[article] Why the UK Top 40 has changed for the worse

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by pathosdrama, Mar 9, 2017.

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  1. pathosdrama

    pathosdrama Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Firenze, Italy
    Why the UK Top 40 has changed for the worse

    Pretty sharp insight: "I rang James Masterton from the Chart Watch UK website and he told me that in 1997, the Top 40's most eventful year, there were 729 different entries. 2006 had 395. By the first week of December, 2016 had produced just 85."
     
    goodiesguy and zphage like this.
  2. qwyjibo

    qwyjibo Forum Resident

    Location:
    London, UK
    Yep, the UK top 40 singles chart has been worthless for about a decade now and the move to introduce streaming has only made it worse. While in the past bands from genres such as metal, hard rock, punk and industrial could often make the lower reaches of the the chart, now they are pretty much completely absent and I find that a real shame.
     
  3. lightbulb

    lightbulb Not the Brightest of the Bunch

    Location:
    Smogville CA USA
    However, on the plus side, the hardcore collectors of Top 100 charting singles must be saving a ton of money!

    But seriously, in years past, I'm sure there were many barely passable fluke "hits", "trendy" tunes, or novelty songs that no one would raise an eyebrow over now. (Perhaps these one-off songs fall into the "$#!+ click" category mentioned in the article..)

    Are current charts devoid of these ear-sores?
     
  4. Vaughan

    Vaughan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Essex, UK
    If ever there's a musical institution that needs to die, it's the charts. Maybe second only to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I mean, what's the point of it, other than a marketing tool for labels? They can't police it these days like they used to, so it's just a stupid game. Although to be fair, it always was.
     
  5. moj

    moj Forum Resident

    Location:
    London UK
    If, as the article says,'streaming now constitutes 80 per cent of the singles market' (whatever that means), then the obvious solution is to recalibrate the value of a streamed song. I believe that the ratio at present is '100 streams = 1 physical single or download'. Change it to 500:1 and you'll see a less constipated chart that gives greater weight to new releases which, hopefully, will enable new acts to gain greater exposure.
     
  6. skimminstones

    skimminstones Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kent, UK
    havent even looked at a top 40 chart since top of the pops finished. Wouldnt have a clue who has been number 1.
     
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  7. Gaslight

    Gaslight ⎧⚍⎫⚑

    Location:
    Northeast USA
    Some people like award shows, museums and looking at charts.

    Just look at the uptick in Grammy winner sales, after the show is over. They things exist for a reason - when people stop caring about them, then they'll disappear.
     
  8. Vaughan

    Vaughan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Essex, UK
    Well, I allow myself a certain amount of snobbery and tend to draw a line between music lovers and the people you describe. :D
     
  9. DeadLoss

    DeadLoss Well-Known Member

    Location:
    UK
    The Hall Of Shame is just another of the music industry's, smoke & mirrors, pieces of crap. File it along side: Rip-off Store Day; super-deluxe this, that & the other; brickwalled remasters, and avaricious 'meet & greets'.

    As to the singles charts, they've been redundant for the past fifteen years. The album charts likewise: stuffed full of 'modern' wallpaper cack, plus 'rinse & repeat' has-beens. Mainstream music is totally moribund, with only stuff on the outer margins meriting the term 'creative'.
     
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  10. John54

    John54 Senior Member

    Location:
    Burlington, ON
    They should have added, "since the end of the '60s".
     
  11. Danby Delight

    Danby Delight Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston
    So when did you realize you hate music?
     
  12. the sands

    the sands Forum Resident

    Location:
    Oslo, Norway
    Much of what I listen to does not reach the top 40 and it is just fine with me. I do not miss it but I think that some artists and records could have deserved it.
     
  13. Vaughan

    Vaughan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Essex, UK
    I just read this article:

    Ed Sheeran has nine of top 10, but thinks it's weird

    If that doesn't indicate it's well passed importance, I don't know what does.
     
  14. Manapua

    Manapua Forum Resident

    Location:
    Honolulu
    Indeed, this happens quite a bit nowadays when a popular artist releases a new album. Drake, The Weeknd, Chainsmokers, etc. tend to flood the singles charts with multiple songs for several weeks before things settle down. This is playing havoc with statistics not seen since the initial days of the Beatles.
     
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