Music fans: Are you listening?
by Jennifer Kern

One should have few reasons to purchase the latest albums from Mariah Carey and the Black Eyed Peas. If you turn on the radio, you are bound to hear a song off either of those albums anyway.

One album that has not been played on the radio much is “Underneath” by Hanson.

When it was released in April of 2004, “Underneath” debuted at number one on the Billboard Top Independent Albums chart.

But even with that kind of selling power, Hanson, as well as other indie bands, are having difficulty getting their music played at radio stations across the country.

This was one of the messages that brothers Isaac, Taylor and Zac Hanson brought to a full auditorium at the University of Minnesota campus last month.

The band, which had a major radio hit with “MmmBop” in 1997, debuted their new documentary “Strong Enough To Break” to local students and fans at the Nov. 20 screening. It was one of many stops to college campuses across the country.

The documentary vividly showed the band’s struggle of nearly four years to release a new album with the record label they were signed with at the time, Island Def Jam.

After releasing 2000’s “This Time Around,” the band felt they were dealing with a record label that cared mostly with the bottom dollar, and very little for artistic merit.

“Just a figure in a big Monopoly game,” croons middle-brother Taylor in the Hanson song, “Strong Enough To Break,” the name that was also given to the documentary.

The documentary also revealed the band’s process of starting their own independent music label, 3CG Records, and their difficulty in getting radio airplay for their new music.

Back in 1997, “MmmBop” infiltrated the airwaves. The brothers, then aged 11 to 16, had their songs played constantly. (I recall that it was actually the number one song of the year on 1997 radio countdowns.)

At the screening, Isaac, now 25, said that in today’s playlists, “MmmBop” in its peak popularity would be ranked fifth in received spins.

That says a lot for how few songs actually get played on today’s pop radio.

At last month’s screening, Hanson candidly answered questions about the music industry from students and encouraged the audience to take an active role in getting their favorite bands heard.

To show their dedication to the cause, Hanson held an opening band contest on their recent tour to give local bands, that have not been signed by a record label, another outlet to showcase their music.

At their recent show at Minneapolis’ “The Quest,” Menomonie, WI based “Catchpenny” opened the concert.

Hanson has also launched a website for their campaign; www.areyoulistening.com.

The website serves as a platform for independent bands and artists to reach a broader audience.

The documentary and message delivered to students and fans at the screening is endearing.

As a band that has seen the rewards and the pitfalls of the music industry, Hanson’s question and answer session at the University of Minnesota was a refreshing discussion among those who have a genuine love of music.

The band’s goal of the session was to invigorate the music industry’s future leaders, now students, to put the passion and artistry back into the industry.

And perhaps that isn’t such a lofty mission.

“It may seem like the Grand Canyon, but it’s not the Grand Canyon,” stressed Isaac.