Alternative Songs

Alternative Songs (also called Alternative and formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks and Hot Modern Rock Tracks) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the 40 most-played songs on modern rock radio stations, most of which are alternative rock songs. The chart was introduced as a companion to the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and its creation was prompted by the explosion of alternative music on American radio in the late 1980s.

The chart is based solely on radio airplay. As of 2012, approximately 80 radio stations are electronically monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week by Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems. Songs are ranked by a calculation of the total number of spins per week with its "audience impression", which is based upon exact times of airplay and each station's Arbitron listener data.

Many rock artists do not release commercial singles in the U.S. Several popular songs which were not released as commercial singles did not qualify for the Hot 100 before December 1998, but performed very well on Modern Rock Tracks.

Modern rock

Modern rock is an umbrella term describing rock made from the 1990s to present day. Some radio stations use the term to distinguish them selves from classic rock, which tend more towards 1960s-1980s rock music.

Radio format

Modern rock is a rock format commonly found on commercial radio; the format consists primarily of the alternative rock genre. Generally beginning with late 1970s punk but referring especially to alternative rock music since the 1980s, the phrase "modern rock" is used to differentiate the music from classic rock, which focuses on music recorded in the 1960s through the early 1980s.

A few modern rock radio stations existed during the 1980s, such as KROQ-FM in Los Angeles, 91X (XETRA-FM) in San Diego, WHTG FM 106.3 (now, WKMK) on the Jersey Shore, WLIR on Long Island and WFNX in Boston. Modern rock was solidified as a radio format in 1988 with Billboard's creation of the Modern Rock Tracks chart. The chart was based on weighted reports from college radio stations and commercial stations such as those listed above. The 1988 episode of the VH1 show I Love the '80s discussed INXS, The Cure, Morrissey, Depeche Mode, and Erasure as modern rock artists representative of that year. But it was the breakthrough success of the grunge bands Nirvana and Pearl Jam in 1991 that resulted in a large number of American radio stations switching to the format. Modern rock is considered by some to be a specific genre of alternative rock.

Modern Rock (album)

Modern Rock is the second studio album by New Zealand group The Clean, originally released in 1994.

Track listing

Personnel

External links

Modern Rock at MusicBrainz

References

Rock 2.0

Rock 2.0, formerly Modern Rock, is a 24-hour music format produced by the Dial Global Radio Networks, and formerly distributed through its now-defunct Dial Global Local service. Its playlist is composed of highly tested classic rock from the 1980s combined with alternative and active rock music released from the 1990s to this day from artists such as Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nirvana, Nickelback, Pearl Jam, Metallica, etc. This satellite/internet-driven programming service predominantly targets male listeners in the 18-44 demographic range with a 20- to 40-year-old target.

Rock 2.0 was originally an alternative rock format under its former owner Waitt Radio Networks called "Alternative Now!" After Dial Global purchased Waitt in 2008, the service was renamed "Modern Rock," but retained its alternative/active rock hybrid format. In mid-2010, the network was relaunched into what Dial Global terms as a new generation classic rock format as "Rock 2.0," featuring rock music from the 1980s through today.