STrib: After 30 years, popular Cities 97 'Sampler' CD comes to an end

BleedGopher

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per STrib:

As the final song list for Cities 97’s 30th anniversary “Sampler” CD came together a few months ago, one track proved especially complicated for approval. The estate of late Cranberries singer Dolores O’Riordan got involved. So did the record company for the young Los Angeles band Bad Wolves. Negotiations went well past the deadline.

The local boss at Cities 97 radio station (97.1 FM) actually relished the predicament.

“This is the last time we’re doing this, so of course there had to be at least one track that caused us that kind of stress,” said Rich Davis, director of programming at the adult-pop Twin Cities station. “But it was definitely worth it.”

The past 29 years of “Sampler” busywork have been so worth it, too.

Through countless mediations with artists’ representatives and sometimes endless on-air hype, the popular charity CD series has poured nearly $13 million into Minnesota charities while putting a lot of rare David Gray, Jason Mraz and Sarah McLachlan recordings out into the world.

Like the numerical code journalists use to signal the end of a story, the “30” emblazoned on the cover of this year’s “Sampler” CD marks its last installment. The final edition features 19 live recordings by recent “Sampler” mainstays, including Imagine Dragons, ZZ Ward and Matt Nathanson, as well as relative newcomers such as Leon Bridges, Portugal. the Man, Jade Bird and the aforementioned Bad Wolves (whose cover of the Cranberries’ “Zombie” caused the hang-up).

“Sampler, Vol. 30” hits metro area Target stores Tuesday morning after several weeks of pre-order availability. There’s a release party Thursday at Myth in Maplewood with Nathanson, Mat Kearney, Dean Lewis and local fixture Tim Mahoney, who’s also featured on “Vol. 30.”

Once this year’s discs are gone, the series will be mothballed. The main reason for its cancellation should be as obvious as the dwindling size of the music aisles at those Target stores where the “Samplers” are sold.

“Nobody is buying CDs anymore,” Davis said flatly. “That’s really the only format we can work with in this case.”

Lauren MacLeash, the former Cities 97 program director who steered the “Samplers” through their heyday, lamented, “Technology has changed, and there’s no turning back. But at least those of us who still have CD players can hang onto them and play them for years to come.”

http://www.startribune.com/after-30-years-popular-cities-97-sampler-cd-comes-to-an-end/500284752/

Go Gophers!!
 

I didn't even know Cities 97 was still around. Didn't they get bought-out or switched formats?
 




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