How come The Beatles are rarely ever played on the radio?

[Barking Spiders]

I listen to a mix of radio stations including Absolute, Radio 2, Planet Rock, BBC Gloucestershire and random others. While you can hear endless Abba, other than special requests I can't remember The Beatles ever being on a playlist. Planet Rock regularly play stuff by the Stones, Kinks, Who, Doors, Hendrix and other 'classic' 60s-70s bands but the closest I've heard the Beatles getting played is Motley Crue or Aerosmith doing Helter Skelter.  Why do they get next to no airplay these days? 

[TheGreek]

Good question....

[Crawford13]

Money I would guess 

[CookPassBabtridge]

This is actually a very good point! I'd be interested to know too.

[Killed_by_Death]

 

Michael Jackson's estate owns the rights, no?

 

[CookPassBabtridge]

16 minutes ago, Killed_by_Death said:

 

Michael Jackson's estate owns the rights, no?

 

Yeah, I'd presume they'd still want the royalties from airplay etc. though? 

[Killed_by_Death]

 

It was an irony that McCartney told MJ to get into licensing, that's where they money is.

Paul wouldn't take MJ's calls when he was trying to tell him he'd bought the entire Beatles catalog, LMAO!

The prices for licensing are probably too high.

 

[bigthumb]

We have Gold radio (DAB) on at work and there's a fair amount of Beatles played there.

Also, all the 60's compilation albums I came across never featured any Beatles songs on them. 

[PaulWarning]

not that I listen to it but doesn't Radio 2 play Beatles stuff? as @bigthumbsays, Gold play Beatle tracks. Maybe Planet Rock don't consider them Rock enough

Edited March 7, 2021 by PaulWarning

[bigthumb]

Just now, PaulWarning said:

not that I listen to it but doesn't Radio 2 play Beatles stuff? as @bigthumbsays, Gold play Beatles stuff

I used to pretty much listen to radio 2 all day when I was driving for a living and I don't recall them playing the Beatles that much. I certainly prefer Gold radio over radio 2 now. 

 

 

[scalpy]

No clue as to why they don’t get played much but when they do they sound brilliant- still. So much life to the recordings and production.

[Maude]

I've asked them to not to, shhhh. 🤫

[ahpook]

Why would they ? Guitar groups are on the way out

[12stringbassist]

I would think it's partly because they have been played to death over many years.
Plus the 60's bands are not getting the Radio 2 plays that they used to. They are moving more towards playing stuff from this century only.
As we get a little older, it will move towards the kind of identikit crap computer music that I can't bear, which meant I stopped listening to Radio 1 about 20 years ago.

[joeystrange]

I’d guess it may be to do with the cost of getting the rights.

I noticed a while ago that commercial stations don’t often play an artist’s biggest hits. For example Gem, our local commercial station in Notts, will regularly play Man In The Mirror (which peaked at 21 on release) but rarely play Billie Jean or Beat It, for example.

I can only guess that the rights for Man In The Mirror are cheaper than the big hits. Though I may be completely wrong.

[Mykesbass]

OK, from previous record company experience (and I've just checked and it is still the case) - nearly all music is broadcast through a license with PPL. There is no negotiating fees for radio stations for individual tracks*, so it is not a cost issue. 

*There may be one or two exceptions, but I've checked and the Beatles are not one of them.

 

[Cato]

12 minutes ago, Mykesbass said:

OK, from previous record company experience (and I've just checked and it is still the case) - nearly all music is broadcast through a license with PPL. There is no negotiating fees for radio stations for individual tracks*, so it is not a cost issue. 

*There may be one or two exceptions, but I've checked and the Beatles are not one of them.

 

Makes sense.

Why would whoever owns the rights want to price themselves out of any radio income?

I read an article somewhere (can't seem to find it online so it may have been in print) a while back that said that R2 was planning to play less music from the 50s and 60s and more from the 70s and 80s.

Something to do with the changing demographics of their listeners.

Edited March 8, 2021 by Cato

[Kirky]

This thread has made me wonder if anyone has heard from @Bluewine in a while.  Hope he's ok.

[Woodinblack]

13 minutes ago, Kirky said:

This thread has made me wonder if anyone has heard from @Bluewine in a while.  Hope he's ok.

He posted a few days ago.

[Woodinblack]

Well, unless you are over 50 the beatles have no been going in your lifetime, so maybe they just wanted to play something for a younger audience. I think a lot of people have heard enough beatles for a lifetime anyway, and there is a lot of other music produced in the last 50 years that is worth listening to.

I am sure they have done studies.

[PaulWarning]

1 hour ago, Woodinblack said:

Well, unless you are over 50 the beatles have no been going in your lifetime, so maybe they just wanted to play something for a younger audience. I think a lot of people have heard enough beatles for a lifetime anyway, and there is a lot of other music produced in the last 50 years that is worth listening to.

I am sure they have done studies.

this is probably it, most stations are playing 80's onwards stuff in their pursuit of yoof, I'm of an age that grew up with the Beatles and listen to very little radio these days, with the exception of Gold I don't know of any stations that cater, musically, for the over 60's

[Richard R]

Just now, PaulWarning said:

 most stations are playing 80's onwards stuff in their pursuit of yoof

While I don't disagree with this,  my 20 year old daughter seems to know a lot of 80s stuff for example, I find it very odd.  1981 was 40 years ago. Radio 1 didn't play Glen Miller in the 1980's in pursuit of youth.🤔

[casapete]

Personally I welcome the shift by Radio 2 to accommodate those left behind by Radio 1. It’s inevitable that emphasis on certain decades moves with time I guess. I like the fact they play the more mainstream recent stuff too, as I probably wouldn’t otherwise get to hear it. I love 60’s and 70’s stuff as well, as it’s what I grew up with, but it can get a bit tiresome and repetitive unless it’s the songs that are less well known. Johnnie Walker’s Sunday afternoon 70’s show is great for playing these. 

[whynot]

I mostly listen to talk radio but tuned into R2 to days ago and Get Back was the second song in.

 

[BigRedX]

Surely Radio 2 has always existed to accommodate those left behind by Radio 1?