Vanguard: America’s Newest Releases for International Broadcasters
While Euro Exclusive focused on Europe, Vanguard was designed specifically to cover the American music market.
Launched in May 1995, Vanguard delivered approximately 17 new releases every week, selected from across the contemporary American radio landscape.
Each edition combined recordings from several programming formats, including:
- Adult Contemporary
- Top 40
- Urban
- CHR
- Dance
- Modern Rock
- Album Rock
Rather than concentrating on a single format, Vanguard reflected the diversity of American commercial radio, allowing international broadcasters to evaluate new releases across multiple audiences from a single compilation.
Radio Ventures described Vanguard as a service created specifically for non-U.S. broadcasters, recognizing that many international stations depended on reliable American music sources to remain competitive.
The selection process was supervised by two experienced industry professionals:
Tracy Austin, Program Director at KIIS-FM Hartford, and Brian Corona, formerly Director of Alternative Music at Sony 550 Music before becoming National Director of Promotion at Capitol Records.
This combination of radio programming and record promotion experience helped ensure that Vanguard presented both established superstars and promising emerging artists at an early stage of their careers.
One of the company’s strongest selling points was the relationship between Vanguard and Euro Exclusive.
Radio Ventures emphasized that no duplication existed between the two services.
Subscribers could therefore combine both publications to receive comprehensive coverage of the American and European music industries without paying twice for the same recordings.