Does it seem like every fourth song you hear on the radio is Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy”? Well there’s a reason.
According to a story by the Washington Post, Azalea and other artists have been the benefactors of a new program set forth by Clear Channel Radio, which is the biggest radio outlet in the country.
The program is called “On The Verge” and it was designed to help new acts get more exposure on Clear Channel’s 840 stations. Program directors from all over the country vote on a variety of songs and the winning song gets a solid commitment of being played at least 150 times on all the stations for approximately six weeks.
Azalea and her record breaking single, “Fancy,” have no doubt benefited from repeated spins and maximum exposure to Clear Channel’s 245 million monthly listeners, but the program doesn’t guarantee the same success for all artists. Tinashe’s “2 On”, Anthony Lewis’ “Candy Rain”, and Jhené Aiko’s “The Worst” have all been featured “On The Verge” songs, but have failed to duplicate Azalea’s chart domination.
Tom Poleman, president of national programming platforms for Clear Channel, says everyone wins with “On The Verge.”
“I think it’s good for everybody when we can break more artists,” says Poleman. “The listeners win; we win as a company that relies on music as our lifeblood; and our artists certainly win as well.”
Poleman insists the program is not designed to give particular artists or their labels an unfair advantage. He maintains that the acts selected are based solely on the quality of their music and not on label pressure.
