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Posted by: ♀mdh♀ Apr 20 2017, 08:36 PM

I was just thinking to myself what the charts mean to me in my day-to-day life, and it's occurred to me just how much of a big part they play in my day. So yeah, it brings up the question - what's your relationship with the charts right now?

I know that a lot of peoples interest in the charts dwindled after OA/OS started to take over and the turnover at the top of the charts slowed down a bit, but personally since then (the end of 2015 namely) I've been getting progressively more and more invested in the UK charts and gained more of a keen interest/obsession with the UK music industry in general.

So here are my questions for you - how much of a portion of your life does music/the charts take up? Are you the kind of person to obsessively refresh iTunes every ten minutes and spend hours on Buzzjack in the chart forum, or do you tend to just have more of a passive interest?
I ask this as I know there are some on here that don't really hold much of an interest these days, and some who're at the other end of the spectrum and are completely OBSESSED with the charts (naming no names )

Discuss!

Posted by: PeteFromCats Apr 20 2017, 08:47 PM

The charts are a very big part of my life. I make sure I'm somewhere where I can listen to them every week, although last summer when there was only like 1 new entry a week I was despairing

Posted by: danG Apr 20 2017, 09:08 PM

I still find the charts very interesting, even now when songs don't have artificially boosted chart positions from being held-back for weeks and they're allowed to grow naturally - I just wish there was a slightly faster turnover! (I will be super-pissed if Symphony loses a #1 peak to f***ing Shape Of You)

Posted by: Ne Plus Ultra Apr 20 2017, 09:13 PM

Once Ed Sheeran, Bieber, and Drake took over the charts, my interest in the modern day ones are almost down to zero.

Posted by: slowdown73 Apr 20 2017, 09:16 PM

I don't follow the charts as much anymore. I no longer listen to the weekly run downs but do check the midweek positions. Streaming has virtually sucked the life out of the charts and lack of interesting new music has made me switch off a lot in the last few years!

Posted by: All★bySmashMouth Apr 20 2017, 09:21 PM

I always and still will pay attention to the charts. Just not as much as I used to because I've been doing something else.

I still check every week of course but I try not to have some sort of entitlement about songs failing the Top 40 because of streams or whatever. I mean it's just the Top 40 at the end of the day.

Posted by: Mart!n Apr 20 2017, 09:25 PM

Same here, I use to be obsessed with the charts, now the interest has dwindled quite a bit, its just a bit stale listening to the same tracks every week. Ed Sheeran is doing my nut in.

Posted by: Chez W♀mbat Apr 20 2017, 09:40 PM

I'll always pay attention to the charts as it's been a lifelong interest and keeps me musically in the loop at least, but it's far too stale and the range of music too limited and safe for me to get too invested in these days. I like checking the iTunes chart and Sales chart more than I do listening as I often find some quite unexpected gems in there these days what with them rapidly losing relevance (just like the physical charts post 2007 </3)

Posted by: Houdini Apr 20 2017, 09:46 PM

The Official chart means very little to me these days and the iTunes chart doesn't mean as much as it used to but I still check it every now and then.

Posted by: Haribo Apr 20 2017, 09:57 PM

I mostly care about Bey's chart perfomances and I'm glad when albums and songs I like receive are successful.

Posted by: -SCOTT- Apr 20 2017, 09:59 PM

i lived and breathed the charts 1997 to 2016. I'm over it now

Posted by: ♀T Boy♀ Apr 20 2017, 10:06 PM

I check chart threads out of habit. They used to be a pretty big deal for me but I now feel nothing for them. If I forgot to check the chart for four weeks, chances are I've missed nothing.

Posted by: Suedehead2 Apr 20 2017, 10:22 PM

Some songs might have moved as much as six or seven places in that time

Posted by: Dobbo Apr 20 2017, 10:23 PM

I'm still fairly invested in them myself. Will always listen back to the Chart Show on the iPlayer as I'm seldom able to follow it live. We're in a new era now & although in many aspects it's not as exciting I'm finding new features such as streaming lead hits & one week album takeovers quite interesting. Plus the fact now it's a lot harder to pinpoint where the next #1 will come from as opposed to a few years back where acts were taking it in turns to release one week after another to guarantee top spot.

Posted by: vidcapper Apr 21 2017, 06:40 AM

Almost my only connection now is via my YTD sales estimates. I'll listen to music by my fav artists, but I don't routinely listen to the charts any more.

Posted by: Supercell Apr 21 2017, 12:42 PM

I've always loved the charts and although I haven't listened to the chart show for years I've followed it online with the midweeks ect. My interest has dropped massively the past two years though. The ridiculous chart manipulation in 2014 which had a new no.1 nearly every week of the year was incredibly boring and frustrating, then we switched to the exact opposite by 2016 where the charts have become like watching paint dry.

However, the last few weeks I've started to gain a bit more interest, as the amount of new music has improved and also the charts have slowly started gathering a pace (aside from the Ed sheeran fiasco)

Posted by: JosephStyles🐶 Apr 21 2017, 12:45 PM

My interest in the charts is still pretty high, although I'll always prefer the pre-streaming days despite understanding why streaming is necessary in the chart. I'll check Kworb at regular intervals and always look at Spotify's chart when I wake up in the morning, plus of course I host the chart show here so am able to listen 99% of the time

Posted by: 360Jupiter Apr 21 2017, 01:37 PM

Passive interest. I keep up out of interest and to see how artists' careers develop and what the next big thing will be. Handily enough, it's also part of my job to be aware of those kinds of things.

I don't listen to the charts any more really because it takes so long and because I don't like half the stuff on there. Also because it's so slow-moving nowadays I could just as easily put on a playlist of the same tracks without having to suffer the host's chat in between.

It is fun to follow along the chart thread on here tho with the discussion, and I like to see the bands and artists I like chart well because it probably matters to their career - although who can tell nowadays, the industry has changed so much.

Posted by: Scene Apr 21 2017, 02:25 PM

I still try to keep up to date with them but they're not as interesting as they used to be.

The iTunes Chart used to be compulsive viewing, especially if a fave was releasing. Plus there were shock successes - not so much these days.

Posted by: Hadji Apr 21 2017, 02:47 PM

I lost faith in the charts in 2014 when they decided to include streaming

Posted by: howiet1971 Apr 21 2017, 02:50 PM

Streaming killled the modern charts for me; as did allowing album tracks to chart on the singles chart....

Posted by: Steve201 Apr 21 2017, 06:55 PM

When and why did you start doing this Vids?

Posted by: vidcapper Apr 22 2017, 06:07 AM

I started my sales estimates in 2009 after the previous person stepped down.

As to why - it's basically a challenge, doing what the OCC *should* be doing themselves, i.e. routinely posting sales figures, rather them treating them as if they were covered by the Officlal Secrets Act...

Posted by: Riser Apr 24 2017, 04:23 AM

I'd say my interest in the charts is still as high as it was when it first started in 2008/09! Haven't skipped a single chart show in that time, I came close last year but thankfully the turnover has improved for better or worse. I did finally give in to checking the sales chart along with the official charts and yes the sales chart does look better, but not enough to bother me. The benefit of OA/OS easily outweighs the downsides of streaming, for me.

But, I don't check iTunes or Kworb or Spotify on a daily basis by any means, nor have I ever done. I do check a few times a week out of curiosity but otherwise resist so I'm at least a little surprised at where everything ends up on Friday.