Official Singles Chart on 12/2/2016

Had this been the 1990s, I would agree with you.

Yes, that is quite ironic. But streaming has impacted the charts in a way that will be good--since streaming is usually free and it doesn't involve purchasing, it has made buying songs obsolete. Soon, sales, digitally or physically, will become nonexistent. That's why streams are added--because since sales are dying, this is the next best way to see what songs are more popular.

A lot of people do think streams should not be added because it has made the charts very stagnant,. though the chart's addition of streaming is for good reason mentioned previously and it's not likely to change. If you like, you can check out the sales chart:

http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-sales-chart/

This is what the chart looks like only including sales and excluding any streams. If you like, this can be what you check every week and not the actual chart itself. Hope this makes things a little better!

And so how are artists supposed to get an income if free streaming is the only outlet for there music. I'd like to know the answer to that

Streaming services like Spotify do pay artists to have their music on the service. Spotify pays about $0.006-$0.0084 (that's less than a pound in the UK) for every time a song is streamed, though that number varies. So if you do the math, if a song is streamed a million times, Spotify pays the artist, at the least, $8,400, or about 5,800 pounds. And given how many times a song is streamed per day, having simply one song on Spotify can earn an artist over a million dollars/pounds. Multiply that by the amount of songs they have on the service, and holy that's a big number! Then, do similar math for all the other streaming services their music is on, add all the numbers together then let the label and producer take a piece out of the money cake, and what's left over for the artist is probably over a million pounds--possibly in the double-digit millions depending on how much/often they're streamed and how much they're paid. This is similar to how radio stations pay artists/labels the amount of time a song of theirs is played on the radio.

Simeone, the non-streaming chart doesn't seem that different to me. One new entry in the top 40.

No 19 - HOW LOVE BEGINS - DJ FRESH/HIGH CONTRAST/DIZZEE

We can't uninvent the internet so the days of more new entries, a faster chart, is long gone. Younger people won't mind because they won't remember the good old days. Older people (such as myself) will moan but moaning is part of getting older! :P

"Younger people won't mind because they won't remember the good old days."

You sound like one of those nostalgic parents who gripes on and on about how music was better when they were kids and how this generation is going downhill. Please try not to talk like that, I despite those people.

Well, the sales chart is better. And hey, if people don't mind, what's the issue? It's not a big deal, so calm down.

P.S. You mispelled my name. It's "Simeon," not "Simeone."

Thanks for the explanation Simeon

You're welcome.

You typed "despite" when you meant "despise!"

Anyway, I was just sharing my opinion. You don't need to *despise* people for having a different view, Simeon. Hope I got your name right!

I would dispute those figures, an infographic published in The Guardian last April showed that to earn the equivalent of the monthly minimum wage in the USA, i.e $1,260, an artist signed to a record label requires 1,117,021 plays on Spotify. So a million plays a month is the same as working in McDonalds.

you mispelt despise

This is something that no one seems to get. Why there are so few new entries each week is because of the internet. That is the main reason. Due to the internet and its ability to connect people, the tastes of mainstream music are therefore connected. On the internet, the songs which are popular are now more determined and less songs make it big because of the mainstreamers, hovering around the same songs which are pushed through marketing. People can now just check the Spotify playlists to see which songs are popular and will listen to those.

Back in the old days, people would hear the songs on the radio and see billboards and posters, and would flock to buy the records at the week of release physically, as that was the main way records were sold. In the stores. This meant that songs had a firm release, limited stock and a certain time they were available in stores. Songs that didn't do well would just not be produced, becoming scarcer. Nowadays you can just open up Spotify, Soundcloud, Youtube or whatever you use and just listen to the songs whenever.

For big artists, 1m a month isn't a lot. Most can of that handful can expect 10m a week per hit. And that's just one platform, so there is still money to be earned from singles at the top end. Smaller acts, even those with regular top 40 appearances will need live and merch sales to stay fed!

Yeah, same problem here. What's going on?

it is featured on a TV ad, but cannot remember what one.

Probably because the sales are extremely low in this chart.

Dosen't explain why anyone would by a Xmas song in february

Check out the sales chart: http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-sales-chart/

There's 10 new songs and a ton of re-entries. It's pretty much the same chart except streams aren't counted. A lot of people actually think this is what the chart really should be since streaming has slowed down the chart's movement a ton, though that isn't likely to change.

God, why do people get off because of hardly any new entries? Three in the top fricking 40 is enough!

Yes , that's just duplicating what i've been posting the last few weeks. Still dosent answer why people are streaming the same songs week after week

You could say the same thing about sales--why do people listen to the same songs week after week after buying them? Streaming is basically that except streaming is usually free and no purchasing is necessary. I guess people enjoy certain songs so much they keep listening to them over and over.

But you only BUY a song once, and as you pointed out, there's 10 new entries, so contradicting yourself a little

Yeah, 15 years ago only 2-3 songs survived a month in the top 40. It was big fun to follow the developments. Now there's no excitement.

ANd Light It Up already hit the top 10 once.

Nah Charli XCX can go die. But I agree with the other two as Lush Life is actually a pretty decent song

I LOVE Charli XCX... love her voice, her songs, her lyrics and I really enjoy this song with Mr Oizo... I can't wait to hear her new album !!! Yes, but I mean, Light it up deserves to hit beyond number 10

To be fair it's peaked at nine but I do agree with you, it should hit higher. It deserves it more than the top 4 this week.