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From: ebh@hou4b.UUCP (Ed Horch)
Newsgroups: net.music
Subject: Speeded-up records
Message-ID: <984@hou4b.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 11-Jul-84 10:37:19 EDT
Article-I.D.: hou4b.984
Posted: Wed Jul 11 10:37:19 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 12-Jul-84 03:58:17 EDT
Organization: AT&T-ISL, Holmdel, NJ
Lines: 41

[this space for rent]

A long time ago, I also noticed that records played on some
radio stations were being played faster than 33/45 rpm.  How-
it only seemed to happen on the total-hype, top-40 stations,
i.e. the ones that would care the least about how the music
sounded.  I had a hunch about why this was, so I talked to
a friend of mine who was a DJ at one of the (non-top-40)
stations, and had been a program director at a top-40 station
in the past.

He confirmed what I had thought:  These stations couldn't care
less whether the music sounds "bright", "dull", or whatever.
Speeding up the music shortens the length of each song by
between 4 and 9%, depending on the turntable used.  They mix
turntables so that it won't be quite so obvious to the
average 12-year-old.  In addition, it is common practice to
run two adjacent songs together (producing an offensive non-
counterpoint) to shave maybe another 15 or 20 seconds off the
total time.  In extreme cases, parts of the beginning or end
are simply discarded, e.g. starting "Thriller" at the point
where the brass comes in.

All this compacting of music time serves exactly one purpose:
making room for more commercials.  Commercials pay more than
music, right?  So if you can play, say, two or three more
commercials in a given hour, that's just money in the bank.
And since these stations are usually highly popular, there's
never a shortage of advertisers.  There's also no cost to
your "station with the most music" hype.  That's all measured
in "songs", be they 3.5 or 3 minutes each.

I've noticed lately that some stations are now equipped with
devices that speed up songs without increasing their pitch.
Not quite as obscene as just cranking up the turntable, but
almost.  If you'll excuse me, I think I'll go play an album.
At 33 1/3 rpm.  Or maybe I'll forsake all ethics and buy a
top-40 station and get rich.  *sigh*

-Ed Horch      {ihnp4!houxm, akgua}!hou4b!ebh
"You know this Earthling - er, person?"