Teen Dream Over? Now One Direction Having Trouble Getting New Single Played on Radio

It’s happened to every boy band and bubblegum pop
group. Ask NSync, the Backstreet Boys, the Partridge
Family, the Osmonds. In 11 days, Justin Bieber will see
if it happens to him. Your generation of fans ages out.
They grow up, move on, and put away childish things.
Maybe Zayn Malik saw the writing on the wall when he
quit One Direction a few weeks ago.
Now One Direction, the top teen band, is having trouble
getting played on the radio. They dropped “Drag Me
Down” as a surprise on July 31st. It went right to the top
of the iTunes chart. There were well over 300,000
downloads right away.
But now two weeks have passed. “Drag Me Down” is
stalled. On MediaAccess’s radio monitor, “Drag Me
Down” registers just on the Top 40 chart, and at number
21. Granted, it did move up from number 26. But it’s not
speeding upward. It’s more like floundering around.
On iTunes, sales have dropped off. “Drag Me Down” is
stuck at number 12. Of course, fans are waiting for a new
album, their first since “Four” in 2014. In the teen
market, you can’t wait around too long between
releases. When your fan isn’t paying attention, an older
sibling may hand them a Beatles, Stones, or Bowie
record. They may hear Hendrix. And then the party is
over.
Here’s “Drag Me Down.” Like a lot of pop music these
days it sounds a little like a Police record. One Direction
needn’t worry. Like Bieber, and Britney Spears, they’ll be
a live attraction longer than a chart machine. That’s the
way it usually goes.