Seasoned On-Air Talent Still Has A Love Affair With AC Radio
Since the merger of my production website and my professional wedding DJ is still ongoing, I wanted to take this time to talk about some more about radio, specifically a format that was near and dear to my heart. You know my attention these days is constantly divided by my day job and the sole ownership of my professional wedding DJ company. Yes, I am an owner-operated (boutique-style) wedding DJ service whose primary focus is making sure each one of his clients has the best mix of music for their wedding day. For more information on why you should hire me to be your wedding DJ, you should click over to my website and visit the main section of this blog. What is it that separates some DJs from the other more typical "average" DJs? I believe it has EVERYTHING to do with their musical vocabulary, how it was formed, how it's maintained, and how it continues to grow. I know that I won't be the first to tell you that I believe something is missing from music today. Something is missing that I experienced as a kid, and something we may never see again in the world of music. The golden era of adult contemporary music on the radio.
For those of you who have landed on this blog post and are wondering what he means by "adult contemporary radio", let me define that for you. Adult contemporary music might be the radio station your parents listened to when you were a kid. On the typical adult contemporary radio station, you would hear easy listening songs from the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Despite being off of terrestrial radio for several years, I still think about my experiences in the radio industry on a daily basis. It was one of the most fun times of my life. No matter if you did radio for 6 months or 6 years, you remember the incredible rush you once felt talking over the intro of a song and hitting the post, and getting to know your listeners by putting all of their requests on the air. I still have indelible memories of so many of the listeners who would frequent my shows during any of the dayparts I would be scheduled for on air. While the radio industry continues to evolve into a more content-driven platform, I still believe there is room for seasoned, top-notch radio voices to compliment any format across the country. Only time will tell if I ever am able to make inroads in some capacity back into the radio industry, but I wanted to take this time to reflect on some of the music that I was exposed to as a kid, and what shaped my style as a top wedding DJ. I would like to take this time to discuss one of my favorite radio formats of all time - adult contemporary. If there are any program directors at any radio stations across the country looking for a seasoned voice, please feel free to contact me.
Adult contemporary music of the 70s, 80s, 90s, and today is still one of the most listened to radio formats in the entire country. Even if research shows listenership of this music may be in decline, I believe that it is the responsibility of professional wedding DJs like me to share. their knowledge of this type of music, and to allow younger generations to enjoy its greatness. Even though some of the soft rock tracks that were popular years ago may slowly be beginning their removal from radio playlists, their demand appears to still be there from my clients. Soft rock ballads of this era still appeal to brides and grooms of all ages today. How do I know this without conducting a wide-scale music test for a radio station? During the course of my tenure as a wedding DJ, I've managed to put together one of the most popular wedding DJ blogs across the entire web. My blog is full of content used by my current and prospective clients to help them the plan the wedding music for their most important day. As a wedding DJ whose sole and primary focus is on the MUSIC for a client's wedding day, I've managed to put together some posts over the years that feature some of the best soft rock (adult contemporary radio) in history. Even years after these posts were published, they still capture the attention of viewers from all over the world. This tells me that there appears to still be quite a wide appeal to this type of music. I saw at a Gen Z wedding just a few years ago when the couple chose "Heaven" by Bryan Adams as their first dance song.
Why Do I Choose To Spotlight This Music On My Blog?
Not a day goes by that I don't think about my glory days as a radio DJ. While my career in radio may not have been as long as others, radio is infectious. Radio is like a virus that never goes away. No matter if you do it for 6 months or 60 years, the love and the passion is always there. The only thing I sometimes wish I could change about my time in radio is getting on the air sooner, so that I could have been playing some of these timeless classics to the listening public for the first time. Growing up in a household where I heard the soft rock songs of the 70s, 80s, and 90s shaped my musical vocabulary for the rest of my life. Most of the soft rock songs and ballads from this era had a distinct sound and amazing quality of reecording. Back in the 80s, the novelty of the crystal clear stereo sound of FM radio had not worn off, so listening to these soft rock songs through headphones was an audiophile's dream. Since the 80s and 90s, recording techniques for music have drastically changed, and not for the better either. A lot of the music from the golden age of adult contemporary radio was still being recorded on analog, which for most audiophiles has always been the preference for true sound excellence. As I've mentioned in past blogs, I can tell the populariity of soft rock songs of the 70s, 80s, and 90s continues today by the amount of traffic I see coming to these posts on my blog. If this kind of music did not appeal to music listeners in 2025, then I would not see the volume of traffic I continue to get to my website and blog. As a matter of fact, 35% of pages viewed on my blog have to do with 80s music.
Soft Rock From The 70s, 80s, and 90s Represents A Vibe: A Vibe of Love
True story. A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to DJ for an upscale salon. One of the owner's of the salon gave me a little insight into what some of her favorite music was, so I went from there and started to put together a playlist of songs. For a salon setting, I envisioned a clientele tmost likely to be made up of 100% women who would be going in to have their hair made up and facials and other beauty stuff to make themselves look sexy for their significant other. I created a mix of uptempo, sexy dance and mixed in some of softer sexy tunes. While the goal was not to get anyone dancing, I could tell that women were really connecting with what I was selecting during the course of the event. I created a vibe. This is what the best professional wedding DJs will do for you. I also believe that the great wedding DJs who have an appreciation for this type of music may be more suited to create this type of vibe for their clients. At this point in my career as a professional DJ, I am all about creating that vibe for my clients through their musical tastes.
Absolutely The Best Mix Of Dinner Music For Weddings
Back in December of 2022, I had been preparing for a Christmas season wedding and decided to put together a selection of songs that would appeal to practically any set of guests. Now, close to 3 1/2 years later, this post on my blog has become one of the most popular I've written. Please, click the link up above for an insight into one of the best mixes for dinner music at weddings for the modern bride and groom.
80s Soft Rock For Weddings
90s Soft Rock For Weddings
Feel free to click the links up above to enjoy of the best soft rock songs from the 70s, 80s, and 90s that still appeal to modern brides and grooms. I will be adding to this post in the coming weeks and months, but just wanted to take this time to get this passionate post started for you.
Ready To Hire DJ Mike Bills For Your Wedding?
Thank you for visiting my website and blog and getting into my mind as a wedding DJ. While my radio career ended years ago, the memories of my time behind the microphone burn bright and its ignited a passion that continues to burn bright. Without my stint as a radio DJ, I would never have been able to transition into becoming a successful wedding DJ in one of the top wedding markets in the country. Music is my passion and always will be. As I stated up above, this post is only getting started and more content will be added in the coming weeks and months. For those modern brides and grooms who are lovers of music and are interested in talking about music for their wedding, I am here for you. Talking about someone's musical tastes is absolutely one of the best conversation starters, and I would love to start a genuine conversation with you about the music for your wedding. All you need to do is click over to the link on my website to be taken over to my contact form. Fill it up and you'll be well on your way to speaking to one of the most passionate DJs about music. I look forward to speaking to you soon.
Oh! Here's just one more article from the blog archives for you to wet your appetite on my overall style as a professional wedding DJ. Check out this article on why you should hire a wedding DJ who performs at one wedding per day
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