Radio Evaluates Jackson's Claims

Airplay Monitor

NEW YORK—Nearly one year after the release of the first single from Michael Jackson's Invincible, the artist himself is more in the headlines than ever (see The Beat, page 10).

In recent weeks, news reports have had him picketing outside Sony headquarters and holding a press conference to lash out at Sony chairman Tommy Mottola, calling him "the devil" and "racist." He has also joined forces with the Rev. Al Sharpton and lawyer Johnnie Cochran, who recently formed a coalition to investigate whether recording artists are being financially exploited by record labels. Jackson stated at his press conference that labels "conspire against the artist. They steal. They cheat . . . especially against black artists."

Jackson's allegations came amid reports that the artist's fans felt that Epic had not done enough to promote Invincible, working only two singles from the project. Billboard asked rhythmic top 40 and R&B programmers to evaluate the legitimacy of Jackson's attacks and if they thought the label could still do more to promote Invincible.

While R&B PDs, who did better with the album's two singles, felt there were at least two more songs on Invincible that they would have played, most stopped short of saying Epic didn't do its job. Programmers on the rhythmic top 40 side were less enthusiastic about the album and overwhelmingly felt the label did all it could.

Bruce St. James, PD of KKFR (Power 92) Phoenix, says, "Epic went above and beyond. They tried to position him in a new light, to show how he was contemporary and that he could get airplay on the rhythmic top 40 format as well as R&B and that he wasn't a freak show. Radio gave it a shot when it came out, but unfortunately, the feedback from listeners was not positive. That's not our fault as programmers or the record company's fault. If Michael's unhappy about that, he should sue the American public for not liking his stuff."

KUBE Seattle operations manager Shellie Hart agrees: "Fans are smart. If they love Michael Jackson, they will go out and buy his album, whether or not there is a single out there. But his audience isn't as large as it once was. The key is if the hits were there, the fans would have let radio know. We would have been forced to play more songs, whether the label was promoting them or not."

Elroy Smith, operations manager of WGCI-AM-FM and adult R&B WVAZ Chicago, says, "Epic did an incredible job of re-introducing Michael. The setup was great, and everyone was playing the record. But within a matter of weeks, the excitement for the first single dwindled." Smith believes that "even though the video was good, it was still the Michael of yesteryear. It looked dated." He also says the lack of a video may have hurt the second single, "Butterflies."

Smith says he would have played another track, "Break of Dawn," if it had been released as a single. "But I disagree that Epic made a mistake. If they felt it wasn't worth the investment, who am I to argue?"

WLLD (Wild 98.7) Tampa, Fla., PD Orlando was told by people at the label that "Epic wanted to do all the right things with Michael—an MTV special with Michael behind the scenes, at home, and in the studio—but Michael didn't want to do it." He also says, "Michael was the one who picked 'You Rock My World' as the first single, which was not the best song, and he spent something like $10 million on the video, which is ridiculous."

But Ken Johnson, director of R&B programming for Cumulus, echoes the feelings of many R&B programmers. "I disagree that his product isn't as good as other product out now. It may not be Thriller, but it's a better record than some of his other work in recent years, and in some cases, for R&B radio, it was a lot better. The second single, 'Butterflies,' was bigger than 'You Rock My World,' and 'Break of Dawn' could have been a third single."

Keith Landecker, PD of mainstream R&B WJTT Chattanooga, Tenn., says, "Michael's [Invincible] was one of the best albums he has done in a long time. I felt Epic could have released at least two more singles that I would have played and listeners wanted to hear. In fact, if you look at [Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems], I'm playing them now—'Heaven Can Wait' and 'Break of Dawn.' [Michael] was right on track with the neo-soul sound that is so popular on R&B today. And heritage-wise, you can't go wrong with Michael.

"I have all the respect in the world for record companies, especially the folks I deal with at this end—the regionals, nationals, and VPs," Landecker continues. "They're working their asses off and making a living. But [as for] what happens at the corporate level, I wonder sometimes. All I know is one day my rep is working me on 'Butterflies,' building the spins for two to three weeks, then out of the blue, they tell me, 'Forget about it,' and I wonder why."

Orlando says that while politics may play a role in label decisions, it's more the financial concerns that rule today. And he asks if certain superstar acts are still worth the investment. "I doubt I will ever play another Michael Jackson record," he says. "I don't think my listeners care about him anymore. These kids are into Ja Rule and Eminem. Michael has pretty much fallen off, and this happens to almost every artist at some point, no matter how large they are. So the question is, should the label be sinking $30 million into him in the first place?"

And what about the claims that Jackson and other artists are victims of racism in the music industry? Programmers agree that racism exists in the business, as well as in society overall, but they say Jackson's claims seem to be a little self-serving.

Johnson says, "Michael isn't really saying anything new, and that's one reason he's not getting a lot of sympathy. He's part of the system, and he has benefited from it. So now that he isn't selling as much as he once was, now he's complaining?"

Johnson adds, "Racism does exist in the music industry, though. It starts with the initial deal an artist gets. And usually, those deals are a little sweeter on the pop and rock side, compared to the R&B and hip-hop side. So, yes, many R&B artists are behind the curve, because they start behind the curve."

Landecker says, "We ain't got to start with Michael to know that there is racism in the music industry. Let's go back to James Brown, Little Richard, and even Marvin Gaye. But why is Michael talking about it now? Well, maybe he feels he's in a powerful enough position to make a difference. The only argument you can have against him on this is why didn't he speak up sooner."

St. James argues, "We need to consider the source. Anyone who was unclear that Michael was loopy can now confirm that. He has a questionable background, in my opinion, and now that his Q rating has gotten so low, he shows up on a street corner in New York just to get attention. His claims of racism against him are odder than his claims that Epic didn't get behind his record. My impression of the record industry is that it will take advantage of any artist it can get away with, not just one race over another."