DASHER77

Jess scores a third solo #1 as lead artist; and 4 others as a featured artist - one decent solo #1 (Hold My Hand) - the other two are utter drivel, hardly an achivement anymore. All I see is a London girl with lank hair and a super-thin voice who is overhyped, and beyond forgettable - am I missing something here? Where are our exciting pop stars? This really is the era of the bland; where chart achievements count for very little in a climate where streaming skewers the charts completely.

What did/does 2017 mean to you as a chart fan? For me, it was the year that the charts died, or more specifically the year I started to lose interest in them. Ed Sheeran's domination of the charts which the incompetant OCC allowed (16 songs in the Top 20) were a sign of how sick the charts were. One of the great loves of mine was to compare chart achievements historically, but most chart records now don't really hold any gravitas or count for anything as you cannot compare Sheeran's 16 songs in the top 20 (most were album tracks) to the dominance of the Beatles, Presley or Madonna as they didn't have a level playing field (they couldn't dominate the charts like that but they surely would have done as their popularity was immense). My point is the OCC should have seen this coming (we all did), but they allowed it. They corrected the imbalance way too late, resulting in Sheeran's chart achievements being muddied and without credibility, imo. What’s different in 2017 is that the dominance of streaming rewards passivity – repeat listening – rather than active discovery. Streaming is a measure of a person’s available listening time, which concentrates the vote into the hands of a certain group who love playing the same tracks over and over. This is the era of the bland. 2017 saw very few exciting artists for me, and for me, following an exciting artist is what also makes a great chart. The problem wasn’t just the charts, it is what streaming is doing to music itself. This isn't a Sheeran bashing post btw - I could be writing about Drake or Adele. Do I like Ed Sheeran's music - absolutely not, it's bland, calculated and for me no better than bad Westlife/Phil Collins work - but I do respect that this is a good era for him. However his desperation to score the Christmas #1 is pathetic. His chart achievements for me however, are without credibility because of terrible chart rules. Music I did like in 2017 was Kelela, Goldfrapp, Migos, Margo Price and St. Vincent. In summary, 2017 was when I started to stop caring about the charts, which is so very sad. I don't have a soultion, it's not my job to, but thankfully, I do still LOVE good music. I do so hope I'm wrong and that the chart changes made in 2017 address the problems of streaming, but I suspect the general public's waning interest in the charts cannot be stopped now.

Finally the OCC is trying to right a wrong - a positive step forward for the UK Singles chart.

So which artist has had the most #2 hits??? I know Madonna has had 12.... anyone had any more?

Thankyou for your polite reply, I'm sorry if I came accross as hostile. But my comments, still stand. Essentially, you've come up with your own figures and not recognised official figures from The Official Chart company. We could all do that. The 'list' I mention is one that we must adhere to. It's the one that all 'official' chart records come from. Madonna sold 17.8 million according to the OCC and other sources up until the END of 2012. Rhianna sold 11.4 million. The OCC figures and subsequent press at the end of 2012 have Madonna almost 7 million sales ahead of Rhianna. Your chart goes only until the end of 2013, so in fact your saying Rhianna sold close to 7 million in a year? No way. Your list is really fun but it's not correct, in my opionion. My figures do closely match those of the OCC. Madonna is still way out in front, especially in the time frame this list covers. Still, thankyou, I loved reading it (said in a totally non patronising way, I promise ) xxx For the record, Rhianna in 2017 may be very close to Madonna, but not in the timeframe covered in your list, far far from it :-)

Great post, but I'm sorry, I totally DISPUTE this list, it's not correct. MADONNA is still the #1 best selling singles artist. The sales figures you give are incorrect. For example, at the end of 2012, the OCC published a list of the UK's best selling singles artists: 1. Madonna - 17.8 million in 2012, that's 700,000 less than you have for her now - you're wrong. We have the figure for Madonna now at 18.6 million. 2. Rihanna - 11.4 million in 2012. Don't tell me in 4 years she's sold a further 7 million singles in 4 years - with only 1 album and granted some good featuress - it doesn't add up. We have her far less than this... 3. Kylie Minogue - 10.2 million 4. Whitney Houston - 8.5 million 5. Lady Gaga - 7.236 million Check out bbc newsbeat/article/20108318/madonna-beats-rihanna-as-uks-top-female-single-seller from the end of 2012 from the OCC. According to the Official Charts Company, Madonna in 2012 had combined single sales of 17.8 million. That's 700,000 MORE 4 years ago than you have for today, and she's had 4 years of sales since then to be added (granted not huge amounts). So as much as I like your efforts, I'm sorry to say, but it's wrong. Your list isn't accurate. Please see my link from the end of 2012 as source material. OCC have confirmed to me Madonna is still #1.