#29: EEEEEEEEEEEE!!! It's really happening!

[aikim]

The ring is gorgeous..white gold; one very large square cut diamond and diamonds around the band...makes mine look puny in comparison, LOL!

So no date yet, but probably mid-October; she said they will try and get the date firmed up by next week so the planning can begin...and...Lord, help me...she figures that if they get married in October, January is a good time to start thinking about getting pregnant! I am so not ready for this!

Kim

How old is your daughter?

I got engaged on April 1st, yes April Fools Day, and we got married on Nov 15. I thought that was a tight time frame. Is your daughter making this a small wedding?

ETA: I've really enjoyed reading everyone's views this morning.

She will be 25 in December...actually she said she would have just been happy flying down to Jamaica and getting married, but he wants a big wedding, so I am thinking big. I told her she better getting moving on it...book the reception hall and church right now.

I know she has been ready to settle down for a while, so I am not really surprised she is moving so fast, but it is a lot to digest at one time!

Kim

[aikim]

The ring is gorgeous..white gold; one very large square cut diamond and diamonds around the band...makes mine look puny in comparison, LOL!

So no date yet, but probably mid-October; she said they will try and get the date firmed up by next week so the planning can begin...and...Lord, help me...she figures that if they get married in October, January is a good time to start thinking about getting pregnant! I am so not ready for this!

Kim

Oh man!!! you are in for a busy summer! One of my daughters graduated in May 04 and decided to get married in September 04. I have never had such a busy summer! (well, unless you consider the summer of 02 when another daughter got married in October!! After the "date" is set, which really boils down to finding an available place to have the wedding, then the fun begins!

I reinforce my offer for assistance!! :F_05BL17blowkiss:

I really have no room to talk, by hubby and I got engaged 6 weeks after we met and were married a year to the day of our first date and Emily was born 15 months after that.

My older sister was married in May of 1982 and I was married in Sept. of that year, so now I know why my Mom was such a basket case!

Kim

[Couch Tomato]

it will lead to fans contacting the firm or scrutinizing them if they are doing a good job or not. Simply getting too much into Clay's business and acting like supervisors making sure everyone is working towards the goal of making clay a superstar... TC does not work for the fans but for Clay and he knows what he wants and how to get it.

Contacting Not OK

Scrutinizing think that's ok..it's just talk on a message board

I know I have my opinions..but they're just opinions and always with the caveat that I don't know the inner workings of team clay and know I don't know crap and couldn't do the job better.

I hope we have learned discernment and can tell the difference. For instance, this idea that Clay and Sam are doing everything while RCA does nothing is just an opinion based on nothing.

[Ansamcw]

Before ATDW I would say talk on the message board is pretty harmless...but I have become wary of how some people can take opinions and speculation and turn it into facts. Or how some people can get affected by what they read on the MBs and get so angry or upset then in turn start acting on these emotions. Oh well ... I guess its no use worrying about things that is not in our control and the behavior of fans is one of them. I just hope people are learning not to over react.

[jmh123]

My quotes got messed up, but I agree with a lot of posts. As someone said, if the NJU don't like it, it won't catch on, and we can't do anything about that one way or another. So, my opinion is that if you are a regular radio listener, do what you usually do. If not, let it be.

From CV, via CH:

A post from somebody who worked in the radio industry for 15 years:

As for the radio play convo. Well as many of you may know, I hatessss the radio play conversations and usually avoid them like the plague. I spent 15 years in radio in one capacity or another and I loved most of my time doing so. In my time I worked in Programming, Sales, and Marketing, and even was a DJ for awhile (I hope you realize not all DJ's are Assholes). That said, when I left the business, I REALLY left the business and I don't enjoy talking "the business" much at all anymore.

However, I will throw caution to the wind and jump in here with a few of my opinons as well as some first hand knowledge that I experienced.

1) I have no doubt the M&G reports are based in truth ... as far the context and color of the report, thats interpretation and I don't have a clue about that since I wasn't there.

2) Payola in the old traditional form doesn't really exist much, but it DOES exist and is prevalent in a much more creative way that traverses a legal tightrope. This "legal payola" along with extensive call-out research are the two most powerful ways to gain radio play across America. However, as we know it is a dance of some sort. In some cases the radio play can make a hit song or artist, and sometimes all the airplay in the world won't move album or song sales. The art of a hit record is something that can never full understood or everyone would be doing it.

3) It is true that DJ's really don't have any say anymore about what they play. In the mid 90's radio started to shift toward more corporate and consultant control. The new FCC Owner & Operator (O&O) regulations, paved the way for larger companies to buy up the small independents at a feverish rate. Their programming solution to stay relevant was do research, research, and more research. Pull in high priced consultants and centralize and computerize their programming into one coprporate beast. This helped the record labels in many ways. Instead of having to send Record reps out to every single top market programmer to try and influence and convince them to play "their" artist, they could now focus their "resources" onto "influencing" just a handful of the most powerful corporate programmers and consultants. The process of buying "ears" was streamlined.

Jump ahead a few years and things began to shift again. Radio now isn't as important as it used to be, and ironically American Idol was one of the first and biggest vehicles to make a really solid crack in their powerful armour. The advent of Napster, Itunes, You Tube, Myspace, Satellite radio, and other internet and alternate sources have really helped to hurt the industry enough for major changes to have to occur. The record labels since seen the "marketing light" and have been tapping into all of these other outlets more and more and their "resources" are no longer as streamlined. Radio, however is still trying to figure out how to remain relevant in today's music scene. Its not dead yet (hee hee) but if the larger radio corporations don't figure out how to stay innovative, they will be left behind IMO.

All this being said however, doesn't mean that DJ's are complete dinosaurs on the influence meter. Since DJ's are still the gatekeepers to the radio listening public, its probably not a good idea to "annoy them". DJ's can get away with "dropping in" a song or "dropping out" a song from the clock every now and then without much repurcussion from above. Many do get annoyed by spammers, over requesters, and generally ANY OTT fan behavior. They will have no problem sharing this information in their weekly Programming meetings, and/or blackballing an artist all together from an all request hour etc., esp. if they feel an underground "street team" or an over zealous handful of the same fans are doing all the requesting. The word will travel and it can and does play a part in a stations "perception" of an artist and their fanbase. Legal Payola and a song that garners top-notch call out research from their prime demo can and will override any malcontented DJ, but in general it doesn't help the situation to antagonize them either, and it could still hurt some.

Of course we know there were Clay haters that posed as Clay fans and annoyed the crap out of some DJ's esp back a few years ago, but I think its also a pretty well known fact that Clay fans DID set a pretty "scary" prescedent back in 2003 with and organized, intense, and unrelenting barage of requesting, email, and voting, that I don't think any DJ was prepared for or had seen in their careeers. Frankly I know a few personally who still are feeling the lingering effects...LOL. Seriously, all I'm saying is that I don't think the Claymate reputation is completely unwarranted, and even continues today. The DJ's might have been "our" first "victims", but they certainly haven't been our last... reporters, bloggers, etc.... etc... have certainly all had their moments being run over by the Claymate train. Even though I don't email or vote or request anymore, I once did and I'm not degrading those who still do. I'm just trying to be a realist and recognize that "we" as a fandom have done things to warrent our reputation at times, even though our intentions were usually just borne out of love and desire to see Clay succeed as he deserves. This also doesn't negate all the amazing and overwhelming good that this fandom has done.

That being said, I do think Clay appreciates the fact that we are a huge factor in where he is today. I also don't think he is naive, and I'm sure he fully understands how legal payola works and how important it is. However, I also do personally believe that he believes that sometimes some of his fans go OTT trying to request, email, vote, and spam, and he doesn't understand it nor does he encourage it. With this I would also agree with him.

Once again, these are just my thoughts, opinions and experiences and YMMV of course and all that jazz.

[playbiller]

I know these are just boards, but I still think posting hateful remarks about people Clay has to work with makes his life more difficult. I don't really have a problem how people feel, I just think that some restraint would not hurt. Posters questioned if RCA came up with the don't do death threats toaward the label employees, but I can see where Clay would come up with it. I still wish that the OFC was child friendly, but that would require full time paid mods. Death threats and obscene insults do not belong there and I am glad they are gone.

OK, OK, before I really work hard, I have a copy of Quiana's performance in dreamgirls on 4shared, after others deleted it and youtube took it down and what ever. I still have plenty of space, so I leave old stuff out there. I noticed that people were starting to filll out comments for some of the links, this is unusual most people jsut download, maybe thank me on-line and move on. It is not like anyone but me can see these comments, it is not like youtube. Wel... since there has been a surge in dream girl downloads, I thought I would see if there were any comments - and there are! From what looks like friends of Quiana! Where the heck is this link still alive? It did start out a few comments from Clay fans, but who is still downloading it this month? I guess I will store this in links-get-around-on-the internet file. I wonder if Quiana knows and if she would like to see the comments or if she will be angry it is there?

[gbmifan]

I have actually got some work done today. Got up this morning and cleaned three bathrooms, our bedroom, and did three loads of laundry, plus my husband made another change on our tandem so I rode that for 30 minutes to see if it worked, then I went outside(It is finally 60 degrees here) and I took down the greens from the chair on my porch and the ones in my planters that I had up at the holidays. They were frozen in the dirt in the planters and I could not get them out before. It feels so good to see sun and have warm weather. Don't get me wrong, I love to ski and really like the look of snow, I was just ready for warm weather to start. As soon as it is 45 degrees in the early am I will be out biking in full force. After a long winter it seems like it will take time to get in shape again. I know that first 50 mile day will be a killer.

I like many of you, would love to hear Clay on the radio but do not think it will happen. I am not OTT kind of person. I support him as much as I can. Love him to pieces, but what happens happens. I have never called a radio station or wrote a reply to anyone who was not kind to him. I do not believe in doing those things. Not that I like everything I read, but refuse to cater to the negativity.

[laughn]

I got engaged on April 1st, yes April Fools Day, and we got married on Nov 15. I thought that was a tight time frame. Is your daughter making this a small wedding?

I got engaged April 2 and was married Aug. 28th...but it was really small. I wish them and you all the best getting things in gear this summer. :F_05BL17blowkiss:

Ansa wrote:

Before ATDW I would say talk on the message board is pretty harmless...but I have become wary of how some people can take opinions and speculation and turn it into facts. Or how some people can get affected by what they read on the MBs and get so angry or upset then in turn start acting on these emotions. Oh well ... I guess its no use worrying about things that is not in our control and the behavior of fans is one of them. I just hope people are learning not to over react.

....and a big fat Amen to that...

[roseviolet]

Question re: widget....so I went to the website and downloaded it...it's now part of my Mac laptop "Dashboard"...but how do I get it to stay on my desktop? Anybody?

Wait...is it even POSSIBLE to put it on my desktop? You have to put it on a webpage, don't you? Well, I don't have a webpage. Can you put it on a webpage that you've set as your homepage?

As far as I know, it is a "Dashboard" widget that only show when you have your dashboard on. I don't think it is the kind that shows all the time on your desktop. I don't know if that is possible. I also don't think it is the type of widget for webpages. The ones I made are the type for webpages. It is a Flash file and you need the Flash player installed in your browser to see my countdown widgets. (I really appreciate everyone that is using them. It took me hours to find and troubleshoot the code to make them.)

Well I never talked to a DJ..just the person who answered the phone and took requests. We don't have to befriend them, get into debates with them about Clay..and why would any of us need to talk to station managers. But I don't think online fans give up their rights and have to sit back and do nothing. That's assuming WE don't listen to radio and I just don't believe that's true. I know I don't but I'm sure I'm the minority. And I'm smart enough to take on the snot nosed call screener. Basically, use common sense.

Ha! I remember requesting Invisible and not only did they play it, but they also put my comment on the air! Ack!

The whole radio request thing is a muddle and the DJ's didn't help by sending mixed messages to the fans. You can't say that you don't play a song because there are no requests and then get bent out of shape when fans start requesting. I guess, as in all things, there needs to be moderation and common sense. If a station has request lines, request forms on their website and request hours... then I think it would be helpful for fans to request. I think they should first wait for the song to be added to the playlist and if they are calling in a request that they should just stick to the request and not start lecturing the DJ about airplay, mediabase and what a stellar human being Clay is. Heh.

I will say that the idea that RCA wasn't supporting the song came from DJ's. A number of them did make that comment when questioned by fans. Fans did not pull that idea out of thin air.

I think fans can also help by participating in rating songs through sites like RateTheMusic and Promosquad. Even if they don't have Clay, we can favorably rate music similar to Clay's to give the programmers the idea of the type of music we want to listen to. Also, signing up as a VIP listener for your local radio stations can help. I signed up with KOIT in San Francisco, who never have taken requests, and they send me surveys similar to RateTheMusic to rate songs for them.

The Amazon song recommendation snafu has me wondering if I should go ahead with the programming event I was going to do on Rose Radio. I mean, if it really wasn't Clay would anyone really want to listen? I may go ahead and add them to the playlist since I already downloaded the ones I didn't already have. Pooh.

One thing that is interesting about internet radio. No one tells us what to play. I get a ton of requests by independent artists to play their music and there is some really good stuff out there. I do add some independent music every time I do new adds. So, if you are interested in hearing new music that you won't hear on traditional radio, try listening to internet radio.

[Couch Tomato]

Ha! I remember requesting Invisible and not only did they play it, but they also put my comment on the air! Ack!

One thing that is interesting about internet radio. No one tells us what to play. I get a ton of requests by independent artists to play their music and there is some really good stuff out there. I do add some independent music every time I do new adds. So, if you are interested in hearing new music that you won't hear on traditional radio, try listening to internet radio.

heee... well we're the same market...they were pretty decent to us...and they continued to play Invisible long after it went down the chart.

Do your radio thang girl.. I'm going to come check you out.

[jmh123]

Great post, roseviolet!!

(I really appreciate everyone that is using them. It took me hours to find and troubleshoot the code to make them.)

I so appreciate that you made them! I love your widgets--love!!

I think fans can also help by participating in rating songs through sites like RateTheMusic and Promosquad. Even if they don't have Clay, we can favorably rate music similar to Clay's to give the programmers the idea of the type of music we want to listen to. Also, signing up as a VIP listener for your local radio stations can help. I signed up with KOIT in San Francisco, who never have taken requests, and they send me surveys similar to RateTheMusic to rate songs for them.

All very good advice. I don't listen to the radio at all, so I'm not sure I'll get involved. I have done Promosquad, and I'm just a few points short of some prizes, if they'd ever offer anything I wanted. I stopped when I couldn't figure out how to make my new computer link from the e-mails I used to get to the right place on Promosquad--they used to ask for my recommendation on certain specific songs, just a few at a time, for cool prizes (I won twice). I do believe that the input of others who are not fans is key at this point. All those folks already know that Clay's fans want to hear him.

One thing that is interesting about internet radio. No one tells us what to play. I get a ton of requests by independent artists to play their music and there is some really good stuff out there. I do add some independent music every time I do new adds. So, if you are interested in hearing new music that you won't hear on traditional radio, try listening to internet radio.

Your radio station is such a fabulous idea, and is a great example of how a fan can do something worthwhile. I don't listen to internet radio either, because the truth is I have a ton of music, and I want to hear what I want to hear when I want to hear it. So iPod (and my earlier not-a-pod) is the best way to listen to music for me. As much as I'd like Clay to have radio play, and the benefits it brings, I'm not a radio listener so I guess it's really none of my business. HOWEVER, you make a good point about discovering new music--I usually get that from the boards, but I'm always open to more. My two favorite new albums are really really old--and I discovered both here at FCA: Alvin Lee's Pure Blue from keepingfaith and Luther Vandross from couchie.

[Gibby]

Great conversation today! I'm enjoying getting caught up.

Preach it sistah! I agree with Clay's assessment too.........Plus!!! He seems, to me, to chose the wrong songs from his CDs to resonate with mainstream. That may not have anything to do with why radio doesn't play him, though. More to do with whether or not it gains him new fans. JMO though. :F_05BL17blowkiss:

Clay has said that RCA chooses the singles and what will be released to radio, not him. To me that means that RCA has misread what will work on radio for Clay. I'm not an RCA conspiracy theorist, so I'm not just saying this to hate on RCA. Honest! Clay said it himself.

The ring is gorgeous..white gold; one very large square cut diamond and diamonds around the band...makes mine look puny in comparison, LOL!

So no date yet, but probably mid-October; she said they will try and get the date firmed up by next week so the planning can begin...and...Lord, help me...she figures that if they get married in October, January is a good time to start thinking about getting pregnant! I am so not ready for this!

Kim

Wow, Kim, the ring sounds absolutely gorgeous! I'm so excited for you and your daughter!

And now, I'm off to go shopping with my mother-in-law and two daughters. We are looking for a prom dress for my older daughter, and for a dress for 8th grade continuation for my other daughter. Yikes! Wish me luck . . .

[Thankful4Clay]

I love this and think it's about time:

Jumped in the OFC and found this

bfs just called and wanted me to post that from this performance onward, there will be a special area for ticket holders to go to so that they can see Clay by the stage door...this is due to the amount of people who are by the stage door after the show so I guess they are doing it so people who have actually gone to the show get a chance to see him.

She said that she got the info from the Security guy at the Shubert...

Just wanted to let everyone know..

She also said this post may travel..

[muskifest]

aikim ....whoops! I got my 'a's' mixed up...

Of course we know there were Clay haters that posed as Clay fans and annoyed the crap out of some DJ's esp back a few years ago, but I think its also a pretty well known fact that Clay fans DID set a pretty "scary" prescedent back in 2003 with and organized, intense, and unrelenting barage of requesting, email, and voting, that I don't think any DJ was prepared for or had seen in their careeers. Frankly I know a few personally who still are feeling the lingering effects...LOL. Seriously, all I'm saying is that I don't think the Claymate reputation is completely unwarranted, and even continues today. The DJ's might have been "our" first "victims", but they certainly haven't been our last... reporters, bloggers, etc.... etc... have certainly all had their moments being run over by the Claymate train. Even though I don't email or vote or request anymore, I once did and I'm not degrading those who still do. I'm just trying to be a realist and recognize that "we" as a fandom have done things to warrent our reputation at times, even though our intentions were usually just borne out of love and desire to see Clay succeed as he deserves. This also doesn't negate all the amazing and overwhelming good that this fandom has done.

That being said, I do think Clay appreciates the fact that we are a huge factor in where he is today. I also don't think he is naive, and I'm sure he fully understands how legal payola works and how important it is. However, I also do personally believe that he believes that sometimes some of his fans go OTT trying to request, email, vote, and spam, and he doesn't understand it nor does he encourage it. With this I would also agree with him.

Oh, i LIKE this.... Because it's what I think, too, of course. I remember at a DCAT concert---WPB?--when Clay was doing his pre-Classics banter about not being cool and being tired of not being cool, etc. And he said "I'm sick and tired of not being cool...I'm sick and tired of...not being on the radio" and people laughed and clapped and I heard a couple people yelling, "We're TRYING, Clay! We're TRYING!"

And I cringed. Because even though those women could've been talking about how they're trying by buying his cds and going to his concerts, etc., I just had a feeling they were talking about spamming polls and radio request lines, etc. Ouch.

The fact that Clay mentioned to the USA online interviewer about the 'spamming' of his fans on her blog made me cringe, too. Yeah, he chuckled when he said it...but it does make me uncomfortable that he KNOWS that whatever outlets there are--radio, blogs, tv stations, newspapers and magazines, etc.--a core of fans will go above, below and beyond to support him by PUSHING him--well, both him and them--- on those outlets. And he HAS tried to address this OTT behavior in blogs...but he's still nice about it--has to be---so (IMO) he ended up only preaching to the converted since the ones who needed to really HEAR him didn't think he was talking to THEM.

I think it's kinda sad---this two-edged sword of the fandom's devotion to him. I really don't see that the OTT fans have been any less to 'blame' than RCA or AI (post season 2) or radio stations or any other "scapegoat of the day" for Clay's 'uncool' status or lack of 'superstar' status in the industry.

Whatever, you know? The man's smart and resilient. I'm really not worried about HIM.

Beautiful day here...Carrie's team won and she did a good job at the plate and at defense, but her pitching wasn't up to its usual standards. There are other people on the team, though, so....

[bottlecap]

I love this and think it's about time:

Jumped in the OFC and found this

bfs just called and wanted me to post that from this performance onward, there will be a special area for ticket holders to go to so that they can see Clay by the stage door...this is due to the amount of people who are by the stage door after the show so I guess they are doing it so people who have actually gone to the show get a chance to see him.

She said that she got the info from the Security guy at the Shubert...

Just wanted to let everyone know..

She also said this post may travel..

Since my three shows are next Friday and Saturday, is it petty and small of me to EEEE! a little at this bit of news? I'd really, really like to have my playbill signed, even though I've been trying to tell myself not to be disappointed if I don't. Clay has to be under some tremendous pressure between being all Spamy eight times a week and doing all the album promo and whatnot besides. If he needs to conserve his energy and guard his health, I'll certainly understand.

gbmifan, nice to see you back. Did you have a good time on all your travels?

[aikim]

From the Clayboard:

Quote:

claysirishlass reports that the crowd is 15 deep. Says there must be at least 1,000

people there. A special barricade has been set up. Jerome is there too.

Quote:

He's not coming out. No reason given.

[playbiller]

He's not coming out. No reason given.

Fear?

The crowd, the crowd. The weather is beauuuuuti ful today.

Unfortunately yard work makes me hate my neighbors, I think the new fence they put uyp is on my property. Looking for a surveyer now.

[muskifest]

He's not coming out. No reason given.

Fear?

The crowd, the crowd. The weather is beauuuuuti ful today.

Unfortunately yard work makes me hate my neighbors, I think the new fence they put uyp is on my property. Looking for a surveyer now.

BWAH! Play...I thought at first you were calling your sister!

See new avie---obviously, Clay can not only dance now, he really seems to ENJOY it...

[aikim]

QUOTE(momof3boys @ Apr 5 2008, 04:14 PM)

QUOTE(jtgranny @ Apr 5 2008, 04:06 PM)

The area had 2 of the metal barracades coming straight out and and it was maybe 15 feet deep. They had a wooden barracade set up behind the metal ones and a wooden one on the side I believe so no one could ge around it. Also....the wooden one said.............Police Line Do Not Cross.

[rohdy]

Anyone wanna sign a petition to get Clay played world wide.....?

PETITION

[heinz]

I'm getting caught up here as my dialup got all stuck on the new counter up there under the banner and I couldn't get anything else to load!!! Thanks to Luckiest1 and Couchie- I'm back here. Thank you!!

[muskifest]

Seee....this is what makes me so very sure that I don't need to worry about Clay and his future. Really. His talent and his character will take him wherever HE wants to go. (Er...and in some cases, in SPITE of some who support him. heh. )

Part of loveOMC's recap at CB from 3/25:

Oh, I forgot to add one other thing: At the Sunday night show, my friend and I sat next to a friend of Hannah Waddington. She told us that Hannah considers Clay the nicest person she has ever worked with and has said that the entire cast loves him!!

[annabear]

Part of loveOMC's recap at CB from 3/25:

Oh, I forgot to add one other thing: At the Sunday night show, my friend and I sat next to a friend of Hannah Waddington. She told us that Hannah considers Clay the nicest person she has ever worked with and has said that the entire cast loves him!!

[Ansamcw]

I'm getting caught up here as my dialup got all stuck on the new counter up there under the banner and I couldn't get anything else to load!!! Thanks to Luckiest1 and Couchie- I'm back here. Thank you!!

Thats great! What did you do? It will be good if you share so that we will know what to do next time.

Seee....this is what makes me so very sure that I don't need to worry about Clay and his future. Really. His talent and his character will take him wherever HE wants to go. (Er...and in some cases, in SPITE of some who support him. heh. )

Part of loveOMC's recap at CB from 3/25:

Oh, I forgot to add one other thing: At the Sunday night show, my friend and I sat next to a friend of Hannah Waddington. She told us that Hannah considers Clay the nicest person she has ever worked with and has said that the entire cast loves him!!

AWWWW love it too!!!

[luckiest1]

I'm getting caught up here as my dialup got all stuck on the new counter up there under the banner and I couldn't get anything else to load!!! Thanks to Luckiest1 and Couchie- I'm back here. Thank you!!

Woo hoo! Glad you were able to get back in. Thanks to ldyjocelyn too who answered my initial questions.