Adult Contemporary
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Adult Contemporary

Celine Dion, referred to as the "Queen of Adult Contemporary",[1] is one of the biggest international stars in music history, selling more than 220 million albums worldwide.[2]

In North American music, adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music[3] to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, rhythm and blues, quiet storm, and rock influence.[4][5][6] Adult contemporary is generally a continuation of the easy listening and soft rock style that became popular in the 1960s and 1970s with some adjustments that reflect the evolution of pop/rock music.[7]

Adult contemporary tends to have lush, soothing and highly polished qualities where emphasis on melody and harmonies is accentuated. It is usually melodic enough to get a listener's attention, and is inoffensive and pleasurable enough to work well as background music. Like most of pop music, its songs tend to be written in a basic format employing a verse-chorus structure.[8] The format is heavy on romantic sentimental ballads which mostly use acoustic instruments (though bass guitar is usually used) such as acoustic guitars, pianos, saxophones, and sometimes an orchestral set. The electric guitars are normally faint and high-pitched. However, recent adult contemporary music may feature synthesizers (and other electronics, such as drum machines).[9]

An AC radio station may play mainstream music, but it excludes hip hop, dance tracks, hard rock, and some forms of teen pop, as these are less popular among adults, the target demographic. AC radio often targets the 25-44 age group,[10] the demographic that has received the most attention from advertisers since the 1960s. A common practice in recent years of adult contemporary stations is to play less newer music and more hits of the past. This de-emphasis on new songs slows the progression of the AC chart.[11]



1960s: Early roots; easy listening and soft rock








1970s: Soft rock forms as a radio format

Late 1960s hard rock had been established as one of rock genres.[16] From the end of the 1960s, hard rock and soft rock became popular in rock scene,[7] with both emerging as major radio formats in the USA.[17]Soft rock was often derived from folk rock, using acoustic instruments and putting more emphasis on melody and harmonies. Major artists included Barbra Streisand, Carole King, Cat Stevens, James Taylor[18] and Bread.[19][20]


Soft rock reached its commercial peak in the mid-to-late 1970s with acts such as Toto, England Dan & John Ford Coley, Air Supply, Seals and Crofts, Dan Fogelberg, America and the reformed Fleetwood Mac, whose Rumours (1977) was the best-selling album of the decade.[21] By 1977, some radio stations, notably New York's WTFM and NBC-owned WYNY, and Boston's WEEI, had switched to an all-soft rock format.[22] As Softrock 103, WEEI was famous for its promotional campaigns, featuring slogans such as "Joni, without the baloni." and "The Byrds, without the nyrds."[23] By the 1980s, tastes had changed and radio formats reflected this change, including musical artists such as Journey.[24][25]




1980s: Adult contemporary succeeds as radio format

"Careless Whisper" stayed at the #1 spot in the adult contemporary chart for 5 weeks.[26] The song was George Michael's first solo single.[27]

On April 7, 1979, the Easy Listening chart officially became known as Adult Contemporary,[13] and those two words have remained consistent in the name of the chart ever since. Adult contemporary music became one of the most popular radio formats of the 1980s. The growth of AC was a natural result of the generation that first listened to the more "specialized" music of the mid-late 1970s growing older and not being interested in the heavy metal and rap/hip-hop music that a new generation helped to play a significant role in the Top 40 charts by the end of the decade.



Although dance-oriented, electronic pop and ballad-oriented rock dominated the 1980s, soft rock songs still enjoyed a mild success thanks to Sheena Easton, Amy Grant,[29]Lionel Richie, Christopher Cross, Dan Hill, Leo Sayer, Billy Ocean,[30]Julio Iglesias, Bertie Higgins, and Tommy Page.[31] No song spent more than six weeks at #1 on this chart during the 1980s, with nine songs accomplishing that feat. Two of these were by Lionel Richie, "You Are" in 1983 and "Hello" in 1984, which also reached #1 on the Hot 100.


1990s: Subgenre formations/radio crossovers


The early 1990s marked the softening of urban R&B in the shape of new jack swing, at the same time alternative rock emerged and traditional pop saw a significant resurgence. This in part led to a widening of the market, not only allowing to cater to more niche markets, but it also became customary for artists to make AC-friendly singles. At the same time, the genre began adopting elements from hard rock as tastes were shifting towards louder music, while AC stations in general began playing more rock acts. "Softer" features such as light instrumental music (carried over from the beautiful music format--many AC stations carried the format until the early 1970s), new age songs and most pre-1964 artists were gradually phased out from AC radio throughout the early-mid 1990s.

Unlike the majority of 1980s mainstream singers, the 1990s mainstream pop/R&B singers such as All-4-One,[33]Boyz II Men, Christina Aguilera,[34]Backstreet Boys and Savage Garden[34] generally crossed over to the AC charts. Latin pop artists such as Lynda Thomas,[35]Gloria Estefan, Ricky Martin, Marc Anthony, Selena, Enrique Iglesias and Luis Miguel also enjoyed success in the AC charts.






2000s-present: AC music goes mainstream and mainstream music goes AC

A number of Michael Bublé's singles and albums topped the AC charts in the 2000s and 2010s.[37]

During the 2000s, the AC market gained an increased presence in the music industry, as its radio formats were popular nationwide--Smooth jazz and "Urban AC" stations were ubiquitous in the East Coast, while Soft rock and "adult standards" stations were common in the Midwest, and pop-oriented "Hot AC" and "world music"/Hispanic AC stations were easily found in the West Coast and the "Sun Belt". This led to the presence of numerous genres on the AC charts, often crossing to the "pop" charts, winning over many critics in the need to define AC, and increased the tolerance and acceptance of AC music into mainstream day-to-day radio play.

Josh Groban's single "You Raise Me Up" and Michael Bublé's "Fever" are often considered to be key examples of the high production values and ballad-heavy sound that defined 2000s-era AC,[13] often dubbed as "jazz-pop", heavily carrying classical, jazz and traditional pop influences. Artists such as Nick Lachey, James Blunt, Jamie Cullum, John Mayer, Jason Mraz, Norah Jones, Diana Krall, Amy Winehouse and Susan Boyle also achieved great success during this period. During most of the 2000s, country music/countrypolitan musicians such as Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken, Faith Hill, Garth Brooks, Shania Twain, LeAnn Rimes and Carrie Underwood scored hits on soft AC. A popular trend in the late 1990s and 2000s was remixing dance music hits into adult contemporary ballads, especially in the US, (for example, the "Candlelight Mix" versions of "Heaven" by DJ Sammy, "Listen To Your Heart" by D.H.T., and "Everytime We Touch" by Cascada).

Key to the success of AC in the 2000s was the 25-34 demographic which had outgrown the pop music offerings of the time, most new rock became too alternative and harsh for AC radio and most new pop was now influenced heavily by dance-pop, hip-hop and electronic dance music.[38] At the same time, the music industry also began to focus on older audiences and markets generally considered "niche".

During the late 2000s, certain pop songs began entering the AC charts instead, generally after the songs had fallen off the Hot 100. Adrian Moreira, senior vice president for adult music for RCA Music Group, said, "We've seen a fairly tidal shift in what AC will play". Rather than emphasizing older songs, adult contemporary now began playing many of the same songs as top 40 and adult top 40, but only after the hits had become established.[13] An article on MTV's website by Corey Moss describes this trend as: "In other words, AC stations are where pop songs go to die a very long death. Or, to optimists, to get a second life."[39] As adult contemporary has long characterized itself as family-friendly, "clean" versions of pop songs began appearing on the AC chart, as were the cases of "Perfect" by P!nk, and "Forget You" by Cee Lo Green, both in 2011.[13]

AC radio's shift into more mainstream pop was a result of the changes on the broadcasting landscape following the 2005-2007 economic downturn and eventual recession, as advertisers preferred more profitable chart-based formats, which meant the demise of many AC-based formulas, primarily those aimed at older audiences, with tastes changing towards more modern music among all age groups. Diminishing physical record sales throughout the 2010s also proved a major blow to the AC genre, and there are concerns that the portable people meter, a device being used to determine radio listenership, may be incompatible with AC songs and may not accurately pick up that a person is listening to an AC station because of the pitches and frequencies used in the style.[40]

Key AC artists of the 2010s include Bruno Mars, Adele and Ed Sheeran, featuring a mostly pop-influenced sound, faster-paced and more energetic than the typical AC fare of previous years. The earlier years of the decade also saw alternative and indie rock acts such as Coldplay, Wilco, Feist, The 1975, Imagine Dragons, Mumford & Sons, Of Monsters and Men, The Lumineers and Arcade Fire quickly becoming AC mainstays.[41][42]

Artists like CeeLo Green, One Republic, Adele, Ed Sheeran, Rachel Platten, Christina Perri, Andy Grammer, James Bay, Meghan Trainor, Sara Bareilles, Shawn Mendes, Maroon 5, Bruno Mars, Sia, Sam Smith, Gavin Degraw, Charlie Puth and Colbie Caillat had major hits on the Adult top 40 chart during the 2010s. These artists incorporated soul and pop rock into their music.

AC stations began replacing artists like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera that were popular in the 1990s and early 2000s and added more indie and alternative rock bands like Panic at the Disco, Neon Trees X Ambassadors, Sheppard, Bastille, American Authors, Fitz and the Tantrums, Foster the People, Twenty One Pilots, Walk the Moon and Milky Chance. These artists only had at least 1 or 2 hits throughout the 2010s.[]

Rhythmic artists like Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Ellie Goulding, Taio Cruz, and Pitbull were also being played more alongside EDM artists like Calvin Harris, David Guetta, The Chainsmokers, Zedd. Younger artists like Camilla Cabello, Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande, Nick Jonas and the Jonas Brothers and Halsey that were popular in the late 2010s were also added to AC stations.[]

Adult contemporary formats

In radio broadcasting, adult contemporary is divided into several sub-formats, each with their own musical direction and demographic targeting. Hot adult contemporary formats generally feature an uptempo selection of recent hits that appeal to a wide adult audience,[43] soft adult contemporary formats have a more conservative sound oriented primarily towards adult women, urban AC focuses on R&B and soul music that appeal to African American adults, and rhythmic AC focuses on dance music and other rhythmic genres. A station formatted as adult contemporary with no qualifier, also referred to as "mainstream" adult contemporary, generally has a similar playlist to hot AC stations, but are broader in their playlists--especially in their inclusion of classic hits from past decades.

Hot adult contemporary

Hot adult contemporary radio stations play a wide range of popular music that appeals towards the 18-54 age group,[44] it serves as a middle ground between the youth-oriented contemporary hit radio (CHR) format, and adult contemporary formats (such as "mainstream" and soft AC) that are typically targeted towards a more mature demographic. They generally feature uptempo hit music with wide appeal, such as pop and pop rock songs, while excluding more youth-oriented music such as hip-hop.[45][43] Recurrents usually reflect familiar and youthful music that adults had grown up with.[46][43] Similarly, matured pop acts such as the Backstreet Boys, Jason Mraz, John Mayer, and Pink, as well as alternative and indie rock crossovers (such as Foster the People, Imagine Dragons, Lovelytheband, Portugal. The Man, and Twenty One Pilots), have also been common fixtures of present-day hot AC stations.[43]

The "hot AC" designation began to appear in the 1990s, to describe adult contemporary stations with a more energetic presentation and uptempo sound than their softer counterparts.[47] An early example of the format, Houston's KHMX Mix 96.5, climbed from 14th place in the market to 3rd in the six months after its launch. The station's format and branding was widely replicated by other stations.[48] Many hot AC outlets are among the top stations in their respective market.[43]

Initially focused more on pop rock, the format has evolved to reflect changes in the composition of this audience; by the mid-2000s, the format had evolved to include more uptempo pop music,[46][43] helping to expand their audience among younger listeners such as millennials; Nielsen Audio ranked hot AC as the third most-popular format among millennials, behind pop and country music.[43][45] Of the format's expanding demographic reach, WOMX-FM program director Dana Taylor stated that hot AC stations "may not be the radio station that everybody agrees on, but it's a radio station that everybody goes, 'I'm okay with that'."[43] The increasingly downtempo direction of pop hits in the mid-to-late 2010's also helped to attract additional listeners.[45]

Hot AC stations typically keep a larger body of recent hits in rotation than those with rigid, chart-driven formats like CHR and urban contemporary. As these stations' playlists have become concentrated towards airing only the current hits at a given time, hot AC airplay can build and sustain a song's popularity over a long-term period. This effect has been credited in helping build an audience for early singles from new acts such as Adele, James Arthur, Rachel Platten ("Fight Song", which achieved mainstream popularity after its use during Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential election campaign), and Max Schneider (whose 2016 single "Lights Down Low", over a year after its original release, became a sleeper hit on the Billboard Mainstream Top 40 and Hot 100 due in part to strong hot AC promotion and airplay).[43][49][50]

The popularity of the hot AC format prompted mainstream adult contemporary stations to evolve in a similar direction, displacing softer songs in favor of uptempo songs usually featured on hot AC stations, while still featuring older recurrents than those typically played by hot AC stations.[45][43]

Modern adult contemporary

Modern adult contemporary refers to AC formats with a stronger lean towards modern rock and pop rock.

In the 1990s and early 2000s, modern AC was typically targeted towards women, with Mike Marino of KMXB in Las Vegas describing the format as reaching "an audience that has outgrown the edgier hip-hop or alternative music but hasn't gotten old and sappy enough for the soft ACs."[51] The format typically focused on the female rock acts that emerged during the 1990s, such as the Indigo Girls, Jewel, Sarah McLachlan, Shawn Colvin, and Sheryl Crow, as well as folk rock-influenced bands such as Counting Crows and The Wallflowers.[52][53][54]

Soft adult contemporary

The Soft adult contemporary format typically targets women 25-54 and at-work listening. Soft AC playlists are generally conservative in comparison to hot AC, focusing on pop and power ballads, soft rock, and other familiar, light hits.[55] Upon its establishment in the 1980s, the soft AC format was positioned as being a more upbeat version of easy listening that would appeal better to a younger audience, mainly by excluding instrumental beautiful music. Easy listening stations had begun shifting to the format out of concern that their existing programming would not appeal to the current generation of listeners.[47]

In a 1990 article, James Warren of the Chicago Tribune characterized soft AC stations as being "as middle-of-the-road and unthreatening as modern media get", with personalities that were encouraged to be as inoffensive and "low-profile" as possible, and a more conservative music library than hot AC-leaning stations. In particular, Chicago's WLIT did not have its airstaff talk over the beginning and endings of songs (in contrast to the hot AC-leaning WFYR), and played Bob Seger's "We've Got Tonite" but not "Old Time Rock and Roll" (which was part of WTMX's playlist). The director of a soft AC station in Connecticut, WEZN-FM, told Warren that he had barred the reading of top-of-hour news headlines, so that listeners wouldn't be tempted to tune away to an all-news station to learn more.[47]

Soft AC stations tend to be more selective in their music libraries than other adult contemporary stations, preferring proven songs over current hits.[47] Upon the onset of the format's popularity, core artists typically included singers such as Nat King Cole, Perry Como, Neil Diamond, Barry Manilow, Johnny Mathis, and Barbra Streisand. By the 1990s, to improve their appeal among changing demographics, some soft AC stations began to widen their playlist to include selections from contemporary acts such as Bon Jovi, Mariah Carey, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Elton John, and Whitney Houston. On the other hand, by 1996, New York's WLTW had begun to phase out its softer music in favor of a more uptempo direction.[47][56][57][58]

In 2017, Inside Radio reported that soft AC had the third-largest decrease in U.S. stations offering the format over the past decade (at 128), ranking behind only adult standards and oldies - a shift credited to aging demographics and a major boom in the wider-appealing classic hits format (which saw the largest overall increase over the same period). Consultant Gary Berkowitz argued that the soft AC format had become increasingly irrelevant in comparison to mainstream and hot AC, due to PPM markets preferring uptempo music.[59]

At the same time, however, soft AC began to experience a resurgence. In April 2016, iHeartMedia flipped its San Francisco classic soul station KISQ to soft AC as The Breeze; as of November 2018, it was the top station in the Bay Area. The trend continued into 2017 and 2018, with iHeartMedia extending its Breeze brand to other soft AC flips, and the brand (among others) being adopted by competitors such as Entercom.[23][55] Industry analyst Sean Ross argued that older demographics were becoming more lucrative due to changes in listening habits among younger audiences, which prefer digital platforms such as music streaming services over linear terrestrial radio, and also noted how mainstream AC was dependent on the Top 40 charts to break new songs.[55]

Current soft AC stations have continued to feature recurrents such as Michael Bolton, Celine Dion, Elton John, Fleetwood Mac, Hall & Oates, and Whitney Houston, while contemporary musicians such as Adele and Michael Bublé have also become modern fixtures of the format.[60][61][55][59] In addition, the soft AC sound has diversified to include more songs that are "safe and universal" and not necessarily "soft", with Ross presenting examples such as "Don't You (Forget About Me)", as well as the retroactively-defined genre of yacht rock.[55] Over time, some stations have gradually adjusted their playlists to include more recurrents from the 1980s and 1970s (although not to the same extent as other "soft oldies" formats, such as MeTV FM, which have also grown in popularity).[62]

Urban adult contemporary

The Urban adult contemporary format focuses primarily on current and classic R&B and soul music. The format typically targets African-American adults: July 2018 numbers from Nielsen Audio recorded it as the top format among African-Americans 25-54 and 35-64.[63] It also has a sizable popularity among younger listeners, ranking behind urban contemporary as the second-most popular format among African-American adults 18-34 in the same report, with an 18.9 audience share.[63]

The format typically excludes youthful rhythmic music, such as commercial hip-hop and rap, that are usually associated with the urban contemporary format.[64][65][66] The urban AC format is also associated with programming typically referred to as the "quiet storm", which focuses on mellower R&B ballads and slow jams -- often in a jazz-influenced style.[67][68][69][70]

As urban contemporary stations prefer hit-driven hip-hop songs, labels typically service R&B songs to the urban AC format only. Some current R&B musicians have complained that this is an artificial divide that prevents them from reaching a wider, mainstream audience (citing the relatively smaller number of urban AC outlets in comparison to urban and rhythmic), even with attempts to give some singles a hip-hop-influenced sound to improve the potential for crossover appeal. Some acts have attempted to disassociate themselves from "R&B" to reduce the effect of this stigma, although streaming services have helped to expose R&B to a wider audience beyond urban AC radio.[71][72]

Rhythmic adult contemporary

The Rhythmic adult contemporary format generally focuses on a variety of current and classic dance music, such as dance-pop, hip-hop, and R&B (often resembling a blend of the Classic hits and hot AC formats in practice). The exact composition of current and recurrent content can vary between stations, and recurrent content can also depend on factors such as the history and heritage of rhythmic formats in the market, ranging from late-80s/early-90s dance hits (including freestyle), to disco and Motown. Rhythmic Hot AC has also been used as a format, popularized by stations such as New York's WKTU and Seattle's KQMV.[73][74][75][76][77]

Smooth adult contemporary

Smooth Adult Contemporary was evolved from smooth jazz stations, in order to attract more younger listeners (particularly in the important 25-54 age demographic) without completely alienating jazz fans. Smooth AC stations played more of the vocalists popular on smooth jazz stations, such as Luther Vandross, Sade, Anita Baker, and Basia, Diana Krall,[78] while incorporating more mainstream and urban AC material from artists such as Celine Dion, Mary J. Blige and limiting instrumentals to two or three cuts an hour (and usually restricting airplay of instrumentals to artists such as Kenny G and Chuck Mangione who had crossover pop success). In markets where they existed, Smooth AC stations were meant to fill a void for soft music created by the mainstream Adult Contemporary format's overall move toward more uptempo adult Top-40 musical fare.

Contemporary Christian music


Christmas music

Since the 1990s it has become common for many AC stations, particularly soft AC stations, to play primarily or exclusively Christmas music during the Christmas season in November and December. While these tend mostly to be contemporary seasonal recordings by the same few artists featured under the normal format, most stations will also air some vintage holiday tunes from older pop, MOR, and adult standards artists - such as Mannheim Steamroller, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, The Carpenters, Percy Faith, Johnny Mathis and Andy Williams - many of whom would never be played on these stations during the rest of the year.

These Christmas music marathons typically start a few weeks before Thanksgiving Day and end after Christmas Day, or sometimes extending to New Year's Day. Afterwards, the stations usually resume their normal music fare. Several stations begin the holiday format much earlier, at the beginning of November especially after Halloween. The roots of this tradition can be traced back to the beautiful music and easy listening stations of the 1960s and 1970s.[]

Syndicated radio shows and networks carrying the adult contemporary format

  • Delilah - One of the USA's most popular radio shows, Delilah airs primarily in the evening.
  • Intelligence for Your Life - Hosted by John Tesh, this show also airs evenings and also on weekends.
  • American Top 40 with Ryan Seacrest - One version of AT40 airs on USA hot AC stations, which is a little different from its Top-40/CHR counterpart.
  • Radio Disney Music Top 30 Countdown, One version is for Hot AC stations, the other version is for Mainstream AC stations. Plays the USA Top 30 songs of the week according to Mediabase and a music rating service called ratethemusic.com. This show, like Rick Dees' show, is distributed by Compass Media Networks.
  • Backtrax USA with Kid Kelly - Weekend programs focusing on the '80s and '90s, targeted for hot AC stations.
  • Smooth Radio - A UK-wide radio network that formed from six regional Smooth Radio stations.
  • Nova (radio network) - A network of five Australian commercial radio station (based in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth) that are very similar to Smoothfm.
  • The Bob and Sheri Show - American morning drive show based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Heard on more than 50 AC stations and the American Forces Network

Former syndicated programming includes Dick Clark's US Music Survey (1996-2005), Casey's Hot 20/Casey's Countdown/American Top 20/10 (1992-2009) and Top 30 USA.

See also


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