Hello Chart Forum, I come in peace.

 

I was just wondering, for someone who doesn't follow the charts that closely, what are all of your opinions about the current state of the UK charts (singles and or albums, take your pick) is the releases, movements, stability, market saturation ect to your satisfaction? If not, what would you suggest is the best way to improve said problems.

 

Simple terms please, novice talking!

I quite like the way the chart is run, but if I am honest I am not a huge fan of songs like 'Animals' and 'Levels' because they are just noise and it disappointing for me, when seeing them chart so high.

I like the charts at the moment. Lots of variety last year, and I feel they move a bit faster than they did a few years ago.

 

Only songs I don't really like are those mindless dance-pop songs like Zedd and Tiesto's new ones, which are just boring. Ehhh-ehhh-ehhh-ehhh for 3 minutes... But there's only a few of those in the top 40 these days, and there's lots of other creative hits about now.

The charts are quite good at the moment imo. Out of this week's current top 40, the only songs I really dislike are Counting Stars, Fame & TV, Let It Go and Everything Is Awesome. I would prefer it if new releases could enter the chart more easily and older songs stay around for less time (Wake Me Up, Roar and Counting Stars in particular had/have spent a ridiculous amount of time in the top 40) but let's be honest that will never happen especially when streaming starts to be included.

I've always loved the concept of the chart, and still find it just as enjoyable today since I started listening in about 2007. I will most probably at least mildly enjoy 30/40 songs which is pretty good (Let It Go, Trumpets, Everything Is Awesome etc. I'm looking at you!). So yeah, at the moment I still enjoy the charts, especially the fact that it's still based on sales and everything as opposed to factoring airplay in as well.

Edited February 26, 201411 yr by Jade

I quite like the way the chart is run, but if I am honest I am not a huge fan of songs like 'Animals' and 'Levels' because they are just noise and it disappointing for me, when seeing them chart so high.

 

Every song is noise.

Just had a glance down the current top 40, 13 that I liked.

What I hate about it is the lack of variety, the mindless pop songs.

The songs that really stand out to me are the ones that are different (demons, riptide, f for you, all of me ect.)

I also don't like the staying power big artists like Katy perry for example, are getting as it makes the charts stale and also prevents new talents rising up and new music being discovered because of the overshadowing of the current big artists.

Singles: There are plenty of individually great pop records in the chart, but they tend to be the biggest hits and hang around for a very long time (compared to previous decades) because it takes much longer to reach everybody's notice in these fragmented media days (Top Of The Pops could get 10 million viewers once upon a time, which is the equivalent these days of a televised BRITS boost each week and the whole family watched).

 

In terms of variety in the charts, there have never been so few genres represented (at least not since the early 60's). It's largely EDM dance or dance pop of varying styles, with a bit of rap or rock or ballad or folk or occasional oddity sprinkled about here and there. That said, dance is getting a bit more adventurous now using country, classical, reggae and other older music styles in the pop mix, which is the next best thing to actually having those genres in the chart, and I like fresh mixtures of old and new, and fresh-sounding.

 

I loved Animals, for a 17-year-old (or even an experienced DJ!) it's a great catchy stomping dance toon. I'm less enamoured of dance-by-numbers soundalikes...

I like the charts as much now as back in 2000 when I started getting interested in it. It does annoy me though at the lack of representation of indie in the singles chart even though there are popular bands & songs out there. Arctic Monkeys are the perfect example - their 4th single Arabella is a cracking track but it'll be lucky to go top 40 because their video/radio airplay is restricted to a few channels! So the only indie top 40 tracks these days are mainly 1 hit wonders (which generally have been massive world wide successes) or opening singles from established artists/bands - see Passenger/Gotye/Vance Joy

Edited February 27, 201411 yr by steve201

I've always loved the concept of the chart, and still find it just as enjoyable today since I started listening in about 2007. I will most probably at least mildly enjoy 30/40 songs which is pretty good (Let It Go, Trumpets, Everything Is Awesome etc. I'm looking at you!). So yeah, at the moment I still enjoy the charts, especially the fact that it's still based on sales and everything as opposed to factoring airplay in as well.

 

You make me feel old, I started listening in 1986.

 

Passable, apart from the fact that it is usually around 2 or 3 months behind the rest of the world.

 

According to the Shazam chart Route 94 (finally out this week) have had enough popularity to be T10 for several weeks. "I Got U" is already #6 (not out for another 2 weeks). Sigma's "Nobody To Love" (not out until April) is at #7. Note: Kylie Minogue is not in their Top 20!

 

Part of the whole excitement about the chart when I was growing up was listening and discovering new music, then going and buying it. I feel we've lost that excitement.

100% right why hold a song back so long that could sell between 30-100k copies for a month before release?? It's madness holding back a product in this day and age of so much choice!

Yeah I agree with the comment about being behind the rest of the world, it makes little sense.

You make me feel old, I started listening in 1986.

 

You should worry - I started 10 years before *that*... :P

I like the strategy we have. I hope they keep it. If we went back to OA/OS, it would be a disaster as seen before.

I like the strategy we have. I hope they keep it. If we went back to OA/OS, it would be a disaster as seen before.

 

I don't agree - OAOS only failed because it was done piecemeal. If it was done consistently, radio stations & record companies would be *forced* to adapt to it!

Edited March 2, 201411 yr by Vidcapper

It could do with a bit more variety as has been said. I usually care for less than 10 tracks each week which is probably down to me getting older and the genres of music I enjoy not bring 'in' anymore. It's always nice to see something like Do I Wanna Know? blow up into a big hit though.

I listened to every UK Top 40 from the early ninties to mid 2000's. I used to look forward to each chart and enjoy listening to it but now I hardly ever isten to it, simply becuase I don't like 75% of the songs in it. I like good melodic rock /guitar based music, and while I can enjoy a lot of the current groups nowadays I just find most of the current songs in the chart aren't my cup of tea. I don't see the point of listening for three hours to a chart when I don't enjoy most of it and I can just stick an album I like on. Having said that, single sales would appear to reflect sales are up from the mid-late 2000's so downloads have obviously had a positive sales effect. I just don't really enjoy the UK Top 40 anymore. :(

I don't think you have to like what's in the charts to like the charts.

 

I was always interested, but really got into it the summer that Rock Me Amadeus went to number one (sometime in the 8s I think). Smash Hits gave a way a free poster and you filled in the top 10 over the summer, I filled it in and always remember (hopefully correctly), that Falco spent 10 weeks in the top 10 but just one week at number one. That really got me hooked.

 

Overall I think that that the UK charts have done a good job representing what's popular by concentrating on sales (barring the mid 00s with that whole downloads stupid rule about weeks). They have pretty much moved with the times and the mainstream - which is what they represent.

 

I don't know what happens next, and I am open to streaming being included, but as that is a fundamental move from sales maybe they should start with (low key) streaming charts and combined sales and streaming charts to see what the differences are (if any), before making changes.

I like the strategy we have. I hope they keep it. If we went back to OA/OS, it would be a disaster as seen before.

 

Explain your opinion?!

 

The current no 1 suggests otherwise

Edited March 2, 201411 yr by steve201