Are todays music charts relevant?

soundwave12

Hey guys,

I’m doing some research on music charts and how relevant the current chart format really is these days. The research is inspired by this viral video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvHRUY0tBcs

I was wondering if any of you guys had thoughts on the following:

1. Are the 5 most recently played songs you listened to the same as the 5 most recently purchased songs?

2. Would you like to see location-specific music charts (what’s being played in London, New York, 100m from your current location)?

3. Would you like to see real-time charts? (what’s playing right now all over the world to give a better understanding of global music trends)

4. Would you be comfortable anonymously sharing what music you play on your ipod/smartphane?

5. Would you download a free app that showed you hyperlocal and realtime music charts of any selected location around the world?


Looking forward to hearing your answers and any other of your thoughts on this!

ajs2

1. Are the 5 most recently played songs you listened to the same as the 5 most recently purchased songs?

For the first days after i buy them yes but after that no way. I go back to my trusted faithfuls(RHCP)

2. Would you like to see location-specific music charts (what’s being played in London, New York, 100m from your current location)?

Definitly for places like camden street! Not too sure about Kerry though

3. Would you like to see real-time charts? (what’s playing right now all over the world to give a better understanding of global music trends)

Absolutly!! Just because a song is bought lots doesnt mean it is lsitened to the most! The most listened to song in any week should be top of the charts

4. Would you be comfortable anonymously sharing what music you play on your ipod/smartphane?

More than comfortable. I would want to get the music i listen to the place in the charts they deserve!

5. Would you download a free app that showed you hyperlocal and realtime music charts of any selected location around the world?

Watching my home town's charts would be interesting to say the least!:D

SilverScreen

I'll answer this as honestly as possible.

1. Are the 5 most recently played songs you listened to the same as the 5 most recently purchased songs?

I don't listen to individual songs as such I listen to entire albums because I have an attention span lasting longer than 3 minutes. I don't really see the point in purchasing individual songs. In short, no.

2. Would you like to see location-specific music charts (what’s being played in London, New York, 100m from your current location)?

No. I don't really see any merit in charts whether they are nationally-based or locally-based. I don't care what's being played in New York or Navan or what my housemate is listening to in the room next door.

3. Would you like to see real-time charts? (what’s playing right now all over the world to give a better understanding of global music trends)

Nope. Who wants to listen to certain types of music just because it's trendy and in the charts? We're not all 13-year old girls.

4. Would you be comfortable anonymously sharing what music you play on your ipod/smartphone?

Yes I have no problem with that.

5. Would you download a free app that showed you hyperlocal and realtime music charts of any selected location around the world?

Nope. As I said I don't care about music charts as they are not a source of good music. Music charts have never been relevant other than to the musically-clueless. Even if I did want an app like that I would develop my own

Malice

Moved to Surveys and non-media research. For the record:

1. Are the 5 most recently played songs you listened to the same as the 5 most recently purchased songs?

No.

2. Would you like to see location-specific music charts (what’s being played in London, New York, 100m from your current location)?

Only if it could be filtered by genre. I have zero interest in knowing what the Hip Hop charts of New York are for example.

3. Would you like to see real-time charts? (what’s playing right now all over the world to give a better understanding of global music trends)

No.

4. Would you be comfortable anonymously sharing what music you play on your ipod/smartphane?

No.

5. Would you download a free app that showed you hyperlocal and realtime music charts of any selected location around the world?

No.

Irish Guitarist

1. Not unless the five most recently purchased songs are from The Moody Blues 1971 album Every Good Boy Deserves Favour.

2. No.

3. No.

4. I don't have an iPod or smartphone. I'm not even sure what a smartphone is.

5. No.

I couldn't care less what other people listen to. I listen to music I like. Whether millions of other people or hardly anyone share my taste is of no concern to me.

I've always loved listening to music and reading about it. However knowing how high or low an album or single got to in the charts has never interested me. Even when it comes to bands I love I have no idea what position any of their singles or albums got to in the chart. My brother used to buy The Guinness Book Of British Hit Singles and it amazed me that anyone could read a book that reduced music to a load of numbers and statistics.

Evita

1. Are the 5 most recently played songs you listened to the same as the 5 most recently purchased songs?


No, because while I do tend to purchase individual songs these days from iTunes they usually tend to be what I consider quite throwaway pop songs. I wouldn’t invest any great deal of emotion into them and so once I’ve listened a few times I’ll go back to listening to the old faithfuls that I bought on CD years ago. If I’m really into something chances are I’ll go to the shop and buy the album on CD because I grew up with CDs and then I’ll tend to listen to the album.

2. Would you like to see location-specific music charts (what’s being played in London, New York, 100m from your current location)?


No, I always found my taste was quite different to other people in my area so I wouldn’t take inspiration from seeing a chart list from people 100m from where I live! And I wouldn’t be bothered about what people are listening to anywhere else really.

3. Would you like to see real-time charts? (what’s playing right now all over the world to give a better understanding of global music trends)

Well, this might be useful for research and statistics but no I wouldn’t be bothered looking at it other than that.

4. Would you be comfortable anonymously sharing what music you play on your ipod/smartphane?


Yeah, I have an iPod and I wouldn’t mind that but to be honest I think people can now look up what they want themselves on the internet without me sharing it.

5. Would you download a free app that showed you hyperlocal and realtime music charts of any selected location around the world?


No, much like IrishGuitarist just said, I'm not fussed about what other people are listening to really. I'm happy with what I like and just connect with like-minded people now online. In general, the type of music I like wouldn't do well in the charts anyway. As someone else already said, there's a specific type of song that will do well in the charts at a particular time and place and the stuff I tend to like just wouldn't make it and the older stuff I like wouldn't make it now either but actually was popular back when it first emerged. For example, the British and Irish charts mattered to me more when I was a child and Top of the Pops (and Ireland's Top Thirty Hits to a lesser extent) was still a popular enough programme. I'm talking back in the mid '90s when so-called 'Britpop' was at its peak. Well, I was a huge Pulp fan. Still am. And so naturally I was unterested in their chart position along with a few other bands of the time that I half-liked. But by the end of the '90s Top of the Pops was dead to me.
Also, now downloads are obviously included in the charts and since that happened a song that is 40 years old could (if enough people started a campaign) get into the top 10 whereas when I was a child the national and British chart shows were based on newly released singles and as you didn't have the internet then either (or very few had it and it wasn't like it is now) you sort of had to watch chart shows and read magazines and listen to the radio charts for new music but thankfully now with the internet I don't have to sit through stuff I don't like I can just bypass the charts and source what I like for myself.