Why do so many feel Journey needs Perry to get airplay?

[ArnelRox]

Some people on this forum think Journey might only stand a chance for airplay if they had Perry again, but w/out him, they have no chance. I don't get it. Why would they only have a chance if they had Perry? Back in the day when they were getting airplay, most people didn't know who Perry was anyway. I know a lot of people in my age group who like the big Journey "hits", who would & do buy a Greatest Hits album, go to a concert when the band comes to their town, but when I say "Steve Perry" they look at me blankly. They have no idea who he is.

Jeff has a fantastic voice, a great stage presence, he's intelligent & funny. If Journey gets some publicity, he will come across really well. Since he looks so darn young, he will not be taken as a guy who's been around forever (even tho he has). He stands a really good chance to attract the youth of today to the band.

I love Perry & I'd love to hear new stuff from him. But I just don't understand why so many say Journey needs him in order to get airplay. If they can't get airplay w/Jeff using the right publicity, then they couldn't get it w/Perry either. This doesn't make any sense.

[fred_journeyman]

...But I just don't understand why so many say Journey needs him in order to get airplay. If they can't get airplay w/Jeff using the right publicity, then they couldn't get it w/Perry either. This doesn't make any sense.

I think Steve Perry's history is with Journey and when most people think of Journey, they think of Steve Perry, not Steve Augeri or JSS.

A&R people are not known for their level-headed or even creative thinking. The only reason I've stated that I think Journey would have a <b>better</b> (not only) chance of getting airplay with Perry is because I think that's been the case for the past 8 years or so. Labels refused to consider Journey. Stations refused to air the music, unless it was the classic rock that contained Perry's voice.

But let me state this unequivocally. Do I think that the talent is NOT there with JSS at the helm? No, I think there is a great deal of talent. Will the radio stations hear it? Will the labels? Ultimately, I have my doubts that they will "hear" the talent and be moved by it. So, I personally say that Journey with Perry has a better chance of getting airplay BECAUSE of the way the General Managers, Program Managers and Label Executives THINK. That's all. I'm NOT saying that Perry should get back with Journey. I'm not wishing for it either. I'm simply offering my opinion that though Journey might have a tremendous amount of talent with JSS fronting the band, they have a lot to overcome with the minds of "suits" who make the decisions as to whether or not they get airplay.

A lot can happen with Journey. Much of it is up to them. Unfortunately, at least some of it is up to the radio stations and/or labels, not to mention Journey's own PR machine, if in fact they have one.

[NealIsGod]

One word - payola.

[Matthew]

Some people on this forum think Journey might only stand a chance for airplay if they had Perry again, but w/out him, they have no chance. I don't get it. Why would they only have a chance if they had Perry?

I guess some of us believe this because Journey have only had airplay and hits during Perry's time in the band - even right up to 1996 when melodic rock was horribly out of fashion. Since Perry left...nothing.

Also - JSS has been recording and releasing music for over twenty years...without airplay or hits or commercial success with his albums either.

And the Perry/Schon chemistry is a proven winner commercially...but the Schon/JSS chemistry isn't. So far anyway....

I still hope that Journey can pull off a strong comeback...but these are just some of the reasons why it's easy to be a bit skeptical at times.

[ArnelRox]

I think Steve Perry's history is with Journey and when most people think of Journey, they think of Steve Perry, not Steve Augeri or JSS.

A&R people are not known for their level-headed or even creative thinking. The only reason I've stated that I think Journey would have a <b>better</b> (not only) chance of getting airplay with Perry is because I think that's been the case for the past 8 years or so. Labels refused to consider Journey. Stations refused to air the music, unless it was the classic rock that contained Perry's voice.

On ur 1st point, ur talking about old fogies like us. When people who were around in the 80s think of Journey, they think of the great voice (they don't necessarily know it's Steve Perry tho as evidenced in the comments on the YouTube clip in another thread). What about young people who don't know who Journey is? Why can't they become captivated by Jeff's voice given the right publicity?

On ur 2nd point, is it the fact that new music didn't contain Perry's voice? Or the fact that the stations don't play new music by ANYONE from the 80s & only play CLASSSIC rock?

[bublhed]

Without sounding like another person who's trying to stir the pot...

Who says that Journey is actually looking for top ten hits and top ten billboard albums? Again, I'm not a huge follower of the bands past lives but it seems to me that it's the people within this and other band boards that keep talking about producing #1 hits and billboard albums. Couldn't it be perfectly feasible that Journey just wants to make good music, create a great album, put on a great tour and that's it? And if it produces a top ten hit then so be it, if not that's o.k. to.

[ArnelRox]

Who says that Journey is actually looking for top ten hits and top ten billboard albums? Again, I'm not a huge follower of the bands past lives but it seems to me that it's the people within this and other band boards that keep talking about producing #1 hits and billboard albums. Couldn't it be perfectly feasible that Journey just wants to make good music, create a great album, put on a great tour and that's it? And if it produces a top ten hit then so be it, if not that's o.k. to.

I don't know about JSS, but I know for a fact SA really wanted the band to produce a top 20 hit (maybe not top 10). I heard him say it w/my own ears. I've seen others say they heard him say the same thing.

[Enigma869]

I'll take a crack at this. First and foremost, let me say that I have certainly expressed this thought, but, it's important to understand that my opinion has NOTHING to do with the talent of Jeff or what he brings to the table. Journey had a certain sound when Perry was in the band, and although you're absolutely correct that many people didn't know Perry's name...that point really has nothing at all to do with Perry. That's simply the way music is. Most people who are not hardcore fans have no idea what any of the guy's names are in a given band. Look at one of the most successful bands ever...The Eagles. Glenn Frey has had some solo success outside of The Eagles and Henley has had enormous success without The Eagles. That said, most people have no idea that these two guys were the main vocalists on many of The Eagles hits. Why do you think Rob Thomas called his band "Matchbox Twenty, featuring Rob Thomas". The guy understands that with only a band's name, he is going to go virtually unrecognized! Now...back to my Perry point. While many people didn't really know who Steve Perry was, it doesn't change the fact that EVERY single one of Journey's classic hits were brought to the masses (i.e. the fans, the radio, the music industry, etc.) through Perry's voice!

Most casual music fans (which I think describes most music fans) are hooked by a voice, and not a guitar riff or drum solo. Perry was that voice for Journey. I also think that when a band has the success that Journey had, it makes it that much more difficult for them to be taken seriously, by the masses, when introducing a new frontman. I know it's been discussed before that other bands have managed to pull it off. That said, I'm not sure a band with the commercial success Journey has had (and I don't mean just a few hits...I mean Journey's level, period!) has ever quite pulled off replacing their frontman and continued on without missing a beat. The only band that I recall who didn't seem at all affected by the change was Van Halen. In the interest of full disclosure, I personally thought Hagar was MUCH more talented than Roth, on a vocal level, so that may explain why VH continued to have commercial success (not to mention "5150" was the biggest commercial album VH ever put out and was the 1st with Hagar at the helm).

I think at the end of the day, Journey, with Perry, was a band that was more reliant on soaring vocals than any band I ever remember in my lifetime. Because of that, it makes replacing a guy with Perry's vocals virtually impossible! He simply had a sound and range that couldn't really be replicated (at least not well)! Hell, Perry couldn't replace himself from 25 years ago, at this stage!

As I've stated before, I truly hope that I'm wrong about Journey not being taken seriously with Jeff at the helm. Jeff is a good guy with tremendous talent. The fact that he has such a profound respect for Steve Perry and the legacy of this great band makes it that much easier to pull for the guy. Let's just hope that Journey is headed down the right road with Jeff and can prove some of us wrong, in terms of being commercially relevant again. If they are to realize that dream, the first thing that they MUST do is figure out how the hell to promote themselves! I'm not sure that I've ever seen a band as bad as Journey is at promoting themselves and their music. Their catalogue of music is unmatched by most, and they should promote the hell out of EVERY CD and tour they're partaking in!

John from Boston

[larryfromnextdoor]

Without sounding like another person who's trying to stir the pot...

Who says that Journey is actually looking for top ten hits and top ten billboard albums? Again, I'm not a huge follower of the bands past lives but it seems to me that it's the people within this and other band boards that keep talking about producing #1 hits and billboard albums. Couldn't it be perfectly feasible that Journey just wants to make good music, create a great album, put on a great tour and that's it? And if it produces a top ten hit then so be it, if not that's o.k. to.

i was thinking this same thing,, they may just want to be a great live band and record a great album with great reviews and not have to have a record company screaming at them ,, = no pressure,, they can tour until the end of the band on the old songs...

[bublhed]

Who says that Journey is actually looking for top ten hits and top ten billboard albums? Again, I'm not a huge follower of the bands past lives but it seems to me that it's the people within this and other band boards that keep talking about producing #1 hits and billboard albums. Couldn't it be perfectly feasible that Journey just wants to make good music, create a great album, put on a great tour and that's it? And if it produces a top ten hit then so be it, if not that's o.k. to.

I don't know about JSS, but I know for a fact SA really wanted the band to produce a top 20 hit (maybe not top 10). I heard him say it w/my own ears. I've seen others say they heard him say the same thing.

And I can understand that. It would be foolish to think that anyone would create or join a band, especially as a front man and not want to hit the top billboard spot. Why, because it's your face as the frontman that everyone is going to see. But there are plenty of bands out there that are from past generations that have no problem whatsoever putting out an album that they know their faithful followers will buy and then come see them on tour for the new album and then go home and enjoy their paycheck. In addition, there are also numerous cases of bands that put out critically acclaimed albums but the albums never hit the top of the charts and I don't hear any of those people bitchin. I just wonder if it's not just the people posting on these boards that wish the band had airplay and top ten hits.

[L~L~L]

One word....................VOCALS


Without them VOCALS you're pretty much screwed!

[Arkansas]

"Why do so many feel Journey needs Perry to get airplay?"

Because that's what Kalodner and Sony say. It's always been the record labels that pretty much controlled everything, and they've openly said many times that they won't support any new Journey unless it comes from the classic lineup. ClearChannel and the other radio heads won't play anything that the labels don't support. Modern day payola? Who knows. Call it whatever you want...reality.


later~

[Perry86fan]

One word....................VOCALS


Without them VOCALS you're pretty much screwed!

Well that pretty much sums it up there folks

With Perry and the rest of the guys it was pure magic .And with Steve & Neal the samething they were so great together.And i really believe the magic is lost.

With songs like lights & Open Arms .It just felt the magic there .And when Stevie was singing them you felt as if it was just for you.

I would love for them to have a hit with JSS . But it still will not be the magic that was once there .That just happens once in a life time.

[yulog]

Dinosaur rock = no airplay on radio-----------radio is for teenagers plain and simple always has been and more than likely always will ,when your pushing sixty its not going to be easy to get on the radio(especially if your on you 2nd replacement singer from when the hits were made). The other thing is that even though most people here encourage the new sound and direction theres going to be alot of average fans that dont want to hear something different from what made this band big

[fred_journeyman]

On ur 1st point, ur talking about old fogies like us. When people who were around in the 80s think of Journey, they think of the great voice (they don't necessarily know it's Steve Perry tho as evidenced in the comments on the YouTube clip in another thread). What about young people who don't know who Journey is? Why can't they become captivated by Jeff's voice given the right publicity?

They can, but ultimately, it's the program managers and A&R people at the labels that decide WHO gets what. So we understand, these are my opinions, period. Nothing seems to work like it did when I was growing up. Then, movies would be in theaters for weeks and weeks and then a year or two later, come out on VHS. Now, a movie (even one with an A+ list celebrity) has a short life-span in the theaters and within a few weeks after that, it's on DVD. My point there is that it's more difficult today to get airplay and to have something that stays in place for a while, whether on the radio or in the theater - my opinions.

On ur 2nd point, is it the fact that new music didn't contain Perry's voice? Or the fact that the stations don't play new music by ANYONE from the 80s & only play CLASSSIC rock?

I guess my point would be that too much of the airwaves today is taken up with "modern" music in general, in my opinion. I'm sure that varies from region to region. When stations DO play Journey, they play CLASSIC material and those stations are usually DEDICATED to classic rock. Whenever I listen to the radio, it is difficult to find a station that plays rock in the vein that I like it - classic in style, though it doesn't have to be from the classic rock age. After trying to find things on the radio, I almost always either settle on Smooth Jazz, or pop in a CD of Journey, Boston, Level 42, Deep Purple, or any number of groups today that have that particular "sound." I'm not sure Perry's voice would necessarily be a "fit" for today's new hip/hop style of music (even though I know he listens to it, from what he's stated), but I could be wrong there.

I'm just talking out loud. You asked the question and I responded with my opinions. Ultimately, I truly believe that it's the A & R people, along with stations managers that decide what gets played and what the public hears. Yeah, sometimes they take their cues from the public, but too often, they make their decisions in ivory towers.

[The Ghost Rider]

Dinosaur rock = no airplay on radio-----------radio is for teenagers plain and simple always has been and more than likely always will ,when your pushing sixty its not going to be easy to get on the radio(especially if your on you 2nd replacement singer from when the hits were made). The other thing is that even though most people here encourage the new sound and direction theres going to be alot of average fans that dont want to hear something different from what made this band big

Summed up quite nicely.

[Perry86fan]

Dinosaur rock = no airplay on radio-----------radio is for teenagers plain and simple always has been and more than likely always will ,when your pushing sixty its not going to be easy to get on the radio(especially if your on you 2nd replacement singer from when the hits were made). The other thing is that even though most people here encourage the new sound and direction theres going to be alot of average fans that dont want to hear something different from what made this band big

That is so true even if we don't like it.

[ohsherrie]

My 2 cents, I don't think it's impossible for Journey to get another shot at the charts with Jeff though. I think it would definitely help if they emphasize the new frontman and build their PR around him rather than pretending Perry was just another member of the band and they're still the same band without him.

I think Steve Perry's name was more well known than most other frontmen who's name wasn't part of the band's name. Maybe not as well known as Mick Jagger but more so than Lou Gramm or Jimi Jameson. DJs on some radio stations here and in the midwest, that I know of, used to introduce Journey as Steve Perry and Journey. Some of the press that I heard and read for the Movie "Rock Star" described the lead singer role in that movie as the "Steve Perry character". When they wanted to use DSB in Monster, who did they contact? Steve Perry. Not Journey. When the White Sox wanted to use that song, again, they contacted Steve Perry. He's thought of as being synonymous with Journey.

In addition to that you have his astounding vocal ability that gave Journey their signature sound and set them apart from the pack. In fact, it was those incredible vocals that made his name synonymous with Journey.

[Liz22562]

Very nice thread....lots of interesting thoughts to read through!

Excuse me while I continue reading......this is what pulled me into MelodicRock.com in the first place.

[lights1961]

Some people on this forum think Journey might only stand a chance for airplay if they had Perry again, but w/out him, they have no chance. I don't get it. Why would they only have a chance if they had Perry? Back in the day when they were getting airplay, most people didn't know who Perry was anyway. I know a lot of people in my age group who like the big Journey "hits", who would & do buy a Greatest Hits album, go to a concert when the band comes to their town, but when I say "Steve Perry" they look at me blankly. They have no idea who he is.

Jeff has a fantastic voice, a great stage presence, he's intelligent & funny. If Journey gets some publicity, he will come across really well. Since he looks so darn young, he will not be taken as a guy who's been around forever (even tho he has). He stands a really good chance to attract the youth of today to the band.

I love Perry & I'd love to hear new stuff from him. But I just don't understand why so many say Journey needs him in order to get airplay. If they can't get airplay w/Jeff using the right publicity, then they couldn't get it w/Perry either. This doesn't make any sense.

Only reason Journey would be played now is if they teamed up with Jay Zee or Gwen Stefani or Dave Mathews--No matter who is singing in the band... its not 1983 anymore...

Rick

[kbo]

Amen brother.

[Melissa]

I asked myself the same question, except it was why does Journey need SP to tour? Here's the comments/?'s I got from some when they found out I had been to/was going to Journey/DL shows this tour:

-"Journey? Aren't those guys dead yet?" (how mean )
-"Oh Journey isn't Journey without SP."

And my favorite: "Oh I love Journey, I'd love to see Steve Perry live!" (then I'd LMAO at their expressions when I told them SP has been gone from Journey for HOW long now? lol

As much as I CAN'T WAIT to hear a JSS/Journey cd, I know it most likely would be completely ignored by all but true Journey fans. Radio sucks.

[Moose]

Only reason Journey would be played now is if they teamed up with Jay Zee or Gwen Stefani or Dave Mathews--No matter who is singing in the band... its not 1983 anymore...

Rick

Totally true. In the overall public stream of consciousness, Journey has become almost irrelevant. Perry’s return might give them a boost, but there is no guarantee.

[ohsherrie]

Only reason Journey would be played now is if they teamed up with Jay Zee or Gwen Stefani or Dave Mathews--No matter who is singing in the band... its not 1983 anymore...

Rick

No, it's not 1983, but don't you think that with the right PR they could do as well as Nickelback or Train? I think they could. Even though those two bands don't have a Journey sound, they are a lot more melodic than Jay Zee or Gwen Stefani. I think there's room for an even more melodic sound if it's presented in the right way.

[Moose]

Only reason Journey would be played now is if they teamed up with Jay Zee or Gwen Stefani or Dave Mathews--No matter who is singing in the band... its not 1983 anymore...

Rick

No, it's not 1983, but don't you think that with the right PR they could do as well as Nickelback or Train? I think they could. Even though those two bands don't have a Journey sound, they are a lot more melodic than Jay Zee or Gwen Stefani. I think there's room for an even more melodic sound if it's presented in the right way.

Nickelback and Train are younger bands that the younger generation can identify with. Journey is their parent’s band. Time has moved on.

[Jeremey]

Nickelback and Train are younger bands that the younger generation can identify with. Journey is their parent’s band. Time has moved on.

I would argue that Nickelback and Train are yesterday's news. Journey had a second act, fame rarely affords a third act. This would certainly be their best chance, but it won't be on radio.

[ohsherrie]

Nickelback and Train are younger bands that the younger generation can identify with. Journey is their parent’s band. Time has moved on.

I would argue that Nickelback and Train are yesterday's news. Journey had a second act, fame rarely affords a third act. This would certainly be their best chance, but it won't be on radio.

How do you think they should market themselves now Jeremey? There has to be a way somehow to get good music heard and appreciated for it's value.

[fred_journeyman]

No, it's not 1983, but don't you think that with the right PR they could do as well as Nickelback or Train? I think they could. Even though those two bands don't have a Journey sound, they are a lot more melodic than Jay Zee or Gwen Stefani. I think there's room for an even more melodic sound if it's presented in the right way.

Hey ohsherrie, it seems to me that it's still the younger set that likes Zee or Stefani. Journey isn't for the young set necessarily and I think that probably has more to do with the style of music they play. My daughter and many of her friends from high school are crazy about Journey, but it's the Perry version of Journey. It's kind of like when a new generation discovers the Beatles or Led Zep.

Sometimes, I also think it boils down to hit or miss.

[Moose]

My daughter and many of her friends from high school are crazy about Journey, but it's the Perry version of Journey. It's kind of like when a new generation discovers the Beatles or Led Zep.

Fred, I'm jealous. If I even try to mention Journey to my high school aged kids or their friends, I get either blank stares or rolled eyes and giggles. Getting old really sucks!

[Jeremey]

Fred, I'm jealous. If I even try to mention Journey to my high school aged kids or their friends, I get either blank stares or rolled eyes and giggles. Getting old really sucks!

Moose,

All the cool kids know who Journey is!!