Here's how I chose music when I ran music rides. I played a rotation of about 20 of the top-ranked songs from Billboard's Top 100 chart. If you stick with the Top 20, it won't matter what part of the country you're in. Play the Top 20 starting about 6 P.M. for best results. Play older music in the daytime. You can't go wrong with Top 20 at night.
Even though you will hear the songs many times a night, it is necessary to appeal to the crowd with the MOST popular music, even if it gets old for the deejay or staff on the ride. Don't worry about the crowd hearing the same songs over and over, they'll turn over about every thirty minutes, so they won't really hear any repetition. Remember, you are programming this music for maximum $$$ and "market share" (in regards to the wristband count); not for your own pleasure. And, you know the crowds are heavier (and younger) at night when you're playing the latest Top 20. This will maximize the ride's walk-on ticket sales (non-wristband ticket sales).
I always played older music in the daytime, which is usually more family oriented; I "play" to the parents in the daytime. The longer you can keep the parents hanging around, the more likely they are to buy a ticket as they remember the fun time they had on a music ride when they were younger. Chances are their kids already have a wristband and you can encourage the parents to ride with the kids by your choice of music.
For daytime music, I usually use compilation albums that have enough good "oldies" songs on them to play all the way through. Compilation albums are the best choice in my opinion, because they have a variety of artists and you get a larger song library for less money.
If I were jocking a music ride right now, I would choose the Top 20 songs for play after 6 P.M., and play middle 1980s to late 1990s music for the daytime. I say 6 P.M. because that's usually when the crowd begins to get heavier around dinner time.
As for the daytime music programming, just think if you play a song from 1980, you could attract a person who might have been as young as twelve years old in 1980. I know from experience humans have to be about twelve years old to be aware of popular music. Therefore you would be appealing to people that were born as early as 1968. Those people would now be approximately 45 years old. People that age on music rides are the exception rather than the rule.
I'd not bother with the 1970s, 1960s and 1950s music. Remember, the people who were twelve years old in the year 1970 would be 55 years old or older. They aren't going to ride, they're going to watch.
I last ran a music ride in 2008, as a guest of the owner of the ride. I sold way more walk-on tickets than the regular mic man did, because I played oldies in the daytime, gauged to the age of the daytime crowd, and Top 20 at night. And before I took the mic, they were only running wristband customers and not selling any tickets. But I know the best profit is in the "walk-on" ticket price.
My advice is play to the age of the majority of people standing near the ticket box who are the right age to buy tickets for themselves to ride. The wristband kids will take care of themselves. You could play Frank Zappa and the wristband kids will fill the ride. They don't care what you play, because in their minds they are riding for "free" as many times as they want. So, you want to cater to the people who don't buy wristbands, but instead buy that expensive ticket for one ride.
Oh, and you have GOT to have a good act with lots of audience participation. Make them scream back to your "rap" and don't speed up the ride for wimpy crowds until they holler back. Tell them you can't hear 'em and mean it. If you make them "work" for top speed, they'll have more fun. The crowd in front (seeing how much fun the people on the ride are having) is what sells more tickets!
When I hear music ride operators today, they are mostly unintelligible (bad diction and bad English don't work well) and they usually don't invite ANY feedback from the riders....and folks, that's what it takes to make a good music ride, and a good music ride makes fantastic money per hour.
If I had to run a music ride this afternoon in 2013, I would probably play songs from the middle 1980s to the late 1990s. That should attract people approximately 25 to 40 years old. Tonight I'd be playing the current Top 20.
Tomorrow I'd be feeling my age.
P.S. If you haven't already, please visit my new website:
www.musicridesoftheworld.webs.com
Edited by user
Sunday, February 3, 2013 3:24:30 PM
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Reason: syntax
Please do not exit the ride until it comes to a complete stop.