Given that 10 songs have already passed 1m chart sales this year, with at least another half-dozen likely to follow, this is an issue that's not going to go away.

 

I suspect very few would argue that 2016 is the best ever year in the history of pop music, so only one other probable cause springs to mind - streaming conversion rates.

 

[Moderators - I know we have already have a pinned streaming thread, but alas I couldn't set up a poll in that one]

100-1 is way too generous now but it's not like they can credibly change that.

 

2016 has arguably been the worst year for music ever. I don't know if it's because Ive reached that age where you go off chart music, it really is that bad, or both.

I think it should be 150:1 or even 200:1..

 

2016 has been such a bad year for pop music, with the exception of a few songs. (Lush Life, Cheap Thrills, Alarm etc..)

I think 2016 has really been an amazing year for pop music. That may or may not be because all my 3 pop faves have albums out this year. We've come such a long way from the crappy cheap 2008-2012 sounds!

 

I do think the streaming conversion is too generous, especially since more and more people are going to stream. I have no idea how to fix this though.

100-1 is way too generous now but it's not like they can credibly change that.

 

2016 has arguably been the worst year for music ever. I don't know if it's because Ive reached that age where you go off chart music, it really is that bad, or both.

 

It's the worst year for chart music ever for me, but not music as a whole by any means, my tastes have completely now just moved out of line with what's popular, only two songs in my personal year to date top 20 have even gone top 75 in the UK!

 

In terms of the charts, it's pretty much got to the stage where it's like hearing the same song over and over again. I really don't think that's me getting old, it's just variety seems to have disappeared and we're left with 30 tropical house influenced pop or dance tracks, 8 dull songs from 'authentic' male troubadours and usually two from other genres that somehow manage to slip through the cracks.

Edited October 9, 20168 yr by gooddelta

100-1 is way too generous now but it's not like they can credibly change that.

 

2016 has arguably been the worst year for music ever. I don't know if it's because Ive reached that age where you go off chart music, it really is that bad, or both.

 

If that were the case for me, then i'd have to say 'every year since 1986'... :w00t:

Although there's not been quite as many "amazing" songs this year (though that could be subject to change as some turn into that category over time) there's been far fewer "crap" songs becoming big hits so on that basis alone 2016 ranks among the best of the decade so far IMO.

 

As for the first question no, if anything it could be reduced further...

Although there's not been quite as many "amazing" songs this year (though that could be subject to change as some turn into that category over time) there's been far fewer "crap" songs becoming big hits so on that basis alone 2016 ranks among the best of the decade so far IMO.

 

Though that might be considered damning with faint praise. ;)

 

As for the first question no, if anything it could be reduced further...

 

AIUI, the measure that was used to set the rate was one of artist revenue, but I am far from convinced that was the right one, as it's hard to imagine sales for this years top hits being as high, if they'd needed to be paid-for, rather than streaming...

Edited October 9, 20168 yr by vidcapper

the rate is based on the revenue generated either by subscribers paying or ads, not sure why it has to be wrong or miscalculated, you talk like if you're better than the occ

People talk about how songs don't reach top 10/20/40 etc, that's because they're not popular enough. We've seen with Sia, Ariana, Niall, Lady Gaga, Calvin, The Weeknd and a lot more that a song can still debut high in the chart in the last few weeks alone, in my opinion there's nothing wrong with the chart right now.

 

It's been a great year for music.

In terms of the charts, it's pretty much got to the stage where it's like hearing the same song over and over again. I really don't think that's me getting old, it's just variety seems to have disappeared and we're left with 30 tropical house influenced pop or dance tracks, 8 dull songs from 'authentic' male troubadours and usually two from other genres that somehow manage to slip through the cracks.

 

 

I agree, I've came to a stage where I don't really care about chart music, I can't even string a personal chart no more, as I hardly like anything in the official chart, as I usually chart obscure tracks that hardly anyone knows for instance Banks, Shura, FKA Twigs, Bat For Lashes as examples, that people never heard of as most of those artists don't even get a chart entry with their single releases.

 

On the other hand Fifth Harmony's new single is really growing on me, its a nice upbeat funky number, I would love to see the track at #1, its different from the other acts that has been at #1 this year. They are not my typical favourite female band, but if the track is good, I back it.

Pop hasn't been at it's strongest this year perhaps, but that's because of two things: a) a lot of high-tier reliable pop acts like Beyonce diversifying into more genre'd music and b) a lot of the A-tier acts being on break.

 

I'm not fussed particularly because pop is only a thin slice of the music I like. I enjoyed what Ariana Grande came out with this year and Gaga's new stuff is interesting. Lemonade won me over into team Beyonce, and if that took her going out of pop to do so, win win. Triumphs for me this year would be Chemical Brothers, Honne, M83, Anohni, James Blake, Brooke Candy, Bowie, Halsey, Tegan and Sara, George Maple, and the upcoming comebacks of The Weeknd, Empire of the Sun and Tove Lo. It's already a victory for me that these guys are getting new music out there, and if streaming is an income and advertising source for them all in one, more's the benefit.

 

It is a little odd how they've incorporated it into the charts, but they wanted to keep the charts being an indiciator of what's popular and consumed, so their hands were tied. They couldn't have their cake and eat it, so they compromised. Now the 'sales' figures are messed up from post-streaming, but I guess the thing is, outside of forums like this, a lot of the general public don't care.

 

EDIT: And Martin above me, I like a lot of those acts too. That's what personal charts are for I think - to expose a wider audience to stuff they might not have come across otherwise, as a side effect to posting what you yourself like.

Edited October 9, 20168 yr by 360Jupiter

I do think the current conversion is too generous, I feel like some songs are massively inflated (Needed Me for example) by streaming, but honestly I'm not sure how to change it - changing the ratio would only be short term.

 

2016 isn't the best year for pop music but I don't think it's been bad at all. The charts have been very stale and there have been some baaaaad songs in the chart but that happens every year, and there's plenty of great music outside of the charts - two of my top 3 of the year haven't troubled the top 40 (and the other is Stitches lol).

I think the big hits this year have been very good but there's lots of mass in the chart that I'm not interested about.. (most of the dance hits such as pointless cover remake of Turn Me On).

Edited October 9, 20168 yr by SKOB

It's been a good year musically, but definitely not from the point of view of the top 40, I mean effectively, the only way you can get a long lasting hit is just by producing the most watered down, basic, radio friendly song as the genre can possibly go down to. I could literally apply this to all the number 1s this year (except maybe Pillowtalk and I Took a Pill...). Anything a bit edgier or not as radio friendly is pretty much just barred from the top 40 these days :'( Not that I'm too bothered, I'm happy to just seek music out elsewhere these days as my interest in the charts has been waning over the years, but this year just secured it as pretty much over.

Edited October 9, 20168 yr by Chez Wombat

It's waaaaay too generous, it should be 200-1. The 'sales' of this years hits just aren't realistic. But then that's only temporary, they'll have to keep increasing it. They should change it to people who have saved it to their playlist or not count free users or something.

 

2016 has been one of the worst years in terms of chart music, but in pop overall it's pretty great. Britney released one of her best albums ever, everything we've heard from JoJo's comeback album so far is amazing, Gwen Stefani's album was great, obviously Beyoncé's been great this year. It's just that most of these (with the exception of Beyoncé but even then the singles didn't do much) do nothing in the charts, radio don't play them, nobody streams them and they're only heard by the die hard fans. Everything in the charts just sounds the same, it's so male-driven and dance heavy nobody else can get a look in. I never thought I'd be a chart snob but that's the way it's going!

Well here is a thought for those who think it is too generous:

 

There has been in total 1 song that has achieved 1 million 'sales' from streaming within 2016: Drake. Four since the inception of the streaming sale ratio in July 2014 (additionally 3 x Justin Bieber).

 

In 2013 there were FOUR million selling singles during the year. Consumption has moved from digital to streaming, and whilst sales continue to ebb slowly away they have actually provided a pretty good match to EOY sales albeit slightly inflated due to the addition of sales at the moment (which will eventually dwindle to negligible!)

I think I probably voted incorrectly when reading the question about best year for pop music as I was the only one to vote yes.

 

I kinda just jumped at it without thinking because this year has to be my favourite year in music since I can remember. All my favs have released and there have been so many great albums coming out left right and centre but most haven't been the type that would have singles from them in the charts and the pop charts actually have never been staler. Think my excitement at how musically great this year has been for me personally blinded me into forgetting the sorry state of chart music and pop in general.

 

I would say the only two great pop releases this year have been Britney and Ariana and only the latter's singles are doing anything chart-wise.

Do you think the 100-1 rate is too generous? : Don't know/care

 

Do you think 2016 is really the best year for pop music: No

 

 

The Official Chart is dead in my opinion, I don't know how people can still keep tabs on it with so much enthusiasm and follow every detail of it including the midweek positions.

 

 

This year has been awful for music. I mean, just look at this week's top 10. There's Starboy and The Greatest that I like, the rest range from decent to passable to bad.

 

I really hope things improve next year.