4 ms·

"Every day, 24,000 new songs" "less than 4% of new songs will become hits". I doubt that there are almost 1000 new hit songs everyday.

by pingou 3y ago

riskable 3y ago
This is something I learned about a long time ago: The Billboard 100 is not actually a list of which songs are played the most. It's a list of which songs produced by a certain subset of record labels that happened to be played a lot on certain radio stations and certain streaming services. Nelson surveys also play a role but that element of it is basically meaningless at this point. There's another element at work that gets way too much weight in the charts: Sales figures. As in, "how many people actually bought this single or an album with this single?" This is the main reason why only major labels end up in the charts: They're the only ones allowed to report figures (for several reasons; a few legitimate one's too). Let's say you make a great song and upload it to Spotify. Within a month it has been streamed 100 million times, making it one of the most streamed songs that month. Your song won't be in the Billboard top 100 because it's not on a major record label and Billboard won't be able to associate the pirate uploads of that song to YouTube (where it also tracks song data) with you, who never registered it anywhere other than Spotify. There's also entire categories of music that basically have no chance of ever making the Billboard Top 100 because they're "unofficial" (think: Unauthorized but legal remixes). I am running out of typing time here but just know that the main differentiator is the record label. Unless the song is on a label that actually has the necessary resources, getting into the Billboard Top 100 isn't likely to happen. There will be occasional exceptions of course but the main takeaway is that the Billboard Top 100 is primarily a marketing tool for the big record labels in the music industry. If it ever stops prioritizing their stuff it wouldn't be serving its purpose.
- CPLX 3y ago
  As someone with direct experience in all this I can just say the best reply to this comment is to point out that it’s just completely disconnected from reality. There’s no rules about the charts being reserved for major labels or any of the other stuff being said here, it’s just nonsense.
  - amanaplanacanal 3y ago
    It might help if you weigh in with more info: exactly what does billboard measure when creating the charts? Radio airplay? Streams? Sales? Some combo?
    - CPLX 3y ago
      I mean Billboard publishes the formulas and methodology. It's not even slightly secret or anything. Sources include Billboard's own website and dozens of articles. https://www.google.com/search?rls=en&q=how+does+billboard+calculate+charts https://www.google.com/search?rls=en&q=how+does+billboard+ca... The tell that this comment is nonsense is the assertion that only major labels count. That's never been true at all and anyone saying that is telegraphing that they aren't really connected to this issue. Registering with SoundScan and getting UPC/ISRC is trivial and many services (like HN user founded Distrokid) automate portions of it. None of this is new. Those of us that were on tour playing music in the 90's got used to filling out Soundscan forms on paper at the merch table and finding a way to fax them in. Indie artists have been reporting sales to the charts for decades. Also there's no such thing as an "unauthorized but legal remix" that's just someone else's song. The parent comment is "not even wrong" levels of wrong.
boomboomsubban 3y ago
Worldwide? Doesn't seem ridiculous.
InCityDreams 3y ago
I bounce between three rock-orientated radio stations when in the car. I've only heard Rush once - when Neil Peart died. Similar for other (dead) artists. Whatever label Rush are on, they ain't doing the payola to get airplay in my locality.
- amanaplanacanal 3y ago
  Interesting. In my market there is one “classic rock” station and rush has been a staple since the 70’s. This is one of the stations that didn’t play 90’s stuff at all until they were purchased by one of the big chains a few years ago.

"Every day, 24,000 new songs" "less than 4% of new songs will become hits". I doubt that there are almost 1000 new hit songs everyday.

by pingou 3y ago

"Every day, 24,000 new songs" "less than 4% of new songs will become hits". I doubt that there are almost 1000 new hit songs everyday.

riskable 3y ago

This is something I learned about a long time ago: The Billboard 100 is not actually a list of which songs are played the most. It's a list of which songs produced by a certain subset of record labels that happened to be played a lot on certain radio stations and certain streaming services. Nelson surveys also play a role but that element of it is basically meaningless at this point. There's another element at work that gets way too much weight in the charts: Sales figures. As in, "how many people actually bought this single or an album with this single?" This is the main reason why only major labels end up in the charts: They're the only ones allowed to report figures (for several reasons; a few legitimate one's too). Let's say you make a great song and upload it to Spotify. Within a month it has been streamed 100 million times, making it one of the most streamed songs that month. Your song won't be in the Billboard top 100 because it's not on a major record label and Billboard won't be able to associate the pirate uploads of that song to YouTube (where it also tracks song data) with you, who never registered it anywhere other than Spotify. There's also entire categories of music that basically have no chance of ever making the Billboard Top 100 because they're "unofficial" (think: Unauthorized but legal remixes). I am running out of typing time here but just know that the main differentiator is the record label. Unless the song is on a label that actually has the necessary resources, getting into the Billboard Top 100 isn't likely to happen. There will be occasional exceptions of course but the main takeaway is that the Billboard Top 100 is primarily a marketing tool for the big record labels in the music industry. If it ever stops prioritizing their stuff it wouldn't be serving its purpose.

CPLX 3y ago
As someone with direct experience in all this I can just say the best reply to this comment is to point out that it’s just completely disconnected from reality. There’s no rules about the charts being reserved for major labels or any of the other stuff being said here, it’s just nonsense.
- amanaplanacanal 3y ago
  It might help if you weigh in with more info: exactly what does billboard measure when creating the charts? Radio airplay? Streams? Sales? Some combo?
  - CPLX 3y ago
    I mean Billboard publishes the formulas and methodology. It's not even slightly secret or anything. Sources include Billboard's own website and dozens of articles. https://www.google.com/search?rls=en&q=how+does+billboard+calculate+charts https://www.google.com/search?rls=en&q=how+does+billboard+ca... The tell that this comment is nonsense is the assertion that only major labels count. That's never been true at all and anyone saying that is telegraphing that they aren't really connected to this issue. Registering with SoundScan and getting UPC/ISRC is trivial and many services (like HN user founded Distrokid) automate portions of it. None of this is new. Those of us that were on tour playing music in the 90's got used to filling out Soundscan forms on paper at the merch table and finding a way to fax them in. Indie artists have been reporting sales to the charts for decades. Also there's no such thing as an "unauthorized but legal remix" that's just someone else's song. The parent comment is "not even wrong" levels of wrong.

boomboomsubban 3y ago

Worldwide? Doesn't seem ridiculous.

InCityDreams 3y ago

I bounce between three rock-orientated radio stations when in the car. I've only heard Rush once - when Neil Peart died. Similar for other (dead) artists. Whatever label Rush are on, they ain't doing the payola to get airplay in my locality.

amanaplanacanal 3y ago
Interesting. In my market there is one “classic rock” station and rush has been a staple since the 70’s. This is one of the stations that didn’t play 90’s stuff at all until they were purchased by one of the big chains a few years ago.