BBC Launches Downloaded Music Charts

PReDiToR writes "The BBC today aired its first chart rundown of downloaded music. 'The Official UK Download Chart is based on the most popular, legally downloaded tracks in the UK. It's compiled from the sale of permanently owned single track downloads and doesn't include streamed downloads, subscriptions or free downloads.' The Chart played on Radio 1, the UK's most listened to station, and will be a regular feature."

Good Statistic??

[artlu]

Can this be a reasonably good statistic? Most of the music that I listen to online either comes from online radio stations, Poisoned (mac app), or iTunes. What clout would this have over any other song statistics?

gShares.net [gshares.net] - Stock Forum

Re:A Hit Chart...

[th1ckasabr1ck]

...as well as The Who, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, and every other band that matters.

More Information

[Feneric]

It would be nice if they posted a bit more info. Like for example exactly how the figures are tabulated -- is it a straight weekly sum, or are past results worked in somehow either through strict accumulation or a weighted average... Furthermore, do audio books get tossed into the mix (not that one is apt to win)? It would also be neat to see what formats people were downloading the music in.

The problem with the chart is...

[happyhippy]

..that all the sites are stacked with crap pop music and have hardly any decent real proper music on them.

Re:A Hit Chart...

[dpfau]

Not to mention The Beatles, The Who, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, The Clash, The Smiths...

I can keep going.

I wonder...

[jmcmunn]

I wonder how long it takes for music companies or artists to artifically inflate the "legal downloads" of their music so that people think it is "popular" when they hear it on the radio on the Top 20.

And of course once it is "popular" people will start buying it to see what the fuss is about, thus selling more. Maybe I'm just a skeptic, but it seems like another way to get the same stuff to sell even more. Oh well.

Re:Wouldn't it be cool

[shfted!]

Well, this would work for freely available music just as well. A subscription service could also easily be implemented for "paid" charts. I think it would fly well, as you wouldn't have to remember the song played on the radio, and it would all happen automatically. I wonder how long it will take Apple to integrate such an idea into iTunes.

peel

[justforaday]

give me a site that lets me download whatever song john peel is currently playing and i'll be happy.

Copyleft my ass

[RabidChicken]

I am greatly disappointed in so far as the chart offered automatically discounts legitimate artists that do not choose to sell their tracks online but give them away for free. Examples being Brad Sucks [bradsucks.net] and the Acedia Music Netlabel [acediamusic.org] under licenses such as the Creative Commons music license. It will take something like the BBC or other mainstream music outlets (MTV or other such dribble) to recognize this music distribution model to get artists any exposure. That being said I can see how from a purely practical level that one would have to rely either on the artists themselves or mirrors to provide statistics which may be skewered. In addition, artists like Brad Sucks may get significantly more downloads from the simple fact of being free (in every sense) rather than another indie band that has only pay downloads.

Bah humbug.

P.S. Brad Sucks is one of my favourite bands

A positive development

[Sanity]

Those familiar with the BBC will be familiar with "Top of the Pops" - a long-running BBC show targeting teenagers which used the TV station we all pay for to funnel the greatest pile of unbelievably crap commercial noise (the term "music" doesn't really apply) into the eager ears of Britain's youth. This was based on the UK singles chart which is widely regarded to be completely manipulated by the music industry. Why exactly the British public must pay for this weekly infomercial for the worst the music industry has to offer is quite beyond me.

With any luck, the music industry will have a more difficult time in manipulating this chart, and it will therefore more accurately reflect the musical tastes of the UK's youth.

Re:Wouldn't it be cool

[Anonymous Coward]

really underground and counter culture

Maybe you missed the point of the list. It was to show the "most popular" downloads. Once a song makes it to a "most popular" list it is, by definition, no longer a list of underground and counter culture songs.

Re:More Information

[emm-tee]

Well, if it's anything like the UK singles chart, (also reported on Radio 1), it's simply sales. Nothing else - no airplay, nothing, just the sales of the week in question.

Like most people, I don't believe that what people buy is necessarilly a guide to quality, but at least it's not influenced by corporation or radio station policy. It's a fair measure in an imperfect world.

(Yes I've just come back from the pub)

Re:A Hit Chart...

[Stween]

... Pink Floyd ...

Re:Wouldn't it be cool

[colinramsay]

Jesus Fucking Christ, I'm sick of you indie kids. Just because something is "manufactured" doesn't make it BAD. Half the shit that you listen to will be as contrived as Avril or Britney, and the thing is you don't even realise it!

Meanwhile Avril releases Don't Tell me and Britney releases Toxic and obliterates virtually every release this year that meets your cool quotient but you've got your head stuck too far up your ass to realise it.

A SHit Chart...

[Sad Loser]

The Spice Girls are a good example, as they were a manufactured band, and this chart is designed to give official validation to a 'chart' that will be even easier for the big labels to manipulate.

The BBC's independence doesn't quite extend to DJs and producers being able to resist big bribes by labels wanting to get their songs onto playlists. Ever wonder why Radio One DJs have big houses and lots of cars? Let's face it, it's not because they are talented.

The BBC has the resources to look at doing a far more interesting chart of what people are really wanting to listen to, by sampling p2p networks, but haven't got the imagination or balls to follow through, as for some reason they are beholden to the big labels.

I pay my licence fee for independence from state interference, how about freedom from big business interference?

Re:I feel old

[emm-tee]

Excuse me from jumping to conclusions, but your use of "sheesh" may indicate that you are not from the UK.

It's a UK chart.

Fortunately, the entire English speaking world does not listen to the same music. I assume there is not a large non-UK audience for The Streets, Keane, Goldie Lookin' Chain, however good they may be.

Re:A Hit Chart...

[ambienceman]

Let's not forget Massive Attack, Tricky, Portishead, Roni Size, Sneaker Pimps, and so many more...

Re:Wouldn't it be cool

[g-doo]

Exactly. Finally, another person who understands. Honestly, part of the reason why people keep classifying this manufactured music as bad is because other people claim that it's bad. It's just the cool thing to do. The power of influence can really blind you over what's really your own opinion and what isn't. These artists don't hit the top of the charts because everyone hates them. Think about it.

Re:A Hit Chart...

[Max Romantschuk]

The British impact on popular music over the last fifty years is arguably greater than that of any country in the world, including the US.

I'd be inclined to agree, but not because the brits themselves are that special. The UK just has happened to be the home of loads of talented people, many born elsewhere. The key factor was bringing the right people together (immigration), and having the means of getting the music out there (colonial history, anyone?)

Just my two cents :)

Re:Wouldn't it be cool

[CountBrass]

Bullishit.

Art is by definition [reference.com] "manufactured".

From dictionary.com [reference.com]

1. Human effort to imitate, supplement, alter, or counteract the work of nature.
2. 1. The conscious production or arrangement of sounds, colors, forms, movements, or other elements in a manner that affects the sense of beauty, specifically the production of the beautiful in a graphic or plastic medium.

Tracking problem...

[Kjella]

On the one side, you have music being redistributed, so there's no global total of how many downloads there are. That would make it underreporting.

On the other side, you have ballot stuffers. If you wanted to make an artist popular, download it many times over. How to do that is left as an exercise for the reader, but it is obvious this leads to overreporting.

Oh and yeah, even if this music is release for free (speech or otherwise), there is a motive to ballot stuff. Both to get you fame (as such), as a promotion of commercial songs, to get a record contract or otherwise.

Like it or not, limiting it to commercial songs only is making it fairly certain that the figures represents the songs' actual popularity.

Kjella

Re:A Hit Chart...

[SenseiLeNoir]

Its not just that, here if UK, there is a LOT of independants (both labels, and bands), and thats where the real innovation is.

It doesnt matter whether its Rock, R&B, House, Trance or anythign, in the UK, most music starts as a grassroots movements..

In the UK, there is still the potential for a talentend band or individual to be able to release a record bypassing the big four.. whether this may change or not in the future, i dont know, but we shall see..

Also radio stations do give a lot of airtime to independents... (statiosn are not controlled by the big four, as much as they are in Stateside)

Another thing is the popularity of Pubs and live singing in Pubs.