It's interesting looking at the Sales only chart these days, because the older acts are still getting their on sales, it's just streaming letting them down.

 

too right, Robbie top 20 this week (granted it's dull as dishwater and his first 2 tracks off the album were way better) and the 4th biggest selling album of the year on week 1 sales. Still big-ish, but excluded from the charts. That also applies to new acts who appeal to record buyers but not streamers. What are the chances that a record from buzzjack song contest would spend 4 or 5 months between 57 and 75? Yeah, pretty much. That's not due to it maintaining a level of popularity week after week, that's just SO unlikely, it's due to the passive chart listeners.

 

As I say, though, I never say any year is the worst year ever for MUSIC, it just may mean it's not charting. This year has had some fantastic new records, most of them flops or hitting on sales or albums.

 

As for the idea of Shawn Mendes being remembered, yes lol. Pleasant teen pop stars tend to end up being adored by middle-aged women and a few middle-aged gay men on the oldies circuit decades down the line, but not much beyond that. If they've got 3 or 4 years of hits behind them that is. One big hit and a couple of follow-up's is the end of the bill on a Noughties Nostalgia Package night out for 50-somethings :lol:

2016 was mixed for me.

 

Pros:

 

Some of the pop I liked

Most of the EDM I really liked (Clean Bandit, Martin Garrix, etc.)

It was great to see Christine And The Queens and Bastille reach the Top 40

1975 and TOP also reached the Top 40, and... they're OK tbh!

Good tributes to Bowie and Prince. Hope Leonard Cohen gets some charting hits next week!

Radiohead, Kings Of Leon, Jack Garratt, Catfish And The Bottlemen. Kendrick Lamar, Frank Ocean, Green Day and Red Hot Chilli Peppers were lucky to stay at least one week in the Top 100

 

 

Cons:

 

Not a really diverse year (Mostly pop and EDM [though I'm quite fond of the latter])

One Dance's long stay due to streaming stopped other tracks from reaching the top (Perfect Strangers, This Girl)

Some other cons which I can't put into words :/

Edited November 11, 20168 yr by DalekTurret32

Certainly the Clean Bandit Tears track was the standout one of the year for me, a real mid 00s style disco influenced dance tune.

 

Offaiah's Trouble was excellent - nice Beatfreakz style eurodance vibes to it.

 

In pop Aint My Fault and Blow My Mind (Mwaw) are my faves.

 

In alternative/ rock yes the Bastille track was good to see going top 40 and Heathens by 21P was excellent too.

 

In urban it was sad not to see Kanye's retro sounding Fade top 40, especially given that the inferior imo Famous made top 40. Also in grime Lady Leshurr and Wiley's Where Are You Now is one of my favourite ever songs of the genre, sad not to see it top 40.

 

 

I'm genuinely thankful that Black Eyed Peas ruled the world in 2009 but nobody was interested in their remake of Where Is the Love this year. There's progress.

 

(Also I don't think anyone can just say one calendar year is better than others because musical climate doesn't change with calendar. It's about your subjective experiences around the music)

2016 a poor year for chart music? Yes

 

2016 a poor year for music in general? No way

 

Think 2016 is possibly my favourite year ever that I can remember for music. Unfortunately most of the great releases are coming in album form and the UK singles chart has been stuff filled with absolutely rubbish tropical house light-dance rubbish.

 

 

UK singles chart has been stuff filled with absolutely rubbish tropical house light-dance rubbish.

 

Yes what is going on with tropical house is a bit like trance from later 2002 to early 2004 (with some exceptions), the genre is becoming tired, more poppy and more covers of old songs are appearing like the Nevada track and the recent Cheat Codes covers.

 

But it is also a bit like what happened with dubstep, a lot of pop artists started to infuse it into their music towards the end.

 

It might take a while to die off yet though, remember in 2010 to 2012, progressive house style EDM was everywhere with acts like Ne Yo, Chris Brown etc using it in their songs.

Surprised at the amount of anti-2010 posts.

 

Lady GaGa, Rihanna, Katy Perry, Alicia Keys, Ke$ha, Cheryl Cole, Tinie Tempah, Plan B, Ellie Goulding, Marina and the Diamonds, Bruno Mars, B.O.B, Eminem, Pink, Leona Lewis, JLS, The Saturdays, The Script, Olly Murs, Alexandra Burke, Black Eyed Peas....all huge names releasing some of their best ever material, X-Factor had a HUGE impact on the charts that year, so much competitive releases and was the peak of so many popular and well known artists.

 

No constant unknown random DJ's at #1, no boring and depressing ballads by male singers - just constant pop music.

 

 

I find it hard to understand how anyone can be so enthusiastic about the Official charts now. I don't even pay much attention to it anymore, it was probably months ago when I last read the midweeks or the sales reports once the final chart is published.

 

 

Yes I have to agree this year has been terrible for both music and the charts. There has been a recent uptick in music diversity in recent weeks I'd argue but streaming has smoothed that out pretty efficiently in the charts with some fantastic songs just not managing to make any impact at all.

 

I think the industry just needs time to adjust to the new changes and when it does it may liven up a little bit. But we are overdue a new genre craze/theme as its just been EDM/Dance orientated for the past 5 years and its becoming very tired, although the tropical influenced stuff is a little more bearable. I think the 2009-2013 period was the best we'd had in a long while and most interesting due to singles sales shooting up, plus there was a little bit more variety.

Since streaming has contributed to the charts, I've stopped following. The charts are to reflect what's popular but I no longer feel it does its job sufficiently. The bulk of people using Spotify are just playing a ready made playlist, not cherry picking. Hence why the charts work on a snail pace. Makes me wonder how NOW! still manage to rustle up three compilations a year.

 

Quality wise, the tunes are still there, just not necessarily in the charts. This whole half-arsed tropical house/pop sound is nauseating.

 

But, we're still a long way off from the horror of 2008. :puke2:

Edited November 19, 20168 yr by ScottyEm

2016 a poor year for chart music? Yes

 

2016 a poor year for music in general? No way

 

Think 2016 is possibly my favourite year ever that I can remember for music. Unfortunately most of the great releases are coming in album form and the UK singles chart has been stuff filled with absolutely rubbish tropical house light-dance rubbish.

 

Bang on!

2008 was good in terms if dance though, we even had a trance song, Raindrops by Sash! and Stunt making top 10 near the end of the year.

 

When You Touch Me by Freemasons and Trippin On Ypu by Cahill were excellent too as were the Basshunter tracks.

 

In pop Gabriella Cilmi's Sweet About Me is a great pop tune imo, I really liked it at the time how it had so many parts to it (a bit like Biology by Girls Aloud a few years before).

 

2010 wasn't the best year, but there were some excellent dance tunes like Stereo Love, Hot, Dirty Talk and Seek Bromance.

 

2012 was probably my favourite year this decade, all those progressive house tunes (Language, Million Voices, Icarus, and the track that is both my favourite David Guetta and favourite Sia song ever, She Wolf).

 

We even had a rock song make the charts in 2012, The Swarm by You Me At Six, one.of my favourite songs to make the chart this decade.

Surprised at the amount of anti-2010 posts.

 

No constant unknown random DJ's at #1, no boring and depressing ballads by male singers - just constant pop music.

 

The age of unknown DJs at number 1 has ended now anyway sadly, even though I didn't like deep house in 2013 or 2014 (it was a bit dull) at least unknown artists tended to do well.

Going to throw this out there and it may be an unpopular opinion - but I think 1988 was absolutely terrible for the UK charts. It was dominated by SAW who I think it's fair to say had released their best hits in the years prior - even Kylie was crap this year with the exception of 'Je Ne Sais Pas Pourqoi' - and a lot of the pop music just seems to embody the cheesier, lamer aspects of 80's pop. There were more than a few good songs in the Top 40, don't get me wrong, and Michael Jackson was dominating with the singles from 'Bad' which is my favourite album of his. I just don't know if a year dominated by Glenn Medeiros, Bros, Debbie Gibson, Tiffany, Cliff Richard, Billy Ocean, Jason Donavon and Milli Vanilli is any better than what we're getting in 2016.

I love Debbie Gibson... but otherwise agree.. Late 80s wasn't very good

too right, Robbie top 20 this week (granted it's dull as dishwater and his first 2 tracks off the album were way better) and the 4th biggest selling album of the year on week 1 sales. Still big-ish, but excluded from the charts. That also applies to new acts who appeal to record buyers but not streamers. What are the chances that a record from buzzjack song contest would spend 4 or 5 months between 57 and 75? Yeah, pretty much. That's not due to it maintaining a level of popularity week after week, that's just SO unlikely, it's due to the passive chart listeners.

 

As I say, though, I never say any year is the worst year ever for MUSIC, it just may mean it's not charting. This year has had some fantastic new records, most of them flops or hitting on sales or albums.

 

As for the idea of Shawn Mendes being remembered, yes lol. Pleasant teen pop stars tend to end up being adored by middle-aged women and a few middle-aged gay men on the oldies circuit decades down the line, but not much beyond that. If they've got 3 or 4 years of hits behind them that is. One big hit and a couple of follow-up's is the end of the bill on a Noughties Nostalgia Package night out for 50-somethings :lol:

 

This is a great comment. Bang on.

Going to throw this out there and it may be an unpopular opinion - but I think 1988 was absolutely terrible for the UK charts. It was dominated by SAW who I think it's fair to say had released their best hits in the years prior - even Kylie was crap this year with the exception of 'Je Ne Sais Pas Pourqoi' - and a lot of the pop music just seems to embody the cheesier, lamer aspects of 80's pop. There were more than a few good songs in the Top 40, don't get me wrong, and Michael Jackson was dominating with the singles from 'Bad' which is my favourite album of his. I just don't know if a year dominated by Glenn Medeiros, Bros, Debbie Gibson, Tiffany, Cliff Richard, Billy Ocean, Jason Donavon and Milli Vanilli is any better than what we're getting in 2016.

 

The year I was born, so one I'll always have a positive attachment to :P But I think you're missing most of the dance music there, '88 being the huge birth of house being a major impact in the UK charts after a handful of era-beginning singles in '87. Plus it was the peak of acts like the Pet Shop Boys and Erasure who made some of the greatest pop singles of all time, let alone the decade.

 

I'm a massive fan of what one writer brilliantly called the "Neighties" in general, that era circa 1988-1992 that weren't quite the Eighties and weren't quite the Nineties but somewhere in between! Equally my parents were born in the late 1960s and absolutely adore the fashion, sounds and culture of their earliest years, even though they were in nappies when it all happened...

what would we call the 1997-2003 period when trance and eurodance were really doing things in the chart then? As well as the boyband/teen-pop craze.

 

Ninoughties? Nighties?

Going to throw this out there and it may be an unpopular opinion - but I think 1988 was absolutely terrible for the UK charts. It was dominated by SAW who I think it's fair to say had released their best hits in the years prior - even Kylie was crap this year with the exception of 'Je Ne Sais Pas Pourqoi' - and a lot of the pop music just seems to embody the cheesier, lamer aspects of 80's pop. There were more than a few good songs in the Top 40, don't get me wrong, and Michael Jackson was dominating with the singles from 'Bad' which is my favourite album of his. I just don't know if a year dominated by Glenn Medeiros, Bros, Debbie Gibson, Tiffany, Cliff Richard, Billy Ocean, Jason Donavon and Milli Vanilli is any better than what we're getting in 2016.

Well, it certainly wasn't as great as the previous year. Sure, there were memorable songs from that year, such as "I Should Be So Lucky", "Left To My Own Devices" and "One Moment In Time", but it does pale in comparaison to 1987, a year in which we had "Stand By Me" and "Reet Petite" have a second wind of success, as well as great songs like "La Isla Bonita", "It's A Sin", "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)", "Never Gonna Give You Up", "What Have I Done To Deserve This?", "China In Your Hand", "Always On My Mind", "Fairytale Of New York", "Bad", "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now", "Alone", "With Or Without You" and "Faith" just to name a few.

 

1987 was an unusually great year in music, but the two years that followed weren't on par.

Well, it certainly wasn't as great as the previous year. Sure, there were memorable songs from that year, such as "I Should Be So Lucky", "Left To My Own Devices" and "One Moment In Time", but it does pale in comparaison to 1987, a year in which we had "Stand By Me" and "Reet Petite" have a second wind of success, as well as great songs like "La Isla Bonita", "It's A Sin", "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)", "Never Gonna Give You Up", "What Have I Done To Deserve This?", "China In Your Hand", "Always On My Mind", "Fairytale Of New York", "Bad", "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now", "Alone", "With Or Without You" and "Faith" just to name a few.

 

1987 was an unusually great year in music, but the two years that followed weren't on par.

 

My birth year, I arrived just in time! :D