UK Singles Charts Top 40 is Ruled By " Airplay Not Random"

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UK Singles Charts Top 40 is Ruled By " Airplay Not Random"

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torbaybrenton View member profile	Jul 15 2015, 12:00 PM Post #1
New Entry Joined: 10 August 2010 Posts: 32 User: 11,638	UK Single Charts Top 40 is so different than 15 years ago we had Music Alternative like Manic Street Preachers at #1 /Some Country #1 like Kenny Rogers /Pure Pop (Less Dance actually Pop as Pure like Hearsay #1) & Indie Music. Even Themes and Instrumental why the change?, it more populated. but the problem is less Interdependent radio station and more network channel increased. Today is all Dance R&B Pop and Dance- Pop and occasion alt not many at all . and now you download songs and Stream! The Root of the Problem is increased spins of Radio Airplay/ TV Music Channels & International Play! It not like you download a single or artist that you like automatic of the next hit or album, it got to be in the airplay moment to download, buy or Stream plus some tour can make a different not to much though! As more radio station spin a certain record and across many station at one day lead to a massive hit like " Happy, Uptown Funk, Somebody that i use to Know" which not only was the best impact on radio spins it the biggest seller of the year. Just to let people know they lots of official different charts each week from Vinyl Singles (Which is NEW), Psychical Singles Charts (That seems more like it really like 15 years ago - different artist there). Interdependent Singles and Interdependent Single Breakers and lots more.


JamieGilder View member profile	Jul 16 2015, 01:09 AM Post #2
BuzzJack Climber Joined: 18 January 2007 Posts: 69 User: 2,621	I honestly don't know what you're trying to say here. Give your post a quick edit and make the post a little easier to read. (No sarcasm intended either)


Graham A View member profile	Jul 17 2015, 02:54 PM Post #3
BuzzJack Climber Joined: 22 December 2013 Posts: 177 User: 20,299	I get what he means. I think it started when iTunes got the largest share of the market. This American company attracts only a certain type of users. They were basically interested in certain types of music in the USA top 30. For example they don't give a toss about the Country music that's in there. Only R&B and Rap. There's another section of it's buyers that are interested in dance music. Any other genres are of course sold, but have little shelf life. Bands and acts that could sell CD singles, such as Westlife, couldn't sell a thing on iTunes. Nor could many of the guitar based bands. Sites other than iTunes that could sell them, such as HMV, were blocked from using the Apple ipod, as they had to sell WMA files, which didn't work on it. These were also copy protected. So they couldn't be transferred. Even when the sites could sell MP3, they were so marginalised they couldn't get iTunes buyers to move to them. One of the problems being customers had to use cards to pay. The youngsters didn't have bank accounts, so the parents could give them money for iTunes vouchers instead. But they are no good for the other sites, so thanks to ipods and the voucher, iTunes had customers locked into the system. You can bet your life that many of the people who buy the records in the physical charts don't have iTunes accounts. Hence why they are so like the charts of old. As I'm not a radio listener, I couldn't say if the dance music buyers of iTunes source the records from radio airplay. But since the record companies are holding back the release of these records to ensure radio airplay and cover versions are getting the sales, presumably it must be certain stations that are playing these records a lot.


Eric_Blob View member profile	Jul 17 2015, 06:29 PM Post #4
BuzzJack Legend Joined: 18 February 2010 Posts: 25,006 User: 10,665	The correlation between radio airplay (specifically Capital FM, and also largely Radio 1 and Heart FM) and iTunes is un-deniable imo. But the problem is, what other form of promotion can even compete with radio airplay? A very, very important thing about radio airplay being such effective promotion is that it ensures people hear the same song repeatedly. As I'm sure a lot of you have experienced, sometimes the first time you hear the song it doesn't sound that good, or it might sound a bit strange, but after a dozen listens you really get into it and love it. Radio is perfect for this, since it ensures a large number of people hear a song multiple times (a song that they may not have given a 2nd chance to if it were up to them). A music video is brilliant promotion, but a lot of people watch them once, and if the song doesn't catch their attention on first listen, they might not give it another chance. Same with an X Factor performance to 10 million people, brilliant promotion also, but the audience are only going to hear the song once, if it doesn't catch on then they probably won't ever seek the song out to listen to again. However, with radio, you heard the song and didn't care much for it? Doesn't matter, we'll play it again, and again, and again until you end up liking it! I think that's one important thing that makes it such an effective promotion tool, I don't think any other form of promotion can compete. Perhaps MTV airplay, since that's similar to radio and even has visuals to go with it, but I don't think music TV channels have as widespread a use as radio does. When I first started following the charts it took me a while to figure out the correlation between radio and iTunes. The thing that always threw me off was the fact that so many people just never listen to the radio. But the truth is, all big hits are viral. If you can introduce a song to 10% of the current music-listening population via radio, and it's a really stand-out song, then the 10% will eventually let the other 90% of the population know about it (through social media, parties, word of mouth, or whatever else). It might take many, many months for a song to spread through the majority of the music listening population (see: Uptown Funk!, Thinking Out Loud, etc.), but it happens eventually.


Colm View member profile	Jul 18 2015, 07:17 AM Post #5
Yes, it's me. Joined: 4 November 2009 Posts: 19,810 User: 9,885	You also have to factor in the reason why Manic Street Preachers fans (just because it was quoted in the opening post - it could be any guitar band with a following) would purchase a lead single in its first week - they wanted to hear the song and it wasn't available on album yet. Nowadays with Youtube and Spotify no one needs to purchase a single to hear the song. That convenience doesn't effect every genre but it sure does effect guitar music as fans are not as precious about owning everything and will be happy to buy the album when it comes out instead. Couple that with the fact that years ago a CD single would contain two other songs (most likely) and those other two tracks were temping fans to splash out so that they could hear more music by their favourite band. That doesn't happen now either.


JamieGilder View member profile	Jul 20 2015, 01:42 AM Post #6
BuzzJack Climber Joined: 18 January 2007 Posts: 69 User: 2,621	QUOTE(Eric_Blob @ Jul 17 2015, 07:29 PM) A very, very important thing about radio airplay being such effective promotion is that it ensures people hear the same song repeatedly. However, with radio, you heard the song and didn't care much for it? Doesn't matter, we'll play it again, and again, and again until you end up liking it! It might take many, many months for a song to spread through the majority of the music listening population (see: Uptown Funk!, Thinking Out Loud, etc.), but it happens eventually. This. I couldn't agree more. I think this is why Taylor Swift does so damn well. Yeah, she has good songs (whilst I'm not a fan, I do agree she has great pop songs).. and I do also think that she is a good singer. But; I don't think she actually has a good voice! (Does that make sense?!) So yeah, Bad Blood has had the most TV/Radio airplay so far this year (Source: some lady on MTV News).. and that's probably why she's so successful. Most people probably don't like her, but her songs have THAT much airplay, we're just conditioned to like them!


Graham A View member profile	Jul 21 2015, 06:51 PM Post #7
BuzzJack Climber Joined: 22 December 2013 Posts: 177 User: 20,299	It's not ruled by Airplay and it certainly isn't random. It's ruled by whoever has the biggest marketing budget or the best marketing team! The videos that cost thousands and millions to make. The fight to get your record on an advert or in a film. Newspaper and magazine deals. Sending marketing people to the radio stations to get your track playlisted. Special deals for record stores and download sites - need I add more!


Colm View member profile	Jul 22 2015, 06:16 AM Post #8
Yes, it's me. Joined: 4 November 2009 Posts: 19,810 User: 9,885	It's probably pretty simple to assess the correlation between airplay and sales/streams.