vainandy said:

Also, in 1984, Motown released an old Michael Jackson song from 1973 called "Farewell My Summer Love" and I remember it being played in heavy rotation on the radio right alongside the current songs back then and it did fairly well.

That was a then newly created remix though. That entire album was remixed unreleased songs. The original mixes were eventually released on a box set around 2009. Remixes of old songs have sometimes become radio hits:

Run DMC vs. Jason Nevins ~ It's Like That
Elvis Presley ~ A Little Less Conversation / Rubberneckin'
Michael Jackson feat. Justin Timberlake ~ Love Never Felt So Good

Some non-remixed oldies became hits a second time due to being part of a popular movie such as Stand By Me by Ben E. King and What A Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong in the 1980s. Others have become popular with new audiences through sampling in songs by acts like Puff Daddy & more recently DJ Khaled & Pitbull.

more likely strategies -

an album of prince covers from bigger name artists today

an album of prince remixes from producers today

letting younger artists sample unreleased prince for their new songs

College stations are more independent and may play some.

sulls said:

Radio sucks anyway.

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True.

But has a lot to do with contemporary pop music, which has become an easy art to copy (and paste) these days.

There is not much 'daring' or new anymore.

(Thouogh there is one band for me that stands out every thime and thats Gorillaz.)

And the most popurlar tright now, RAP... I never was that much in for 'rap', but it is the only genre where there is still something moving in a posotive direction.

Rock and Pop or even R'nB are way past their expire date these days imho.

Youngsters still think they can reinvent Rock, but i get the feeling of been-there-done-that everytime when something new is announced as a the new sound.

Could also be my age. I'm over 50, and sometimes I feel like i've heard it all...

Spoiled ? Heard too much ? dunno...

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If you want to get surprised by music on the radio, listen to BBC6 !

I get my share of new things from there.

I also love the Iggy Pop program which makes new and old music sound fresh and fun.

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funkbabyandthebabysitters said:

more likely strategies -

an album of prince covers from bigger name artists today

an album of prince remixes from producers today

letting younger artists sample unreleased prince for their new songs

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Naaaaah. Don't think that'll work.

And leave the samplinh alone too imho.

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Why is it that everyone wants prince's music back on top ?

I think it's fine the way it is right now.

We can't do much else to it.

We also will never be able to hear all the vault music.

It's something i'm in peace with.

The just is so much... Isn't that a positive note already ?

Just realise we will always be provided by somehtng unheard or new.

Which isn't the case with any other late artist out there.

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who listens to radio? why listen to radio? i learned early on not to let a corporate playlist dictate what i listen to.

RODSERLING said:

I m disappointed that WB/the estate, didn't try at least a lyric video, in tribute to the SOTT video.

.

They saw no money in that.

BlackCandle said:

To quote Biggie Smalls: "Yes son, love your f**king attitude". However: - Popular as that old Jacko track was, did it actually lead to a sea-change in radio-programming? - Are you really telling us you haven't shaken your ass to ANYTHING other than Prince, REALLY? 'Cos I've listened to Prince my whole life, but I still hear plenty of contemporary stuff that - to use the kid's parlance - is a "Bop"...

Are you kidding me? Prince is only one of hundreds of artists I have in my collection. I am far from one of these fams that think the sun rised and shined on Prince's ass. As for current so-called artists though....uh..hell naw. If I want to listen to something boring, I'll try to find some Lawrence Welk. At least he had more rhythm than them.

To be honest, top 40 stations appeal to the lowest common denominator of music consumer. They replay the same songs over and over again ad nauseam. You might be able to find some cuts on college radio.

Check out the telecommunications act of 1996; it basically drastically reduced the variety of radio station owners by enabling large media conglomerates to buy out smaller indie stations. This has streamlined the payola routes for industry plant "artist" to profit for their record companies. It's not completly reflective in what many actually listen too.

A lot of people bemoan the current state of music but there are really great artist who release via Bandcamp or indie labels that aren't able to compete against the large record companies. You've gotta get on Spotify and use Discover Weekly generated playlist to find great songs based on your listening habits.

Not to different than Youtube algorithms. That goes for Pop/Rock, Hip-Hop/RnB, Country/Folk, Electronic/House etc. You'll even discover old stuff you never heard or bothered to listen to. It's the way things work now mang.

I think Prince fans need to accept that beyond his handful of biggest hits and his legacy as an all-time great musician, he's never going to be more than a niche artist again. None of his vault material is going to go viral or become an unexpected hit on Top 40 radio, he couldn't even pull that shit off when he was still alive and releasing new music.

There are still plenty of younger people who will get turned onto his music (like I was), but don't expect whole waves of new Prince fans to pop up. And that's perfectly okay, Prince left the mark that he needed to leave on the world and our lives are a little better for it.

[Edited 12/21/20 20:01pm]

TheGloved1 said:

You've gotta get on Spotify and use Discover Weekly generated playlist to find great songs based on your listening habits.

Not to different than Youtube algorithms. That goes for Pop/Rock, Hip-Hop/RnB, Country/Folk, Electronic/House etc. You'll even discover old stuff you never heard or bothered to listen to. It's the way things work now mang.

What if you want to have a party and you're the DJ? You can't just play performers and/or songs that only you have heard of and no one else has. You'll put people to sleep or they'll leave. You have to play the hit songs they know from the radio so that they can dance & have a good time. It doesn't matter if they're new songs or oldies, people in general want to hear the hit songs they're familiar with. With some acts, their Greatest Hits/Best Of album have sold way more than any of their regular albums (Eagles, Bob Marley, Abba, Queen, etc.). There's a joke that goes when a veteran artist performs a new song, that's the time when people take a bathroom break or go get snacks.

mbdtyler said:

I think Prince fans need to accept that beyond his handful of biggest hits and his legacy as an all-time great musician, he's never going to be more than a niche artist again. None of his vault material is going to go viral or become an unexpected hit on Top 40 radio, he couldn't even pull that shit off when he was still alive and releasing new music.

There are still plenty of younger people who will get turned onto his music (like I was), but don't expect whole waves of new Prince fans to pop up. And that's perfectly okay, Prince left the mark that he needed to leave on the world and our lives are a little better for it.

[Edited 12/21/20 20:01pm]

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Exactly.

Well said.

So be the truth.

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Vannormal said:

IF you really want to hear Prince on the radio in heavy rotation, the only option is probably KYGO releasing a remix of Kiss or 1999

I am not sure I want to hear this, as he somehow slaughtered Tina Turner's What's Love Got To Do With It and now Donna Summer's "Hot Stuff" - at least to my ears

rebelenterprise said: