If you walked past the Target downtown this morning, you may have noticed a line of people waiting for the store’s opening. Don’t worry, it’s not Black Friday just yet. Today was the release of Cities 97’s 22nd Sampler, exclusively at Target.
If you walked past the Target downtown this morning, you may have noticed a line of people waiting for the store’s opening. Don’t worry, it’s not Black Friday just yet. Today was the release of Cities 97’s 22nd Sampler, exclusively at Target.
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November 18, 2010 at 9:38 am
The Rat saw the line when he brought the cat into the vet for her checkup. Had to ask what the line was for, and when they told him, he didn’t even know what they were talking about. All he knows is: it’s gotta be some Damn Good Music.
November 18, 2010 at 9:55 am
I’m confused as to why people would wait in line to get a mix cd like that. It doesn’t seem that exciting. Does the money go to charity or something?
November 18, 2010 at 10:06 am
a lot about it confuses me
November 18, 2010 at 10:07 am
I’m not sure if @Rat and @Kate are joking.
You are joking, right? The Sampler concept has been used by Cities97 every year for the past 20+ years. And, yes, proceeds go to area charities … somewhere in the neighborhood of $500,000 each year.
November 18, 2010 at 10:08 am
It’s a charity thing.
November 18, 2010 at 10:09 am
Do I strike you as a joker, ‘Nood?
November 18, 2010 at 10:32 am
I am a music snob so this whole thing cracks me up. Waiting in line for crappy music? No thanks 🙂
November 18, 2010 at 10:38 am
@Rat: I don’t know. It’s hard to tell on the Internet with some people. But maybe it’s a demonstration of how much less important radio has become to people. I can imagine the day will come soon enough when someone will ask “What’s a Cities97?”
😉
The Sampler had much greater impact and cache back in the days before YouTube and mp3s gave anyone an opportunity to listen to one-of-a-kind or in-studio performances. Nowadays, maybe not so much. You can plug “Cedar Avenue” into YouTube and get pretty much the same thing (sans video, of course) that you can buy on this years’ Sample. But for many people, I suppose, getting each years’ Sampler is like collecting royalty wedding plates or Elvis memorabilia. 😉
November 18, 2010 at 10:46 am
I listened to a few tracks. I wouldn’t buy it. Maybe people give it as presents, like ties. I used to actually listen to that station when we moved here. I think they changed their format to Dad’s Rock or something, and I haven’t turned it on since.
November 18, 2010 at 11:06 am
Santa bears for easy listening fans.
The music on the disc might be okay but that station has gone from decent to smug smarmy crap in the last decade.
November 18, 2010 at 11:12 am
The collection sounded painfully earnest to me.
November 18, 2010 at 11:34 am
that’s one way to put it.
I might go a little more DLR with my description.
November 18, 2010 at 12:23 pm
… that station has gone from decent to smug smarmy crap in the last decade.
That coincides with the sale of the station to Clear Channel. lol
Clear Channel ruined radio.
November 18, 2010 at 12:39 pm
Oh Nood if only that were true unfortunately IMHO Clear Channel is only giving the people what they want.
Suburban driving, pantsuit wearing soccer moms and the men who patronize them want cheesy baritone disc jockeys whispering to them inbetween playing incessant loops of Goo-goo-the-big-headed-wet-sprocket.
November 18, 2010 at 1:58 pm
Nice to see MNSpeak got it’s music snob back on today! I think half of the tunes on this sampler are pretty good – which is about average for almost every CD in the world.
Why do people line up? Charity. Ritual. To complete the set they’re collecting. Bored. It’s fun.
Pick one or two.
Points to noodleman, as usual — this was way cooler before there were performances everywhere online. Still, most of the 30-50 year-old set that listens to Cities 97 isn’t torrenting their fave live performances.
November 18, 2010 at 2:16 pm
@Jason: I seem to recall a couple of years ago — maybe when the 2-disc 20th Sampler was released — someone put an entire 20-volume collection up for auction on eBay. The final bid was in the low four-figures (or maybe I’m just imagining that bid because I can’t find anything online about it) because of the impracticality of anyone (outside of the radio station, I suppose) collecting 20 years worth of Samplers without missing a single one.
November 18, 2010 at 8:18 pm
Has anyone noticed the change in the Current play list recently? I seem to be hearing a lot more 90’s Alt hits than in the past.