Would you schedule Pink’s “Raise Your Glass” next to Katy Perry’s “Firework”?

“Raise Your Glass” next to Taio Cruz’s “Dynamite”?

Chris Brown’s “Yeah 3X” into Usher’s “More”?

Chances are that you may have already. Those are all segues of hit songs with a similarly kinetic feel that have been heard on Top 40 radio in recent weeks.

In most cases, CHR PDs say that they haven’t thrown up their hands when it comes to sound coding (despite frequent encouragement from the songs themselves to do just that). While not all PDs are concerned, most say they’re still trying to keep similar sounding songs away from each other—it’s just becoming a lot harder at a time when one core sound is coming to dominate the format.

Top 40 has never been shy about doubling down on a given sound before, from a glut of Doobie Brothers sound-alikes in 1980 to Destiny’s Child-like girl groups in 2000. While those trends have often led to directional shifts in the format, the sense of similar songs playing next to each other seems more noticeable this time. While consultant Guy Zapoleon compares it to the disco boom and backlash of the late ’70s, WBLI Long Island, N.Y., PD and Cox Top 40 format coordinator J.J. Rice asks, “Is it possible that there is more dance music on Top 40 currently than there was at the peak of disco in 1979?”

One factor has been the hitmaking prowess of a small handful of successful producers, often in partnership with each other. “Who’s populating the playlist now? It’s Dr. Luke, Benny Blanco, Max Martin, and Red One, and that’s what they do,” says CKFM (Virgin Radio) Toronto assistant brand director/MD Rob Basile. “They’re pushing 128-130 BPM with a lot of synths. Do I let it go? It depends [on the other available options]."

“Sound coding is alive and well for us, and it’s a very important part of the scheduling process, but with all of the great pop music out there, it’s tougher than ever” says Tony Florentino, PD of CHR/AC combo WNCI/WLZT Columbus, Ohio.

Adds Clear Channel/Miami Director/Programming Operations and WHYI (Y100) Miami PD Alex Tear, “Sound coding is not dead but we are in a cycle where the variety of textures may be limited. BPM is very popular right now in addition to the Pink/Katy/Avril Lavigne [female power pop sound].”

Also contributing is that, in many cases, artists and subgenres that had unique sounds a year ago have converged. Even 18 months ago, teen punk acts such as 3Oh!3 and Cobra Starship had morphed the genre's signature sound into something faster and dancier. Now, typified by “Raise Your Glass,” the female power/pop artists have followed as well. And, as WPXY Rochester, N.Y., PD Mike Danger puts it, “Usher used to be an Urban artist… but this is a dance record.” In fact, Usher and Chris Brown both still have major Urban hits, but that format's diminished influence at Top 40 means that "OMG" or "Yeah 3X" will go further at pop than "Hot Toddy" or "Deuces."

Danger also notes that the launch in recent years of second Top 40 stations in many markets centered on rhythmic pop has affected the available hit product. "The ‘Radio Now’s all started with a sound and attitude that was almost Rhythmic [Top 40],” he says.

The issues with sound coding come at a time when artist separation issues have already fallen—a victim of numerous guest appearances and sped-up single release schedules on a given artist. “Minimum separation between artists has been moderated to 20 minutes and sometimes 10 minutes. I’ve even seen just one song separation,” says scheduling guru Keith Hill. “This year, you could rename our station Rihanna 107.7,” says KSLZ (Z107.7)/KSGX St. Louis PD Jeff McHugh. And WFLZ Tampa, Fla., PD Tommy Chuck is one of several PDs who has started to allow double-plays as an alternative to having an artist play every few songs. So how can PDs be expected to separate not just artists but producers?

Not every programmer thinks there’s a problem. “While I do agree that some of us are [being shortsighted in] throwing genre variety out the window, it’s difficult to argue that the format has been hurt by a genre variety absence,” says Clear Channel/Portland, Ore., OM Tommy Austin. “Obviously we have an abundance of great, uptempo, rhythmic-leaning pop music right now… but with the advent of PPM, we’ve seen bigger Top 40 shares than ever,” adds Musicrunch’s Anthony Acampora.

And WDJX Louisville, Ky., PD Ben Davis speaks for many PDs when he says, “I think if it’s a big enough hit, the audience doesn’t care.” Despite his concerns, Y100’s Tear also warns against “thinking as a radio brain—simply play hits.” (Tear also points out that music image promos that showcase a station’s overall range become more important if it isn’t possible to get that variety in every segue.)

Besides, it wasn’t so long ago that some PDs refused to play two female artists back-to-back, a rule that now seems ridiculous. “Many of the things programmers spent a great deal of time worrying about in the past… are probably not viewed as quite as important today,” says CBS/Houston VP/music programming Mark Adams. He views sound coding as “far more nuanced” today, but there are still things he’ll try to avoid on his KKHH (Hot 95.7) such as Pink next to Katy Perry that might not be an issue for other stations.

Then there’s the matter of PPM ratings measurement, the availability of MScore data that shows the stickiness of individual songs in PPM, and tighter-than-ever playlists, all of which have factored in. Acampora points out that “listening occasions are usually only 8-10 minutes,” thus making song-to-song strength more important than other considerations. But Adams says, “Working to create an impression of variety is still important even with the reality of shorter average visits. Perhaps it’s even more important for that same reason.”

“We suspected this all along during the ‘write-it-down’ era, but PPM has made it obvious to everyone how difficult it is to break acoustic and broader genre records with 25-plus women. There’s not a lot of warming up [less obvious records] for Top 40” says Portland’s Austin. And one PD, who asked not to be identified, already believes that PDs are already allowing some weaker records through for balance.

But WFLZ’s Chuck, while still asserting that “the most important [consideration] is ‘hit or not?’”, is looking for balance records. “That’s why we’ve jumped out a little early on songs like ‘Marry Me’ by Train and ‘Get Higher’ by Paper Tongues. They are great songs, and different.”

And some of the PDs we spoke to feel that genre separation—while harder—is still achievable with enough attention to detail. “This is what happens when people hit F10 and go to lunch,” contends veteran MD Anita Bonita. “Sound coding is not dead but you would be surprised to know how many programmers don’t set it up correctly,” says KBKS (Kiss 106.1)/KUBE Seattle PD Eric Powers, who adds, “Many times a programmer or music director can be doing multiple stations and it becomes an oversight, or the programming staff has less interest in sound coding and breaks rules for various reasons.”

And several of the PDs we spoke to say they wouldn’t have allowed some of the segues that prompted this story. “’Yeah 3X,’ ‘OMG’ and ‘More’ are essentially the same records. I would rather have a Britney or Gaga record in that segue,” says Rice. “I wouldn’t have put those songs back to back,” says WKSE Buffalo, N.Y., PD Sue O’Neil. “They are newer, male, and the same sound.”

Even if strength is most important, says consultant Zapoleon, “sound and variety are still very important because if there are too many hits that sound the same in a row, we break that variety expectation of the format. Find a way to intelligently play the hits. Do I want to hear Chris Brown into Usher? No, not even on a Rhythmic Top 40… because there are different sounds available to break up those similar sounding songs.”

But CMT SVP/music strategy Jay Frank, who continues to follow all genres as the author of the book “FutureHit.DNA,” points out that within a lot of today’s hits, there’s an internal variety that might not be taken into account. “Ten years ago, rhythmic songs were mostly just 16-bar loops repeated over and over [but such songs are now] boring in an on-demand world. As songs resort to more stop/starts, chord changes, and sharp dynamic shifts, the linear sound radio needs begins to waver. So intuitively, it does make sense to have similar records playing next to each other.

“I think the audience has no separation concerns, especially when they are hits and their attention is so fragmented,” Frank adds. “If I was programming CHR, I’d probably find myself doing the same thing from time to time because for today’s vibe it just somehow sounds right.”