89.3 Essential Artist Ballot page
I guess this was launched on April 4th or around that time which was about 10 days ago, and the deadline to submit a ballot is on Monday April 17th at 11:59 CST aka Tuesday April 18th at Midnight.
The winner receives a $300 Gift Card to The Electric Fetus.
Not that these things mean a ton to me, but I guess it would have been nice to have known when it launched. But, I don't follow 89.3 or listen of course very much for pretty good and obvious reasons that I've more or less posted in here many times.
But, so I found the email come to me yesterday afternoon and especially seeing the deadline, I submitted a ballot.
So, there's more to add in a minute, but here's 2 things to post right away.
My Ballot:
1. Marillion
2. Kevin Gilbert
3. Fates Warning
4. Rush
5. dredg
6. Genesis
7. Ours
8. The Dear Hunter
9. Dream Theater
10. King's X
And a recent post I made in a topic on dreamtheaterforums.org
"Who are you top 10 Bands as of right now"
1a. Marillion
1b. Kevin Gilbert (Solo, Toy Matinee, Giraffe, NRG)
Fates Warning
dredg
Genesis
Rush
Ours
King's X
The Dear Hunter
Dream Theater
edit: Pain of Salvation, Yes, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Queen........
Of course like many, getting a favorites list down to a top 10 is not easy and something I usually don't like to do, especially RANKING them, as I didn't do on that DTF topic.
But among the top 10 I put in my ballot, of course only 3 of them showed up in 89.3's database. The other 7 THEY HAVE NEVER PLAYED A SONG BY ON THEIR AIR. EVER. NOT ONCE IN THE 12+ YEARS THEY HAVE BEEN A RADIO STATION, ETC.
Which pretty much means
a) there's really no chance any of those 7 artists (Kevin Gilbert, Fates Warning, dredg, Ours, King's X, The Dear Hunter and Dream Theater) will end up on their 893 artist list because they don't even have any of their music to play in their library
b) even if they somehow did end up receiving enough votes, like the 2nd part of a)...they wouldn't play them because they don't have their music in the library to play.
My list, or the ballot I submitted, I guess I chose partially for that reason, because if I had voted for Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Queen or even Yes, those artists have been played on their air. I mean if it were a Top 20 or 30, sure, I would have a hard time not including them as I included them as sort of honorable mentions on my DTF post.
But my prediction is the results will end up quite similar to the results of the 893 Essential Albums .List from May 2016 . And I'll likely follow it and transcribe and/or REACT TO it as I did last May to that, including maybe MY OWN list. Although I will admit, while I came up with well over 1000 albums, I am skeptical I could include even half that many artists that I actually am a reasonable good fan of.
Maybe 250? I guess I'll have to scan my rym and that 1000+ list of artists and see. At least given it's artists and not albums or songs, it shouldn't take nearly as long. In fact I could probably spend an hour 2 tops and come up with most of it which I may do, long before 89.3's list comes out.
But one other thing that crossed my mind about this, in thinking about the likely, pretty eye-rolling list that I anticipate, is that in 2016 it was 893 albums, 2017 893 Artists, so in 2018 it might be 893 songs, if they haven't already done one for Songs (I somehow think they did, but maybe it wasn't in this so called voting process? I can't remember).
But instead, they should do an 893 Minutes thing. And have I would think like 10 people either submit something to the station (and anyone would be eligible, a MPR/89.3 MEMBER or not, and that would have NO BEARING on whether they were selected).
Each of the 10 people selected would be allowed 89 minutes and 30 seconds or 1 hour, 29 minutes and 30 seconds approximately on their air to play DJ.
And the kicker would be, EACH PERSON SELECTED WOULD BE ABLE TO CHOOSE WHATEVER MUSIC THEY WANT. AS LONG AS THEY DON'T VIOLATE ANY FCC RULES, ETC OF COURSE.
All of the 10 people selected would have their music screened by 89.3's producers, and if any and/or all of it was not previously available in their playlist/database, those people selected would just bring it to their session to be on the air.
And each person selected would be on for those 89 minutes and 30 seconds once a day for 2 weeks, etc.
That would be A LOT MORE INTRIGUING AND COOL to me.
But I think I have a better chance becoming the new 89.3 Program Director in the next 6 months, than that ever happening in the next 3 years, if ever. Which again, goes back to the broken record about 89.3 and why they could be a lot more appealing and cool of a station to me, but they likely never will. But I can't help but still pay attention and be proven right (or on very rare occasions) wrong about them and their playlists. And doing these listener driven special projects are more interesting than their normal playlists and programs anyway, that I can't avoid still paying attention to them.
And number 1, should be The Beatles, but this is Minnesota and the Hipsters, so I suppose there's a decent chance Radiohead and Bob Dylan ends up as #1. Or Prince, which I can at least accept I suppose.
What I wish they would do though is include a comprehensive list of all of the thousands/10's of thousands of votes, just to see if any of those other 7 artists received votes besides mine.
