by Fred Bronson |
January 05, 2009 4:23 EST
DOES THE SINGLES SALES CHART MEAN ANYTHING?
Fred...
Maybe you can explain what topping the Hot Singles Sales chart really means. Does it exclude sales of downloaded singles? What does it mean in terms of actual sales numbers? Are we talking thousands, tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands?
I can only find that Madonna's "Miles Away" is No. 1 on the Hot Dance Singles Sales chart. It doesn't even appear in the top 50 of the Hot 100 (all that I can access online). It is not listed on iTunes' top 100 singles. Maybe when this chart first appeared in 1991 it had some relevance -- to separate it from the Airplay chart -- but today I think not.
I may be wrong, but I think that digital downloads are counted on all the rest of the featured Billboard charts. Five out of the top 13 songs on the Hot 100 are marked with "RIAA ▲," indicating one million sales -- that includes digital downloads right?
Also, I've been reading your column for as many years as you've been doing it. Last week was the first time I scrolled down and posted a comment and did so again this week. Your readers are a bit out of control, to say the least. I don't think I'll go there anymore -- nor here, if my questions aren't addressed.
Thanks,
Jim Mahon
Lakewood, N.J.
Dear Jim,
The Hot Singles Sales chart is based on sales of physical singles and does not include any digital sales. Paid downloads are represented on the Hot Digital Songs and Hot Digital Tracks charts, and are included in the Hot 100.
Sales of physical singles are minimal, and thus barely have any impact on the Hot 100. It is possible to be No. 1 on Hot Singles Sales and not appear on the Hot 100.
The digital download market has become the new singles market. As Billboard reports in the Jan. 10 issue, this week's best-selling download, "Just Dance" by Lady Gaga featuring Colby O'Donis, sold 419,000 copies in one week, the second-highest total in history (topped only by Flo Rida's "Low" selling 467,000 downloads in one week).
So why is there still a Hot Singles Sales chart and why did I report on it in my column?
As I've said many times in this space, the Billboard charts are designed to be a tool for those who work in the music business. As long as a chart is still relevant to the industry -- and this one is -- our chart department will continue to compile that chart. Decisions about which charts are added and which ones are dropped are not made in a vacuum, and our chart department does take into consideration the needs of those who work in the business, including staffers at record labels, retailers and radio.
That doesn't mean there will always be a Hot Singles Sales chart -- there could come a day when that survey is no longer useful, but we're not there yet.
As for why I wrote about Madonna's "Miles Away" topping this chart, all Billboard charts are fair game for Chart Beat. This column has never been just about the Hot 100 and The Billboard 200. Last week, the fact that Madonna earned her seventh No. 1 on this tally was more interesting than what was happening on other charts.
You asked about the reference to platinum certifications on the Hot 100. Those are mainly for digital downloads, not for physical singles. In the print edition of Billboard, a solid circle indicates gold certification for selling 500,000 downloads and a solid square indicates platinum certification for selling 1,000,000 downloads. A white square with a black border indicates gold certification for shipment of 500,000 physical singles.
You also mentioned the comments section, which is a new feature at the bottom of the Chart Beat and Chart Beat Chat pages. I don't think I care to comment, other than saying I appreciate hearing from readers who have constructive things to say, whether it be praise or criticism.
As for your e-mail, it appears here because you wrote an intelligent letter that asked something that would be of interest to a wide number of readers, not because I thought you might not read the column again.
I receive far more e-mails each week than I could post in Chart Beat Chat, so I do have to make choices, but I appreciate hearing from everyone and I do read all of the e-mails, even if they don't make it to Billboard.com.
I'LL ALERT THE STAFF
Good afternoon Fred!
Two things pop out in the top third of the latest Hot Country Songs chart. With "Down The Road" by Kenny Chesney with Mac McAnally inching up to No. 12, this song surpasses the career high of McAnally's "Back Where I Come From," which peaked at No. 14 in 1990.
Also, not far behind at No. 14 is "Cowgirls Don't Cry" by Brooks & Dunn featuring Reba McEntire. A top 10 appearance for this song would give Reba her 57th top 10, which would put her in the lead for female artists with the most top 10 country hits. She surpassed former leader Dolly Parton a year ago when she and Kelly Clarkson reached No. 2 with "Because Of You."
Hope everybody had a Happy New Year at the Chart Beat Headquarters!
John Maverick
Burt County, Nebraska
Dear John,
Yes, everyone who toils on the Chart Beat had a very Happy New Year, and I'll pass your message along at our next staff meeting. First we have to find a venue large enough to hold all... um... one of us.
THE NUMBER OF NUMBER ONES
Good Afternoon,
I was thinking about the difference between the charts now and the charts when they first started. How many artists made it to No. 1 back then? It seems like there were more talented people and more No. 1 songs during the birth of the rock era.
Also, do you have any advice for someone who wants to do what you do?
Folashade Oyegbola
Dear Folashade,
The number of No. 1 songs has fluctuated over the years, but not based on how talented artists are in any certain period of time. There are other factors, usually having to do with market conditions.
For example, in the '60s (especially the first half of the decade), the market was more singles-driven than album-driven. Artists would release new singles as often as every 10-12 weeks, so the turnover was much more rapid. In the '90s, radio tended to play songs over a longer period of time, so these radio hits would have extended stays on the Hot 100.
In 1956 there were 11 No. 1 songs on the Best Sellers chart. In 1959, the first full year of the Hot 100, there were 15 No. 1s. In 1966 there were 27 No. 1s, but that's not a record. There were 35 No. 1s in 1974 and again in 1975. There were only nine No. 1s in 1994 and seven in 2002. We were back up to 18 chart-toppers in 2006, as digital downloads became the new singles market and caused a new wave of more rapid changes at the summit.
In response to another reader's letter, I did talk about career opportunities for chart fans a few weeks ago, and unfortunately there aren't a lot. The number of chart columnists is rather small -- I can count the ones I know on just over one hand. The number of people working in the Billboard chart department is also fairly small. If you live somewhere where there is no well-known chart columnist, you might inquire if your hometown newspaper or radio station website would be interested in hiring someone to comment on the charts.
Fred...
Maybe you can explain what topping the Hot Singles Sales chart really means. Does it exclude sales of downloaded singles? What does it mean in terms of actual sales numbers? Are we talking thousands, tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands?
I can only find that Madonna's "Miles Away" is No. 1 on the Hot Dance Singles Sales chart. It doesn't even appear in the top 50 of the Hot 100 (all that I can access online). It is not listed on iTunes' top 100 singles. Maybe when this chart first appeared in 1991 it had some relevance -- to separate it from the Airplay chart -- but today I think not.
I may be wrong, but I think that digital downloads are counted on all the rest of the featured Billboard charts. Five out of the top 13 songs on the Hot 100 are marked with "RIAA ▲," indicating one million sales -- that includes digital downloads right?
Also, I've been reading your column for as many years as you've been doing it. Last week was the first time I scrolled down and posted a comment and did so again this week. Your readers are a bit out of control, to say the least. I don't think I'll go there anymore -- nor here, if my questions aren't addressed.
Thanks,
Jim Mahon
Lakewood, N.J.
Dear Jim,
The Hot Singles Sales chart is based on sales of physical singles and does not include any digital sales. Paid downloads are represented on the Hot Digital Songs and Hot Digital Tracks charts, and are included in the Hot 100.
Sales of physical singles are minimal, and thus barely have any impact on the Hot 100. It is possible to be No. 1 on Hot Singles Sales and not appear on the Hot 100.
The digital download market has become the new singles market. As Billboard reports in the Jan. 10 issue, this week's best-selling download, "Just Dance" by Lady Gaga featuring Colby O'Donis, sold 419,000 copies in one week, the second-highest total in history (topped only by Flo Rida's "Low" selling 467,000 downloads in one week).
So why is there still a Hot Singles Sales chart and why did I report on it in my column?
As I've said many times in this space, the Billboard charts are designed to be a tool for those who work in the music business. As long as a chart is still relevant to the industry -- and this one is -- our chart department will continue to compile that chart. Decisions about which charts are added and which ones are dropped are not made in a vacuum, and our chart department does take into consideration the needs of those who work in the business, including staffers at record labels, retailers and radio.
That doesn't mean there will always be a Hot Singles Sales chart -- there could come a day when that survey is no longer useful, but we're not there yet.
As for why I wrote about Madonna's "Miles Away" topping this chart, all Billboard charts are fair game for Chart Beat. This column has never been just about the Hot 100 and The Billboard 200. Last week, the fact that Madonna earned her seventh No. 1 on this tally was more interesting than what was happening on other charts.
You asked about the reference to platinum certifications on the Hot 100. Those are mainly for digital downloads, not for physical singles. In the print edition of Billboard, a solid circle indicates gold certification for selling 500,000 downloads and a solid square indicates platinum certification for selling 1,000,000 downloads. A white square with a black border indicates gold certification for shipment of 500,000 physical singles.
You also mentioned the comments section, which is a new feature at the bottom of the Chart Beat and Chart Beat Chat pages. I don't think I care to comment, other than saying I appreciate hearing from readers who have constructive things to say, whether it be praise or criticism.
As for your e-mail, it appears here because you wrote an intelligent letter that asked something that would be of interest to a wide number of readers, not because I thought you might not read the column again.
I receive far more e-mails each week than I could post in Chart Beat Chat, so I do have to make choices, but I appreciate hearing from everyone and I do read all of the e-mails, even if they don't make it to Billboard.com.
I'LL ALERT THE STAFF
Good afternoon Fred!
Two things pop out in the top third of the latest Hot Country Songs chart. With "Down The Road" by Kenny Chesney with Mac McAnally inching up to No. 12, this song surpasses the career high of McAnally's "Back Where I Come From," which peaked at No. 14 in 1990.
Also, not far behind at No. 14 is "Cowgirls Don't Cry" by Brooks & Dunn featuring Reba McEntire. A top 10 appearance for this song would give Reba her 57th top 10, which would put her in the lead for female artists with the most top 10 country hits. She surpassed former leader Dolly Parton a year ago when she and Kelly Clarkson reached No. 2 with "Because Of You."
Hope everybody had a Happy New Year at the Chart Beat Headquarters!
John Maverick
Burt County, Nebraska
Dear John,
Yes, everyone who toils on the Chart Beat had a very Happy New Year, and I'll pass your message along at our next staff meeting. First we have to find a venue large enough to hold all... um... one of us.
THE NUMBER OF NUMBER ONES
Good Afternoon,
I was thinking about the difference between the charts now and the charts when they first started. How many artists made it to No. 1 back then? It seems like there were more talented people and more No. 1 songs during the birth of the rock era.
Also, do you have any advice for someone who wants to do what you do?
Folashade Oyegbola
Dear Folashade,
The number of No. 1 songs has fluctuated over the years, but not based on how talented artists are in any certain period of time. There are other factors, usually having to do with market conditions.
For example, in the '60s (especially the first half of the decade), the market was more singles-driven than album-driven. Artists would release new singles as often as every 10-12 weeks, so the turnover was much more rapid. In the '90s, radio tended to play songs over a longer period of time, so these radio hits would have extended stays on the Hot 100.
In 1956 there were 11 No. 1 songs on the Best Sellers chart. In 1959, the first full year of the Hot 100, there were 15 No. 1s. In 1966 there were 27 No. 1s, but that's not a record. There were 35 No. 1s in 1974 and again in 1975. There were only nine No. 1s in 1994 and seven in 2002. We were back up to 18 chart-toppers in 2006, as digital downloads became the new singles market and caused a new wave of more rapid changes at the summit.
In response to another reader's letter, I did talk about career opportunities for chart fans a few weeks ago, and unfortunately there aren't a lot. The number of chart columnists is rather small -- I can count the ones I know on just over one hand. The number of people working in the Billboard chart department is also fairly small. If you live somewhere where there is no well-known chart columnist, you might inquire if your hometown newspaper or radio station website would be interested in hiring someone to comment on the charts.
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