LexingtonPethead wrote:Well, I don't see what's so great about this post. I think trying to pin Petra's failure to get radio exposure on their fanbase is way off the mark. Likewise, blaming CCM's anti-Petra bias on their fanbase is just as ridiculous.
I'm not suggesting that
all of Petra's problems are related to their fanbase, nor do I think that their problems with airplay are entirely caused by "over-zealous fans." I do think, however, that radio stations respond poorly to a barrage of calls from people who aren't in their listening area or who don't regularly listen to their station. Regardless of how we feel about the band, there's a certain amount of deceit in promoting them where we can't hear them or to stations we don't listen to.
I'm not pointing fingers, by the way--simply pointing out that this has happened on some scale in the past. (Petheads are the reason, I think, that ChristianRock.net now has request rules as they are now. Petra's ranking was dropped pretty arbitrarily because some people would over-request the song.)
Let's turn the tables for a second. Do you detect in this zone a certain "Anti-CCM" bias? A quick examination of some threads would indicate that this is so.
When we approach CCM in that manner, it becomes doubly hard to promote the band sincerely. ("Well, I don't really care for CCM, but that's what Petra has to play in, so I'll deal with the goons at Word or RadioU because I have to.")
That's like saying the more we like listening to Petra, the less likely we are to hear them on the radio and the less popular they will be in the mainstream.
Isn't this to a certain degree the case? What happens to over-played singles and over-hyped artists? And significant genres of music predicate their existence on the rejection of the mainstream. You could almost argue that Petra belongs to such a genre.
I'm sure radio stations get requests all the time to play bands that never make their playlists. I doubt very seriously that any radio station is going to single out Petra and hold a grudge because some Pethead requested Jekyll & Hyde.
But they
will if a lot of overbearing, pushy fans who have a chip on their shoulders call in and argue with them about how to run their business. And yes, this
has happened.
Also, I just don't buy the idea that overzealous fans are causing Petra to be more unpopular. What's that supposed to mean?... Petheads are turning people off by either talking about them too much to people who don't like them, or by making people listen to their music against their will? How else does an overzealous fan cause Petra to become less popular in the mainstream? Anyone care to explain that?
It's the simple fact that a lot of fans--of any artist or band, not just Petra--aren't objective, and there is nothing more frustrating than talking to someone who can't see objectively. How else do you explain people who think the Cubs can actually win the series this year? (Said with tongue somewhat in cheek.)
I'm not saying that we all need to be musical critics. But the fact of the matter is that, while Jekyll and Hyde is "the most musically relevant record Petra's done in the past decade," Petra simply isn't producing ground-breaking work. JAH is a pleasant listen when you're in the mood for stripped down rock'n'roll, but it pales in comparison musically to Jesus Freak. Let's call a spade a spade. JAH is a good album--but it isn't great, and if radio stations and their listeners come to the same conclusion, it shouldn't surprise us that that would choose something else.
There's another point to consider: how much does the voting of the listeners reflect how much they liked the other song
in comparison? There are so many different reasons that WSC could sink that it's hard to say that it sunk because Petra-haters called in.
Beyond this, it ascribes a certain amount of fame to Petra that they don't really have. Does your average CCM groupie really know who they are, outside of the Houseplant song? (Answer: no.) Sure, there are a few people without lives who might get their kicks by sinking Petra songs (or writing poorly-thought-out messages to Petra fan boards), but by and large, I think most people have better things to do with their lives.
it was a THEORY based on my interactions with people I know personally, and who would have sunk any song by Petra regardless of what it sounded like. 
