FREE ESSAY ON THE POWER OF TRL

THE POWER OF TRL

Within our generation music has become an essential part of our daily lives. Established
favorites ranging from 2PAC to Pearl Jam have touched the lives of many. But today we
walk through the record stores seeing more and more new faces among the top ten artists.
A wave of boy bands and blondes with beautiful faces are rising out of the woodwork and
selling more albums than many established artists of the past. Their faces and voices
flood our minds through the television and the radio as many become just as successful as
the campaigns that promote then. Today advertising and MTV are working with the music
industry to help launch new bands and artists to heights never imagined. MTV's Total
Request Live and the proper public exposure are proving to be two of the key components
in the success of selling a record. With the help of the internet, information from
interviews with Carson Daly, and Rolling Stone magazine, I have gathered the information
which seems to make today's pop stars instant hits. 
Within the past two years Carson Daly and Total Request Live have rebuilt the pop charts.
According to the TRL web site, Carson was once a college student pondering playing the
amateur golf circuit and now finds himself the head man of the powerful TRL. TRL attracts
fans from around the world and has become the undisputed center of the pop world. By
simply playing it's viewers requests, the show has become a hit for MTV. It has made
unknowns from Brtiney Spears to Kid Rock into stars and is the engine that drives the pop
charts.
According to the February issue of Rolling Stone Magazine, TRL is now the highest-rated
show in it's time period among all cable programs, the highest rated MTV daily show, and
essential viewing for many. It's impact on the youth has been immense. Everyday at 3:30
TRL reveals the results of its daily poll to thousands. It airs just as kids are
returning from school and targets an audience record companies desire. Ron Shapiro, the
executive vice president of Atlantic Records, said a decade ago a hit song on the radio
was enough to launch a band. Now with the internet, Playstation, and 100 other channels,
it is difficult to grasp the attention of the youth. TRL has that power. 
Recently, more people are becoming aware of TRL's ability to help artists achieve record
sales never imagined. Typically, when a new popular band releases a song it is often
lodged at the top of the countdown until it is retired after sixty-five plays. The
official TRL web site says this daily repeated exposure has helped many new bands go
multi-platinum. Since the TRL voters tend to vote for what they see, this means that when
a song is in the top ten it tends to stay there. In an interview between ABC's Sam
Donaldson and Carson Daly, Carson mentioned the power of being played even once on TRL.
One single play on can ignite sales, which means that when a label knows that their
band's clip is going to air on TRL they make sure there are enough albums available to
satisfy the increase in demand. 
Carson continued to expand on the power of television publicity. He stated that by
running a video on TRL you are automatically predicting an increase in record sales. He
used N'sync's latest album as an example. Their new album was heavily promoted through
appearances and the play of their new single on TRL. As a result, the album sold over 1.1
million copies on its first day of sales. Before the week had ended it had already sold
over 3.4 million copies. No artist has ever accomplished such a thing and Carson believed
that much of the success stemmed from their exposure on TRL.
Some people have even gone as far as to accuse MTV for picking the selections for TRL as
a way of pushing certain names. But according to Rolling Stone magazine, last year a
group organized online voters to vote for New Kids on the Block's 1988 hit "Hangin'
Tough" to see if MTV really considered the voters opinion. After MTV checked the results
for errors, on March 11th the 1988 hit was Number Two on TRL. It proved the true power of
TRL.
Aside from TRL, the proper public exposure has also proven to be successful in launching
a name. Mandy Moore is a new name familiar to most of us. In an article with Rolling
Stone her manager described her as being on an extremely busy promotional campaign. The
Mandy Moore marketing plan began over a year ago. In March of 1999, it started with the
construction of two web sites representing her. Then came the photograph sessions that
followed her tours with N'sync and the Backstreet Boys. Though her new album is not yet
selling blockbuster numbers, it is right in line with the Mandy army's master plan. 
According to her web site, other promotional campaigns have also enhanced her image. She
just signed a three-year contract with MTV which has her playing a big role in the
coverage of spring break, she is modeling for Tommy Hilfiger and Wet Seal clothing, and
is in the process of becoming the global spokeswoman for Neutrogena. She has become an
artist in the making. 
Though Mandy is just one example, many other artists have chosen public exposure and
advertising as a way to reach fame or increase record sales.
This shows just how strong the connection between TRL and the top albums in the country
is. 
In today's industry it appears as if cross-marketing is becoming just as important, if
not more important, than the music itself. Advertising and MTV are working with the music
industry to help launch bands and artists to heights never imagined. So we are left with
what appears to be a top ten list molded by strong promotional campaigns and TRL. Many of
the hard working bands are falling far past the increasing popularity of today's pop
stars. Whether it be a slot on the play list of TRL or an advertisement for Guess,
artists are reaching for new ways to push the sales of their albums. So until the next
wave of music trends pass through, I suppose will have to stare at the Backstreet Boys
and Britney Spears a little longer as we walk pas the top ten in the music store.
Bibliography
"Billboards Top 50 Albums." Rolling Stone April 2000.
"Carson Daly." TRL. http;//www.mtv.com/mtv/tubescan/trl-99new/ (12 April 2000).
Daly, Carson. Interview by Sam Donaldson ABC News, March 29, 2000.
Edwards, Gavin. "The New American Bandstand: A Day in the Life of Total Request Live, the
Epicenter of Pop." Rolling Stone February 2000: 13-14.
Hendrickson, Matt. "Building a Better Pop Star: The Making of Mandy Moore." Rolling Stone
March 2000: 23-24.
"Mandy Moore." The Official Site. http://www.mandymoore.com/mainhtml (12 April 2000).
"Billboards Top 50 Albums." Rolling Stone April 2000.
"Carson Daly." TRL. http;//www.mtv.com/mtv/tubescan/trl-99new/ (12 April 2000).
Daly, Carson. Interview by Sam Donaldson ABC News, March 29, 2000.
Edwards, Gavin. "The New American Bandstand: A Day in the Life of Total Request Live, the
Epicenter of Pop." Rolling Stone February 2000: 13-14.
Hendrickson, Matt. "Building a Better Pop Star: The Making of Mandy Moore." Rolling Stone
March 2000: 23-24.
"Mandy Moore." The Official Site. http://www.mandymoore.com/mainhtml (12 April 2000).