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Posted by: cqmerqn 4th February 2018, 07:46 PM

Do you miss held-back releases?

I really do because it allowed a decent variety of music styles.

Also gave us a lot more hits, even if the artist wasn’t known.

What do you think? Vote and discuss

Posted by: Midge 4th February 2018, 08:13 PM

Why anyone would vote “yes” I won’t understand. Like why would you want to wait to legally access the music you want to hear seriously?

Posted by: soundseekerz 4th February 2018, 08:14 PM

I dont. I like the fact an artist announces a song and you could buy it as soon as its on sale. I hated having to wait ages for a song, when a whole bunch of cover versions clog up iTunes.

Another reason is that the UK was always last to get the official song. Perfect example being Icona Pop - I don't care. By the time it gets released, people have already lost interest.

At the same time, it did make the charts look tidier when we had held back releases.

Nah. Im all for instant releases.

Posted by: Bjork 4th February 2018, 08:26 PM

also made the chart superpredictable, you knew who was gonna be #1 each week

Posted by: cqmerqn 4th February 2018, 08:27 PM

Yes we may have had to wait a few weeks to download it illegally, but it was still on the radio and YouTube.

It gave us so many good songs

Posted by: Midge 4th February 2018, 08:39 PM

How did it give us so many good songs? Completely lost on your logic there. The standard just has dipped in general of late.

Posted by: danG 4th February 2018, 08:52 PM

Well there were more top 40 chart hits in that era including songs that would never go near top 40 now (particularly the dance songs that got held back for absolute ages, and the BuzzFaves (Saturdays etc.) charted higher from pent-up fan pre-orders).

I personally don't miss held back releases though cos it was a pain to have to YouTube songs until their actual release when I could add to my iTunes or Spotify library (there was even a time when Spotify releases were held back, but eventually they stopped that which led to songs charting on streams alone for many weeks before download release)

Posted by: cqmerqn 4th February 2018, 08:53 PM

I mean lots more songs getting in to the charts, standard of songs being a lot higher.

Posted by: Evil Houdini 4th February 2018, 08:54 PM

It's a mixed answer really.

From the chart point of view it made it more possible to have big chart battles where two or more songs could go head to head for the #1, also it made the chart feel a lot fresher with more frequent new entries and older songs leaving the chart sooner. The week when Ed Sheeran had 15 out of the top 16 singles would never have happened during the held back era as well.


From the point of view of being a customer it's better the way things are now having whatever you want immediately available to access. Even not taken music into consideration, if for example you plan to make Spaghetti Bolognese this week and you want to buy a packet of minced meat from Sainsburys you would rather buy it this week instead of waiting until 6 weeks time to buy it.

Posted by: danG 4th February 2018, 08:59 PM

I don't think the quality of big chart hits supposedly declining has anything to do with the UK finally getting on board with the rest of the world in having OA/OS.

The takeover of music streaming over downloading has certainly affected what type of songs make the chart, but that is a different matter.

Posted by: AcerBen 4th February 2018, 08:59 PM

it's not that - it was that the chart was better when songs were held back because more songs had the opportunity to make the top 40 and there was more variety

However, I think streaming behaviours would've meant this would've changed for the worse anyway

Posted by: Evil Houdini 4th February 2018, 09:06 PM

It would have been interesting to see where songs like: French Montana - Unforgettable, Big Shaq - Man's Not Hot, J Hus - Did You See, Post Malone - Rockstar would have peaked in the chart if it was still the held back sales only era.

Posted by: danG 4th February 2018, 09:10 PM

I think they'd have all peaked around the same positions that they did. 'Unforgettable' at #2 behind 'Despacito', 'Man's Not Hot' going top 5 from meme hype, 'Rockstar' making #1 cos it was that big and 'Did You See' making the lower half of the top ten.

Posted by: cqmerqn 4th February 2018, 09:23 PM

Completely agree with the above

Imagine the first week sales for Despacito under the preorder era

Posted by: ML Hammer95 4th February 2018, 09:35 PM

I think 'Unforgettable' would have peaked slightly lower, but the rest I agree. They were four of the biggest songs of last year after all.

Posted by: Midge 5th February 2018, 09:34 AM

Almost 50% of people miss having to wait to be able to get a hold of the tracks they like, I'm dumbfounded by the lack of common sense!

Posted by: Klumzee 5th February 2018, 09:48 AM

I voted yes as it made the charts more interesting and I enjoyed the competitive element it added even if in hindsight it was manufactured. Obviously as a music consumer it's better the way things are now as you can buy/stream all your music as soon as it's released but in terms of my interest in the charts I do miss held back releases quite a bit as there was more discussion to be had.

Posted by: Doctor Blind 5th February 2018, 11:05 AM

No.

Posted by: GTH 5th February 2018, 08:00 PM

100% to this.

Streaming simply caters more to a different demographic than those that would download or buy a cd single, which has far more of an effect on the type of songs doing well in the charts than how it is released.

I don’t miss it at all. The UK always ended up having big gaps from their original releases in us/Europe which was very frustrating. As has been mentioned this did often have a negative effect of people getting bored of a song before it was even legally available (Work Bitch for example).

It also made things a bit too predictable. We would get loads of flash in the pan number ones/top tens that plummeted the week after. Now a number one/top ten actually seems like a big accomplishment again.

Posted by: Evil Houdini 5th February 2018, 08:15 PM

I think people voted yes because of the effect held back releases had on the chart as a whole, that was why I voted yes anyway!


If I was someone who doesn't and has never had an interest in the charts then it would have been a 100% no. Looking at charts from the mid-late 90's, early 00's & early 2010's you can see how fresh things where every week.

Posted by: Bjork 5th February 2018, 08:24 PM

chart pace was faster but the #1 was too predictable, it was like in 3 weeks time the #1 is gonna be Cheryl, then next week Pixie Lott, then Olly, then Sugababes, while proper bigger hits were stuck at #2 like Moves like Jagger or Love the way you Lie, now it would be the other way around completely
also the chart was faster with more newies, but it was all a bit fake, not a good representation, 5 people bought the 10 different versions of the single in week 1 and you got a top 10, next week yu're at number 200

Posted by: Evil Houdini 5th February 2018, 08:38 PM

The chart is still predictable now though but in a more tedious way, in fact I'd say it's even more predictable now than it used to be. For example it was so obvious for months that Ed Sheeran would get the Christmas number one with Perfect.

Posted by: Steve201 5th February 2018, 09:08 PM

It's not really predictable though - a month ago nobody knew Drake would be no1 now never mind have a new song out!

Posted by: Evil Houdini 5th February 2018, 09:13 PM

But we almost certainly know that he will be number one this week, next week and probably the week after as well.

Posted by: jase. 5th February 2018, 10:17 PM

I miss doing my pre-order updates

Posted by: DalekTurret32 5th February 2018, 10:41 PM

What are held back releases?

Posted by: danG 5th February 2018, 11:01 PM

This week for sure yes, but Rudimental are climbing very quickly so they could get it next week, or maybe not. I'd say the chart's a lot less predictable now.

Posted by: Juranamo 6th February 2018, 10:54 AM

I voted yes, my reasoning behind this is similar to what others have said. This is the UK Charts forum and I miss the fast-paced charts and more black and white charting performances (less anomonies and no need for farcical ACR drops).

If this was in the Lounge or another forum, I would obviously say no, because who wants to wait to be able to purchase (or stream) new music?

Posted by: mack25 6th February 2018, 11:48 AM

I'd say yes because it generated more sales due to the build-up. It was better than seeing these streaming songs on top week after week that don't seem to leave the chart for a lifetime.

e.g. "Havana", "Perfect" (and its countless versions) and now "God's Plan" looks set to be there until mid-July (sarcasm of course)!!

Posted by: danG 6th February 2018, 01:16 PM

What about the songs that weren't held back in that era? (there were quite a few, particularly those from albums already released), a lot of them sold very well, probably more than they would have if held back due to illegal downloading and people being bored of the song by the time it got released.

Weekly number one sales were higher but songs dropped off quicker. Now it's a bit more natural with songs rising to the top and selling constantly well for a long time. And the peak of songs reflect the popularity of them a lot better, generally speaking.

Posted by: Math ☂ 6th February 2018, 01:24 PM

As a spectator from a different country that didn't have to wait for held back releases and just followed the charts, yes. But I would not like to have to wait to consume through music I like.

Posted by: Supercell 6th February 2018, 04:37 PM

No I hated the held back releases era during the peak of the download era, it just got stupid by 2014 when we had a new no.1 per week that would end up crashing out the chart after a few weeks for the most part.

It was fine in the 90s early 00s when every single release was treated that way, even if it was artificial. However when downloads came in it completely changed everything as post album singles could be cherry picked at any moment which put them at a disadvantage against held back releases. Then OA/OS tried to be established and failed because record labels didn't like they couldn't manipulate the chart, a point still valid now streaming has taken over.

Whilst the chart was a slower before ACR was introduced it was at least representing what is actually popular, although the way streaming is counted could be a little better.

Posted by: Dobbo 6th February 2018, 08:13 PM

I thought I would miss the held back days when streaming was first introduced but I actually much prefer things now as a music consumer. I was never a huge Spotify user until a few years ago so being able to listen to new tracks immediately is very much a positive.

However I do miss the large influx of dance songs that charted due to being held back, the variation in 2014 for example was amazing. I particularly enjoyed the "sax-house trio" of Changes, Jubel & Vandaag. You'd never get anything like that now, dance music is the worst affected genre for acts pandering to the lowest common denominator in the current era.

Posted by: Tawdry Hepburn 6th February 2018, 10:42 PM

Like you wouldn't believe! I know by 2014 it did get ridiculous when you'd be able to always predict the #1 three weeks in advance but I'd still take that over the way the charts are now and I miss the era of 2013/2014 a lot.

However, like I said before I do accept that's the way it is now and technology + methods of consumption move on.

I think for me nowadays the problem isn't so much with the whole whether releases are held back or not, but it's with streaming. With the way Hot Hits UK and similar dictate about 90% of the way streams are curated passively and Dobbo totally hit the nail on the head with how so many artists started to pander to lowest common denominator music to try and secure a place on these playlists (although that hasn't been as bad as it was for the previous year or two). It's a deeply ugly situation really.

Posted by: Gail Martin 8th February 2018, 06:20 PM

I think it was MUCH more interesting and am glad I am not the only one that has acknowledged that things have changed. In my mind around the end of 2015 was when this trend it stopped and the last preorder single to debut top 10 that I can remember was probably sigala with give me your love in summer 2016.

Posted by: Steve201 8th February 2018, 09:52 PM

The last held back no1 was Tinie Tempah and Katy B in Oct 2015!

Posted by: Evil Houdini 9th February 2018, 11:11 PM

One thing I miss is how straight forward the chart used to be. If you buy a song once it equals 1 sale, if you buy 5 copies of a song it equals 5 sales. Now it's a more complicated process trying to understand how songs are ranked where they are in the chart which takes the fun out of it for me.

Posted by: Doctor Blind 10th February 2018, 12:38 AM

It's pretty straightforward: you listen to a song once it does not equal a sale. You listen to a song 5 times, it does not equal a sale. You listen to a song continuously all week on every device you own, it still does not equal a sale.

You buy it, it equals one sale.