Radio stations playing less total songs, emphasizing Top 5 dramatically

Have you noticed when a single becomes completely inescapable? Of course you have. It seems that at every point you turn on the radio, television, go to the mall, you hear the same song playing. That reality has become more and more accurate over the last decade, at least certainly with regard to radio play. Statistics from Mediabase indicates that the amount of play top tracks are getting has risen dramatically since 2003.

According to statistics from the company, the Top 5 songs of 2013 received around 3.3 million "spins" on radio stations. Compare that to a decade earlier, when the Top 5 tracks of the year came in at just under 2 million spins, more than 50 percent less than today's numbers. Most of the problem lies in the play of the no. 1 song. We think it would be fair to label Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" the most inescapable track of 2013, and numbers confirm its domination of the market. The track received nearly 750,000 spins last year, more than 100,000 more than the no. 2 track, Justin Timberlake's "Mirrors."

The difference becomes apparent when looking at the numbers from the Top 5 songs of 2003. That year's top track, "When I'm Gone" by Three Doors Down, received about 444,000 spins, and runner-up "In Da Club" by 50 Cent got 400,000 plays.

It's simple economics for radio stations. They know that the common listener would rather have a familiar package of a few recognizable songs than have new music constantly thrown at them. If the stations keep the listener tuned in, they keep advertising dollars high. That explains why 70 new Top 40 stations took to the air during 2013, while niche genres continued to drop off.

Realistically, more unique and new music exists today than ever before. The issue is whether listeners are willing to find it.