ROLLING ON

Assuming that the Dust Brothers and Babyface songs go well and get on the new Stones album, will Mick Jagger’s radio gambit pay off? Or will having too many producers spoil the, er, Goat’s Head Soup?

“Voodoo Lounge” sold a so-so 1.8 million copies in the U.S., and “Stripped,” despite reworked versions of some Stones classics, did just 700,000--and neither had a high radio profile.

“The problem for ‘Voodoo Lounge’ on radio was less what the record sounded like and more a matter of timing,” says Jeff Pollack, a radio programming consultant with more than 100 client stations nationwide, including L.A.’s KLOS-FM. “That was the peak of alternative music, so it was a very tough time for them to fit in in that context.

“Now the opportunity has greatly increased for them to get airplay, with radio moving back toward a more varied musical mix. . . . And what’s refreshing about the collaborations is it shows a real understanding of what the marketplace is like today. Working with Babyface and the Dust Brothers will give the album a more multidimensional sound. That’s a critical part of a veteran band trying to remain viable.”