Why holiday music doesn't have to suck, but usually will anyway

OK. I wouldn't mind if they played this holiday song in supermarkets and shopping malls.

Too bad they never will.

Not so much because it's a Hanukkah song and not a Christmas song. I think the world is ready for a tiny bit of religious diversity. No, the main thing it has going against it is that it's new. Says Jerry McWreath, who works for the consulting company that first talked radio stations into changing to all-Christmas formats over the holidays:

"We have found that listeners tend to prefer a core of classics titles, such as 'Winter Wonderland,' 'Silver Bells' and 'Let It Snow,' performed by various artists, as opposed to going deeper with more titles. These songs take listeners back to their childhood and their own positive memories. (The chosen song titles) are based on the research that we see nationwide conducted among radio listeners."

(Full article at Observer-Reporter.com.)

So unless Matisyahu, the Hasidic reggae musician who wrote "Miracle," can go back and time and get airplay for the song around 1950, he's out of luck.