Adult album alternative (also triple-A, AAA, or adult alternative) is a

radio format A radio format or programming format (not to be confused with broadcast programming) describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. The radio format emerged mainly in the United States in the 1950s, at a time when Radio broadcasting, ...

. See pages 9 and 10Mills, Joshua. "A New Radio Music Format: Rock for Prosperous Adults"

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

, Feb 28 1994, p. 2. ProQuest. Web. Accessed September 4, 2021. See also New York Times archive.Staples, Brent. "Rock-and-Roll for Grown-Ups: The Record Business Gets a Scare."

, Dec 23 1996, p. 1. ProQuest. Web. Accessed September 4, 2021. See also New York Times archive. Its roots trace to both the " classic album stations of the ’70s as well as the

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

format that developed in the ’80s."

Format

The format has a broader, more diverse playlist than most other formats. Musical selection tends to be on the fringe of mainstream pop and

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

. It also includes many other

music genre A music genre is a conventional category that identifies some pieces of music as belonging to a shared tradition or set of conventions. It is to be distinguished from ''musical form'' and musical style, although in practice these terms are some ...

s such as

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

Americana Americana may refer to: *Americana (music), a genre or style of American music *Americana (culture), artifacts of the culture of the United States Film, radio and television * ''Americana'' (1992 TV series), a documentary series presented by J ...

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...

classic rock Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, primar ...

, new wave,

alternative country Alternative country, or alternative country rock (sometimes alt-country, insurgent country, Americana, or y'allternative), is a loosely defined subgenre of country music and/or country rock that includes acts that differ significantly in style ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fo ...

, world music,

jam band A jam band is a musical group whose concerts (and live albums) are characterized by lengthy improvisational "jams." These include extended musical improvisation over rhythmic grooves and chord patterns, and long sets of music which often cr ...

and

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

. The musical selections tend to avoid

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...

and

rap Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

music. Music selection also includes tracks from albums that are not

singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...

, which leads to the enhanced and larger playlist. Some AAA outlets focus more on classic rock artists, folk and blues while others focus on more contemporary artists and modern/indie rock.

Popularity

Some of the songs that first air on the Triple-A format have later found additional popularity on the

Adult Top 40 The Adult Pop Airplay (formerly known as Adult Pop Songs and Adult Top 40) chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and ranks "the most popular adult top 40 as based on radio airplay detections measured by Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems ...

modern rock Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music. Radio format Mod ...

, or

adult contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...

charts months after their initial Triple-A chart runs. The format is often seen as a "test market" for emerging artists.Mills, Joshua. "WNEW Gambles on Elite Rock Hybrid: Seeking Listeners Who Crave what they Half-Know. WNEW-FM Gambles on Elite Rock Hybrid." New York Times, Aug 01 1995, p. 2. ProQuest. Web. Accessed September 4, 2021. See also New York Times archive. The format has gone off and on in the Los Angeles radio market. Currently

KCSN KCSN (88.5 FM, "The SoCal Sound") is a non-commercial educational radio station licensed to Northridge, California and owned by California State University, Northridge. The station simulcasts with KSBR from Saddleback College in Mission Viejo. ...

and simulcast partner

KSBR KSBR (88.5 FM, "The SoCal Sound") is a non-commercial educational radio station licensed to Mission Viejo, California and broadcasting to the Orange County area. The station is owned by Saddleback College and airs adult album alternative (AAA) ...

broadcast a Triple A format in the Los Angeles and Orange Country areas respectively. The format still exists in New York City (

WFUV WFUV (90.7 FM) is a non–commercial radio station licensed to New York, New York. The station is owned by Fordham University, with studios on its Bronx campus and its antenna atop nearby Montefiore Medical Center. WFUV first went on the air ...

); Chicago (

WXRT WXRT (93.1 FM), also known as XRT and 93-XRT is an adult album alternative (AAA) radio station in Chicago, Illinois. For many years, their slogan has been "Chicago's Finest Rock". "Chicago's Home For Music Lovers" has been used as its slogan si ...

); Philadelphia (

WXPN WXPN (88.5 FM) is a non-commercial, public radio station licensed to The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that broadcasts an adult album alternative (AAA) radio format, along with many other format shows ...

); Minneapolis (

KCMP KCMP (89.3 FM, 89.3 The Current) is a radio station owned by Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) that broadcasts a AAA music format including a significant rotation of songs by local artists. Licensed to Northfield, Minnesota and covering the Minnea ...

); Boston (

WXRV WXRV (92.5 FM; "The River") is an adult album alternative radio station licensed to Andover, Massachusetts, and based in Haverhill, with a signal covering most of northeast Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire, and audible as far away as ...

WERS WERS (88.9 FM) is one of Emerson College's two radio stations (the other being campus station WECB), located in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Programming features over 20 different styles of music and news, including live performances and ...

, and Americana leaning

WUMB-FM WUMB-FM (91.9 FM) in Boston, Massachusetts, is the radio station of the University of Massachusetts Boston. It broadcasts an Americana/Blues/Roots/Folk mix hosted by its staff weekdays. On weekends the station concentrates on traditional folk, ...

); Aspen, Colorado ( KSPN-FM); Denver (

KBCO KBCO (97.3 FM) is a radio station in Denver that is licensed to Boulder, Colorado. Owned by iHeartMedia, it broadcasts an adult album alternative (AAA) format. Its studios are located alongside its sister stations in southeast Denver, while it ...

and

KVOQ KVOQ may refer to: * KVOQ (FM), a radio station (102.3 FM) licensed to serve Greenwood Village, Colorado * KDCO (AM), a radio station (1340 AM) licensed to serve Denver, Colorado, which held the call sign KVOQ from 2011 to 2015 * KKHK, a radio stat ...

); Fort Collins (

KJAC KJAC is a non-commercial public radio station located in Timnath, Colorado, broadcasting to the Fort Collins-Denver, Colorado area on 105.5 FM. History Adult hits (2004-2012) The station previously aired an adult hits music format brand ...

); Portland, Oregon (

KINK Kink or KINK may refer to: Common uses * Kink (sexuality), a colloquial term for non-normative sexual behavior * Kink, a curvature, bend, or twist Geography * Kink, Iran, a village in Iran * The Kink, a man-made geographic feature in remote ea ...

); Portland, Maine (

WCLZ WCLZ (98.9 FM) is a radio station licensed to North Yarmouth, Maine with studios located in Portland, Maine. Since 2001 WCLZ has been broadcasting an adult alternative format. It is under ownership of Saga Communications. Programming WCLZ o ...

); Indianapolis (

WTTS WTTS is an FM radio station serving Indianapolis and Bloomington, Indiana, in the United States, licensed to Trafalgar, Indiana, and broadcasting at 92.3 FM. The station's format is classified as adult album alternative or "triple A." WTTS u ...

); Nashville (

WRLT WRLT (branded "Lightning 100") is an adult album alternative-formatted FM radio station in the Nashville, Tennessee market and located at 100.1 MHz. The station is licensed to Franklin, Tennessee, some 20 miles south of Nashville. The sta ...

WNXP WNXP (91.1 FM) is a public radio station in Nashville, Tennessee. The station is owned by Nashville Public Radio, the licensee of Nashville's main NPR member station, WPLN-FM. It airs an adult album alternative (AAA) radio format. WNXP holds p ...

, and Americana leaning

WMOT WMOT is a public radio station serving the metropolitan Nashville, Tennessee market. Licensed to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, it is owned by the Middle Tennessee State University, located in nearby Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and it broadcasts an Ame ...

); Conway, New Hampshire (

WMWV WMWV (93.5 FM) is a radio station broadcasting an Adult Album Alternative format. Licensed to Conway, New Hampshire, United States, the station serves the Mount Washington Valley area. The station is currently owned by Mt. Washington Radio & Gr ...

); Burlington, Vermont (

WNCS NCS may refer to: Biology and chemistry * N-Chlorosuccinimide, an organic chemical * Neotenic complex syndrome * Nerve conduction study, a medical diagnostic test * Neuronal calcium sensor, a family of proteins * Thiocyanate, an organic compou ...

); Turners Falls-Northampton, Massachusetts (

WRSI WRSI (93.9 FM, "93.9 The River") is a radio station licensed to serve Turners Falls, Massachusetts. The station is owned by Saga Communications and licensed to Saga Communications of New England, LLC. It airs an adult album alternative music fo ...

); Woodstock, New York (

WDST WDST (100.1 Hertz, MHz), branded as "Radio Woodstock 100.1", is a commercial radio, commercial FM broadcasting, FM radio station licensed to Woodstock, New York, and serving the Mid-Hudson Valley. Radio Woodstock is known as a progressive rock, pr ...

); Austin ( KGSR-HD2,

KUTX KUTX (98.9 FM) is a non-commercial radio station licensed to Leander, Texas and serving the greater Austin, Texas area with an Adult album alternative format. The station is owned by University of Texas at Austin with headquarters at the Belo ...

, and KTSN); and Dallas (

KKXT KKXT (91.7 FM) is a listener-supported public radio station, licensed to Dallas, Texas and broadcasting to the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex. It has a Triple A (adult album alternative) music format with a mix of acoustic, alt-country, indie ...

). On July 10, 2008 '' Billboard'' began a Triple-A chart (using information from sister-publication ''

Radio and Records ''Radio & Records'' (''R&R'') was a trade publication providing news and airplay information for the radio and music industries. It started as an independent trade from 1973 to 2006 until VNU Media took over in 2006 and became a relaunched sister ...

'', a news magazine devoted to the radio and the music industries that has since ceased publication). Rival

Mediabase 24/7 Mediabase is a music industry service that monitors radio station airplay in 180 US and Canadian markets. Mediabase publishes music charts and data based on the most played songs on terrestrial and satellite radio, and provides in-depth analy ...

also compiles a Triple A chart. As of mid-2009, ''Radio and Records'' publications and accompanying charts were discontinued. As of 2010, ''Billboard'' publishes Triple A charts in the magazine and for its premium members on its website. Mediabase also publishes Triple A charts on a daily basis. Additional Triple-A charts are published by

CMJ CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events and online media company, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music Monthly'' and ''CMJ New Music Report''. Th ...

and

FMQB ''Friday Morning Quarterback'' (better known as ''FMQB'') was a trade magazine which covered the radio and music industries in the United States. Its coverage included programming, management, promotion, marketing, and airplay Airplay is how ...

. FMQB also produces the annual Triple A Conference in

Boulder, Colorado Boulder is a home rule city that is the county seat and most populous municipality of Boulder County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 108,250 at the 2020 United States census, making it the 12th most populous city in Color ...

, USA, an event that grew out of the Gavin Report's Triple A Summit, first held in 1993. FMQB took over production of the event, rebranding it as the Triple A Conference, after the closing of ''Radio & Records'' in 2009. At the end of 2019, FMQB closed and all Triple A services were absorbed by Jack Barton Entertainment, LLC (JBE), helmed by Jack Barton, former VP/Triple A at FMQB. JBE has rebranded the Boulder convention as the Triple A SummitFest and continues to publish weekly Triple A charts, including a Non-Commercial album chart, as well as a weekly newsletter (JBE Triple A Report) covering Triple A radio and the music it plays.

References

Radio-Locator's Format Definition: Adult Album Alternative AllMusic
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adult Album Alternative Radio formats