Well, hello there! It's been quite a while. A few years, in fact! It's always been in the back of my mind that I abandoned this site without an explanation, so I thought I'd come by really quick and explain.
It's really quite simple: The Billboard charts don't matter anymore. At least not to me. They have changed their methodology so many times throughout the last few years that they really became laughable. The final straw for me realizing this was when they deprived Rebel Heart of the #1 spot on the Top 200 due to streaming. I understand that the way the public consumes music has changed a LOT in the last few years. Music just doesn't sell anymore. However, the week's best-selling album is still the WEEK'S BEST-SELLING ALBUM and should have still been proclaimed the #1 album of the week, whether it sold 100 copies or 1 million. To me, the Billboard charts are irrelevant. They fascinated me so when I was younger because I thought they mattered. Maybe at the time they did. But they don't hold the key to Madonna's success. I started this site in 2005 and I initially had a lot of fun doing it, but when it stopped being fun, I knew I had to stop.
Thanks to everyone that stopped by and checked out this site! I will keep it up as an archived reference until it gets taken down.
-A
I think there's something wrong with the way the HOT 100 is weighted. How can a song that reaches #1 in single sales not even chart on the HOT 100?
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ReplyDeleteAGREE WITH YOU 100%
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Actually, it was TEA (track-equivalent albums) that kept RH out of the top spot, as it had 4,000 from that, and the Empire soundtrack had 17,000. Streaming had not taken off yet, with RH and Empire garnering just 1,000 and 3,000 of their totals from streaming at the time.
ReplyDeleteIn any event, Madonna and Barbra Streisand are tied for the most top 2 albums (15). And, in the end, does a peak always matter? See some of her other No. 2 albums. :) (though they sold a lot more than RH, as album sales were much higher back then). And now M has another No. 1 album, Madame X (no matter that it was off the chart after just a couple of weeks).
Billboard does still have a Top Album Sales chart. The Billboard 200 is intended to reflect what's "popular" and, as you said, streaming is how people are consuming music today. So I feel your pain but also accept that they're trying to adapt with the times. That said, I love your site. It's a great resource that I visit pretty regularly so I hope you keep it up and running (or archive it) even if you don't continue updating it. Thanks for all the hard work you've put into it!
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ReplyDeleteI am sad you are not updating your site anymore. You really have done such a phenomenal job with it!!! Thank you for all the info!
ReplyDeleteI agree. The BILLBOARD HOT 100 charts has been a joke since the late 90s. Less about true record sales and more about radio incentives promotions, hype and marketing strategies. Now we live in different times and music is consumed differently but true representation of actual sales is lost through streaming figures which can be skewed and configured to benefit some artists over others, so it means nothing.
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