Are The Charts Outdated?

[bednobs]

Just read that Ed sheeran has 16 of the top 20 singles places this week - is he really that good?

[Eleena]

I really think he is bednobs, so young and talented.

[237SJ]

He's not my cup of tea but each to their own. I believe that it takes a heck of a lot of less sales (which are downloads these days) to make a no 1 slot. There is no substitute to listening to Johnny Walker announcing the top 10 in the 1970s

[douglas9401]

Wee Ed's a two trick pony, the woe is me , homeless one and the get drunk and 'ave a laff one.

It's just his turn according to the movers and shakers

[goodgoalie]

Have a look here!

[fiction-factory]

He certainly is popular and if he really is a 'one trick pony' as someone suggested he has been getting away with it for six now as he has been a top selling artist since 2011. The world has moved on since the 1960-80s where people bought physical singles. Few record shops exist. Most people buy music as downloads or stream tracks. A paid-for download is a valid purchase and seems to me to be just as valid as walking into a shop to pick a copy up.
Streamed 'sales' are different. Each 150 'streams' counts as one unit. Whether that figure should be changed is a point that is valid to debate as more and more people stream tracks rather than buy them. It's similar to the US charts which have for a long time factored in airplay figures.
The main impact though is that singles were released as a clearly identified item to achieve sales and to promote an artist and album. They hung around for about 6-8 weeks in the charts and then a bit later a new single would be put out. What happens now is that any track that is downloaded or streamed can be eligible for the charts. Ed Sheeran has hit the news for having 9 out of the top 10 (most of which will have l had little airplay so most of us won't recognise them). Last week it was Stormzy with around 10 tracks in the top 50. Over the past couple of years the lower regions of the charts have been taken over by songs that keep hanging around for several years. Some tracks have even been in the top 40 for well over a year. It blocks the way for newer artists
For me I feel it's a shame as I have always followed the charts and used to buy every Guinness Book of Hit Singles. But maybe we need to accept that the old 'single' is a meaningless term now to most young people, and as the years go buy we may find record companies stop making physical records altogether

[Old_Geezer]

Too old to know much about charts these days, but one tends to have doubts that anyone releases 16 singles at once. Makes 16 tracks available on an LP maybe. Are they counting each separately as singles at a time when downloading is easy and done without much thought, because it's cheap and electronic ? It does sound like the way these things are counted/defined needs looking at.

[Old_Geezer]

Perhaps electronic music data downloads need separate charts to going to a shop and buying real physical versions of the music.

[Sycamore3House]

He has got so many in the chart now and I believe they are all from the same album. When buying downloads you can buy the whole album or just the songs you want. I have lots of CD's in my attic (which is probably not doing them any good) as I have transferred all my music to iTunes and now only buy downloads.

[mikey4444]

Who buys singles these days anyway ?

[Arksided]

As an avid Single an Album buyer in the 80's/90's and also backtracked a lot from the 70's the charts don't mean anything to me any more I used to listen to the top 40 every Sunday.... I couldn't name a song in the charts at all these days.

[vulcan42]

Fifty years ago the Beatles had the top five places in the American Billboard top one hundred. So the question could be, is Ed Sheeran 4-5 times better then the Beatles? Personally I don't think so, he's good but there are very few outstanding singers to oppose him.

[Zacs-Master]

Maybe it's a reflection on the quality of his contempories rather than ed himself? Maybe it's some sort of music industry manipulation?

[Cloverjo]

Same here, arksided.
I wouldn't know an Ed Sheran song if the man himself walked in my house singing one.

I used to love listening to the charts on a Sunday evening. Do they still do that?

[Arksided]

Cloverjo, Honestly I have no Idea... and lol at Ed Sheran walking in I wouldn't know who he was either.

[murraymints]

once Top of the Pops was dropped the charts paled into insignificance...used to be an exciting time listening on radio for Tony Blackburn to announce no 1....no longer....

[Cloverjo]

I imagine the Top 40 radio show would be very boring this week, if it still exists, with Ed Sheeran having almost half of the songs in it.

I know I'm an old fogey now, so please excuse. :)

[TWR]

There's something wrong here, can you guess, I'll let you think about it until I get back at 4pm, going to Skipton Tar ra.

[Cloverjo]

???

[Zacs-Master]

TWR, you can pick me up a shirt from Jensen and Samuel if you want. 15.5" collar.

[TWR]

Ok Zac, it will be my Xmas gift for you lol