Too Old For Radio 1

[Mark]

Ellie Goulding, P!nk, Shakira, Katy Perry and Rita Ora are now too old for Radio 1 who won't add them to their playlists.
www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/showbiz-tv/bbc-radio-1-refusing-play-26561774

BBC Radio 1 deemed some female singers "too old" for listeners, according to reports. BBC Radio 1 has stopped playing the likes of Katy Perry and Rita Ora, The Mirror says.

Ellie Goulding, Shakira and Pink have also been snubbed by Radio One and left off the A, B and C playlists. An industry source last night told the newspaper: “The Radio 1 senior executive team try to justify their discrimination against any female artist over 30 by attributing their behaviour to their audiences’ taste.

“In fact, the audience is far less discriminatory – that’s supported by Spotify and Apple data. For an institution like Radio 1, which holds such power in determining chart success, it’s not acceptable to have such bias. They’ll cite female artists they play, but many feature on male artists’ records, like Bebe Rexha and David Guetta, or Ellie Goulding and Calvin Harris. It’s forcing women in their 30s to feature on records they wouldn’t ordinarily do to ensure Radio 1 coverage.“

A second source said: “There’s a real storm brewing… there’s a lot of ill-feeling about this. It’s not impossible to have a hit without Radio 1, but there’s no denying it’s a hell of a lot harder.” The BBC claims that it targets the 15–29 age group, and the average age of its UK audience since 2009 is 30.

In recent years, the station has seen an exodus of staff who are entering ages outside that range. Nick Grimshaw and Annie Mac both quit within two months back in 2021.

In a statement, Grimmy said that it had been “a childhood dream [to] work on Radio 1 and I have been lucky enough to make that dream come true. It has been everything I’d imagined and even more. I grew up wanting to connect with people and to feel accepted and the Radio 1 listeners gave me that and let me be part of their daily life, for which I will be eternally grateful”.

[rubcale]

Oh for the good old days of Radio 1 in the 70s/80s/90s when it was mostly Top 40

[Earl Purple]

If they hadn't played female singers over 30 then Blondie would never had had any success, as Debbie Harry was already 32 when "Denis" reached the chart.

As I was approaching 13 when Blondie became successful, do you think I cared that she was over 30 and thus not music for my generation? No, I thought Blondie were brilliant.

Cyndi Lauper and Shania Twain were also over 30 when they had their big breaks here - the latter was born in the same year as me but is a few months younger.

Jennifer Lopez had her first hit also around the age of 30. Ok she was just under that age when "If You Had My Love" reached the chart.

[TheThorne]

Ive heard Pink & Ellie Goulding recently on Radio 1. Rita Ora and Shakira are a bit rubbish anyway and Katy Perry hasn't released anything decent in a few years. Most of the stuff I like doesn't get on the Radio 1 playlist but they still play most of it. all but 1 of my current top 12 I have heard on Radio 1.

Who should they take off anyway to add them? , btw Ellie Goulding is on the A list right now and none of those artists are on the Radio 2 playlist either now, including Ellie who just left and Pink has gone as well.

It’s forcing women in their 30s to feature on records they wouldn’t ordinarily do to ensure Radio 1 coverage.

This is nothing new think of Dusty Springfield, Lulu and Liza Minelli who all did that in the 80s and 90s, its called staying relevant and not churning out the same thing you have always done, like Rita Ora. I think any female out now, could pull a Cher but they need to innovate, not use that lazy production that older artists use now to be played on Radio 2, men fall of playlists just as much.

Also I remember when this argument was the other way in the late 80s and 90s when pop fans moaned that Radio 1 didnt play enough PWL and pop acts who at the time were under 30 and they played too many veterans. They can't win.

[TheThorne]

Mar 26, 2023 11:16:15 GMT 1 Earl Purple said:

If they hadn't played female singers over 30 then Blondie would never had had any success, as Debbie Harry was already 32 when "Denis" reached the chart.

As I was approaching 13 when Blondie became successful, do you think I cared that she was over 30 and thus not music for my generation? No, I thought Blondie were brilliant.

Cyndi Lauper and Shania Twain were also over 30 when they had their big breaks here - the latter was born in the same year as me but is a few months younger.

Jennifer Lopez had her first hit also around the age of 30. Ok she was just under that age when "If You Had My Love" reached the chart.

Cyndi Lauper has never had a great amount of airplay on Radio 1, two of her hits maybe and one of those twice, they didn't even playlist 'True Colors' and neither did Shania Twain again maybe 1 or 2 of her breakthrough album.

[raliverpool]

Whilst Tina Turner was 44 years old when she made her comeback in late 1983, and I remember Radio 1 playing it a lot as she was backed by Heaven 17...

Radio 1 have never really regarded Shakira as a Radio 1 artist; I remember infamously they refused to play(list) "Hips Don't Lie" even when it was a huge UK #1 hit in 2006.

Plus Radio 1 have paid dirt to Lady Gaga since her Perfect Illusion single (when she was 29) and have only playlisted her since when she got the Radio 1 friendly Ariana Grande on one of her records.

A classic example in the split between what is Radio 1 & Radio 2 friendly was when Ed Sheeran (cynically) dropped his Double "A" side single "Shape Of You" & "Castle On The Hill" which he openly admitted at the time were aimed at (respectively) Radio 1 & Radio 2 listeners.

On a serious note isn't it Ofcom (so by default the British Government) that are causing the issue with Radio 1 having a clearly defined recommended listener age guideline 15-29; and Radio 2 30-49 (when their average age of their listeners is 52)?

[TheThorne]

Mar 26, 2023 11:12:34 GMT 1 rubcale said:

Oh for the good old days of Radio 1 in the 70s/80s/90s when it was mostly Top 40

This was kinda true but aren't they still are?, but they always left certain big names off and included artists who were nowhere near the top 40. Capital and Radio 1 had vastly different playlists, Capital were 99% top 40, Radio 1 maybe 65%. But if you look at the playlist now, isn't it still 'mostly Top 40' especially the A list?

[TheThorne]

Mar 26, 2023 11:45:33 GMT 1 raliverpool said:

On a serious note isn't it Ofcom (so by default the British Government) that are causing the issue with Radio 1 having a clearly defined recommended listener age guideline 15-29; and Radio 2 30-49 (when their average age of their listeners is 52)?

Well I still listen to Radio 1 as they still play music I like, not much during the day but they never really did at any point except the height of Brit Pop. After 6pm it beats everywhere.

But even the playlist Paramore, Lizzy McAlpine, Lizzo, Tom Grennan, Wet Leg, Beabadoobee, Inhaler, Slowthai, Black Honey, Nia Archives, The 1975, Wunderhorse. All great tracks.  Then even the pop stuff like Miley Cyrus, Mimi Webb, Maisie Peters, Zara Larsson is all pretty decent.  There is maybe 4 songs I don't like on the A list and only 2 of them are turn down the volumne or change the station bad. And I am suppoosed to be too old for Radio 2, I am too young for Radio 2.


Simply Red, Lemar, Birdy,Katie Melua shudder apart from Ghost and Depeche Mode their playlist is pretty terrible.

[Mark]

Mar 26, 2023 11:45:33 GMT 1 raliverpool said:

On a serious note isn't it Ofcom (so by default the British Government) that are causing the issue with Radio 1 having a clearly defined recommended listener age guideline 15-29; and Radio 2 30-49 (when their average age of their listeners is 52)?

Yeah i think a lot is down to Ofcom for all radio stations

[greendemon]

This is the first I'm hearing about target audiences and age range guidelines. That's hilarious when I was in the 15-29 age group most of the artists I listened to were in their 40s or 50s.

[Smurfie]

Perhaps if Rita Ora, Katy Perry and Ellie Goulding had released something in the last five years that wasn’t slightly rubbish, it may increase their chances of being played.

[Whitneyfan]

I quite like Ellie Goulding's new one. It doesn't affect my life one little bit if Radio One play it thoigh.

[Panda]

As raliverpool suggested, Radio 1 is pretty much a kids' station now. Radio 2 is a natural progression for older Radio 1 listeners but I personally find its output far too dull. 6 Music is better but there are better alternatives out there.

[Smurfie]

Also didn’t they just playlist Janelle Monae? I don’t listen to Radio 1 much, but when I was in the UK last month there was plenty of unlistenable Beyonce played.

As Raliverpool mentions, Shakira is not the greatest example of recent snubbing as I can’t recall her ever being playlisted, it’s a bit like saying all of a sudden Radio 1 are snubbing Emma Bunton.

The only one they name which is possibly justified is maybe P!nk. But Cover Me In Sunshine probably sealed the deal there.

[raliverpool]

Mar 26, 2023 12:00:00 GMT 1 TheThorne said:

Mar 26, 2023 11:45:33 GMT 1 raliverpool said:

On a serious note isn't it Ofcom (so by default the British Government) that are causing the issue with Radio 1 having a clearly defined recommended listener age guideline 15-29; and Radio 2 30-49 (when their average age of their listeners is 52)?

Well I still listen to Radio 1 as they still play music I like, not much during the day but they never really did at any point except the height of Brit Pop. After 6pm it beats everywhere.

But even the playlist Paramore, Lizzy McAlpine, Lizzo, Tom Grennan, Wet Leg, Beabadoobee, Inhaler, Slowthai, Black Honey, Nia Archives, The 1975, Wunderhorse. All great tracks.  Then even the pop stuff like Miley Cyrus, Mimi Webb, Maisie Peters, Zara Larsson is all pretty decent.  There is maybe 4 songs I don't like on the A list and only 2 of them are turn down the volumne or change the station bad. And I am suppoosed to be too old for Radio 2, I am too young for Radio 2.


Simply Red, Lemar, Birdy,Katie Melua shudder apart from Ghost and Depeche Mode their playlist is pretty terrible.

I don't know if it is still the case, but I heard a 30 minute piece on Radio 4 circa 2020 about how the playlists are selected and personnel from Radio 1; 2 & 6 do it all together to meet after listening to the new releases. So there is a large degree of horsetrading going on.

So in the example of P!nk, I can easily imagine Radio 2 saying we'll have Trustfall (despite it being co-written by Fred Again); and Radio 1 saying good that frees up a playlist slot for something else; Whilst the other 2 stations said something similar when Radio 6 Music bagged The Chemical Brothers - No Reason; etc.

[TheThorne]

Yes that is pretty much right , Clara Amfo has talked about the meetings in her show and when she has fought for certain acts

I am pretty certain she was the one that finally got MUNA on a BBC playlist , think they have had 3 songs now, took them 6 years

[o]

Last time I listened to Radio 1 would have been for the chart show last year.
I have 6 Music on my way to and from work for 25 mins each day, Lauren Laverne in the mornings and Craig Charles in the afternoons, and it's generally very good, but then I've sometimes had it on at the weekend and it's Cerys Mathews and a load of tosh. I generally just have my spotify playlist going for long journeys.
I check out Radio 1/2/6's spotify playlists every week and add songs off it.

[Good Old Days]

I can't name any good popular female singer from under 30 years old category.
Even Taylor is 33 years old now.

[Earl Purple]

So after playing the music from her albums 19, 21, 23, 25, 27 and 29, they decided to shaft Adele when it came to her album 31, not because her music isn't good anymore, but she's too old.

(Ok, maybe Adele didn't actually release all those albums.. but if she was 19 in 2008 she must be 34 now)

[ManicKangaroo]

Mar 26, 2023 22:03:19 GMT 1 Good Old Days said:

I can't name any good popular female singer from under 30 years old category.
Even Taylor is 33 years old now.

Dua Lipa, Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande, Ella Henderson, Ella Eyre, Doja Cat, Freya Ridings, Meghan Trainor