Britney and Justin also spending some time on Star Search along with Leann Rimes where they didn’t win either. All of them are considered legitimate artists and enjoy extensive air play. He is not a legitimate artist because he did not pay his dues. Aiken answered this on a recent AOL Sessions interview where he said that anybody out there today would have taken a shortcut two years ago if the opportunity had been presented to them. He did pay dues by subjecting himself to public humiliation week after week on American Idol. He sang beautifully each week, took criticism as a man (in the words of Simon), and learned and improved from it, all while other contestants received "pass-throughs" while exhibiting lesser talent. He is not a legitimate artist because he doesn’t play an instrument. Oh, yes he does: his voice. As Aiken said to Jay Leno, "I just sang. Isn’t that enough?" He is not a legitimate artist because he doesn’t write songs. Do most actors write screenplays? Do directors act? Do all songwriters sing? "Invisible" is a stalker song. A stalker song? "Every Little Breath You Take" by the Police is a stalker song. "Invisible" is about unrequited love. This excuse is laughable considering the lyrics of the songs that do enjoy extensive airplay. Have you ever listened to P.I.M.P or Get Low? Thank goodness, the vocals are so bad that the lyrics are not easily understood. There are some disc jockeys who understand the phenomenon of Clay. JoJo Wright of KIIS FM in Los Angeles has embraced Clay Aiken fans, and they have embraced him. The Bolt Babes of the Bolt Clay Aiken message board have even named JoJo as a honorary Bolt Babe. JoJo loves to play Clay’s songs and recently had Clay in the studio for an interview. JoJo further endeared himself to fans by telling Clay that he was truly a genuine person who he didn’t see changing in the future. As a result, Clay Aiken fans tune in to listen to JoJo every night through internet streaming, increasing his listening audience by the thousands. It is apparent that fans want to hear Clay Aiken on the radio. It is also apparent that radio does not want to play him. Clay’s music is different from the status quo on the radio and seemingly poses a threat. His songs feature melodies with understandable lyrics. He sings of love rather than sex. He sings of morals rather than depravity. He sings of romance rather than violence. His music reaches the hearts of his fans and they want to hear him on the radio. Fans want to see his songs on the chart because they deserve to be there. There are hundreds of thousands of fans who buy his CDs, who buy the magazines that feature him, who flock to his concerts, who will watch any obscure TV show just to see him, and who will tune into your radio stations to hear him - if you would just play Clay. And if you won’t play Clay, the next thing you hear will be the sound of thousands of fans turning the radio dial to stations that do play Clay - or turning on their CD players. posted by Yee 11:55 PM . . .
