‘Kidz Bop’ albums play to preteen set

The fact that you can buy a Mickey Mouse CD player or a Hello Kitty! boom box may not seem culturally compelling, but in fact each is a potent sign of the times in pop music. More than ever, grade-school students constitute a coveted demographic for music, and their tastes have, for better or worse, tilted pop culture in dramatic ways over the last decade. If Radio Disney, the career of Hilary Duff and the massive sales of ‘N Sync and Backstreet Boys weren’t proof enough, ask yourself why people such as Johnny Depp and Ice Cube now show up at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards.

More evidence arrives this week when a curious CD called “Kidz Bop 9” is expected to debut in the Top 10 of the nation’s album chart.

The CD features hit songs, among them Green Day’s “Wake Me Up When September Ends,” Coldplay’s “Speed of Sound” and Gwen Stefani’s “Cool.” But instead of the familiar versions by those artists, here you get a gaggle of kids belting them out in a style that might be described as a summer camp sing-along.

Who exactly would want to buy it? Maybe the same people who bought close to 6 million copies of the previous editions. Last year, “Kidz Bop 8” debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard Top 200 albums chart, the strongest opening sales for a nonsoundtrack children’s album in the chart’s history. This new edition may well top that performance.

“It’s really building, we’ve seen it get stronger, and now we have toys and merchandise to tie in as well,” said Cliff Chenfeld, who hatched the “Kidz Bop” idea in 2001 with partner Craig Balsam, the co-owners of the New York independent entertainment company called Razor & Tie. They advertise heavily on television and use a constantly changing lineup of singers to hold on to the “kids just like you” sales pitch.

The target audience is children ages 5 to 10. “These are the kids now who say, ‘Please don’t play us baby songs,’ ” Chenfeld says, “and this way the parents can give them hit songs from today but also feel comfortable that they are not buying something questionable in content.” That’s because the “Kidz Bop” series steers clear of songs that veer toward sex and violence.

Balsam said the strength of the brand now is a trust factor and, for the parents, music that falls somewhere between Barney and Britney. “For the parents, it’s a little window into what’s popular and a way for them to relate to their kids more,” Balsam said.

But haven’t the Razor & Tie team heard any grumbling from parents who want to pull their hair out after the 35th playing of a “Kidz Bop” CD? “Oh, sure,” Balsam said. “Some people find this really annoying. It’s not a record that is intended to get good reviews. It’s just fun for the kids.”