[S.T.C]

With Ed Sheeran taking 16 of the top 20 spots, isn't it obvious what a mockery the music industry has become, the hype machine is out of control, and it results in this, if it was a herd of deer, you'd have to shoot 80% of them and re-breed.
Its not like an iconic album like Dark side of the moon or Rumours   as been created.....this is what happens when a small % of artists and writers get all the moonlight , all the backing....it's a farce....the youth market is so manipulated now, this chart means nothing , if it ever did.






http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/chart/singles

[Mike67]

I remember reading that Brian Epstein bought a load of one of the Beatles army singles just to get it into the charts, so the charts have always been manipulated.  But it has to be harder now than ever before to get heard above the noise, and the corporates have tight control, which is why the charts have turned to mush.  We need another Indie revolution.

Mike

[diademgrove]

The revolution has already happened. Large numbers of people no longer buy physical copies of albums. So when Ed Sheeran releases an album it doesn't fly out the shops but ends up on playlists on I-phones, pcs, tablets, etc. Each play then qualifies for the singles chart. The result is all 16 songs on the album are treated as singles.

For me it is a further example of the record industry losing control. With Ed Sheeran dominating the singles chart how can EMI find their next big pay cheque?

Brian Epstein bought loads of the Beatles' first single Love Me Do because of the demand for Tony Sheridan and the Beat Boys (the Beatles) single My Bonny (a German import) and the Beatles popularity in Liverpool. There was a feeling in the record industry that all good music came from London so the Beatles must be a con by the record shop owning manager.

[JonDavies]

I agree with diademgrove the people in charge of the charts haven't kept up with technological advances.

Why can't it just be singles in the singles charts hm? We have an albums chart

[Oldbutyet]

Just my own spur of the moment thoughts on this but somehow i don't think you be all complaining if there was a top 40 song that had your name on it, im guessing its like everything else eventually that time came when they built a motorway round it but like all great landmarks, we like to visit now and then, i read something i don't know how long back that all you need to buy is 500 to get into the top whatever, but i think that's to do with the size of the country, population.

I guess its like building up a business, you have to spend money to make money.

[S.T.C]

I agree with diademgrove the people in charge of the charts haven't kept up with technological advances.

Why can't it just be singles in the singles charts hm? We have an albums chart

I think he has 3 of the top 5 albums as well.DOH 

[Boydie]

Its not like an iconic album like Dark side of the moon or Rumours   as been created.....

Says who?

I have been listening to the album heavily since it has been released and it has gone from good to great the more I listen - especially on the back on Multiply and Plus

There are 5 or 6 AMAZING songs but there are no real "duff" ones IMHO

Ed Sheeran is the "real deal" and certainly paid his dues trying to make it and is as far from "manufactured" as it gets with regards his look and music

I think it is the lethal combination of the label creating the "hype" and then the artist living up to it (or even exceeding it) through amazing live performances (especially with the loop pedal and performing with other artists) and down to earth interviews

The songs tick every box - hooky, current, relatable

I feel we may actually be witnessing something that will get looked back on as an incredible run of albums/music

Regarding the charts - I agree it is a little non-relevant now as people access music in different ways but I do think it is useful for the music business to keep track of what music is "selling" - whether you agree the music is a business or not with margins so tight with streaming/illegal downloads the industry will just get more "risk averse" - which does feel like the right conditions for a "musical revolution" where something could break through - eg via social media

[S.T.C]

Its not like an iconic album like Dark side of the moon or Rumours   as been created.....

I have been listening to the album heavily since it has been released and it has gone from good to great the more I listen - especially on the back on Multiply and Plus

There are 5 or 6 AMAZING songs but there are no real "duff" ones IMHO

Ed Sheeran is the "real deal" and certainly paid his dues trying to make it and is as far from Says who?"manufactured" as it gets with regards his look and music

I think it is the lethal combination of the label creating the "hype" and then the artist living up to it (or even exceeding it) through amazing live performances (especially with the loop pedal and performing with other artists) and down to earth interviews

The songs tick every box - hooky, current, relatable

I feel we may actually be witnessing something that will get looked back on as an incredible run of albums/music

Regarding the charts - I agree it is a little non-relevant now as people access music in different ways but I do think it is useful for the music business to keep track of what music is "selling" - whether you agree the music is a business or not with margins so tight with streaming/illegal downloads the industry will just get more "risk averse" - which does feel like the right conditions for a "musical revolution" where something could break through - eg via social media

Says who? Says me  and it's not..but i don't wish to debate it,except to say our levels of excellence have been so heavily reduced ,Ed Sheeran does seem to  stand out compared to the dross out there.
The point of the post is , the charts mean nothing, they only help the music business to confirm that the methods and strategy they employ are working..

We all know there's better out there , better than ED ,better than Taylor...but why diversify ,when you can concentrate it all into a nice manageable , manipulative package.

[Boydie]

We all know there's better out there , better than ED ,better than Taylor...but why diversify ,when you can concentrate it all into a nice manageable , manipulative package.

You can't have it both ways - you can't say "we all know" - it is just your opinion 

There could well be (and probably is) better out there - but at some point these guys stood out from the crowd and got signed on their own merits

Only time will tell how fondly the music of today is looked back on, which is the the test of a "classic" album IMHO

However, if your main point is about the charts:

The point of the post is , the charts mean nothing, they only help the music business to confirm that the methods and strategy they employ are working..

I couldn't agree with you more!!

[S.T.C]

We all know there's better out there , better than ED ,better than Taylor...but why diversify ,when you can concentrate it all into a nice manageable , manipulative package.

You can't have it both ways - you can't say "we all know" - it is just your opinion 

There could well be (and probably is) better out there - but at some point these guys stood out from the crowd and got signed on their own merits

Only time will tell how fondly the music of today is looked back on, which is the the test of a "classic" album IMHO

However, if your main point is about the charts:

The point of the post is , the charts mean nothing, they only help the music business to confirm that the methods and strategy they employ are working..

I couldn't agree with you more!!

Yes , if it had of been Beyonce with 16/20 .she would have been the particular artist cited. But it's not the artists fault , they are roped into the 'game' as much as anybody else, except a handful of them are able to cash into it in a big way.

I did read on Twitter, Sony made 1.7 billion on streaming last year(need to confirm this) so , it's not all doom and gloom for them.

I listen to great artists almost daily, with much better songs than the established elite throw out, but they are good at what they do,and the army of musicians around them , creating modern pop to an undiscerning public , wanting more of the same.

[Oldbutyet]

Its not like an iconic album like Dark side of the moon or Rumours   as been created.....

I have been listening to the album heavily since it has been released and it has gone from good to great the more I listen - especially on the back on Multiply and Plus

There are 5 or 6 AMAZING songs but there are no real "duff" ones IMHO

Ed Sheeran is the "real deal" and certainly paid his dues trying to make it and is as far from Says who?"manufactured" as it gets with regards his look and music

I think it is the lethal combination of the label creating the "hype" and then the artist living up to it (or even exceeding it) through amazing live performances (especially with the loop pedal and performing with other artists) and down to earth interviews

The songs tick every box - hooky, current, relatable

I feel we may actually be witnessing something that will get looked back on as an incredible run of albums/music

Regarding the charts - I agree it is a little non-relevant now as people access music in different ways but I do think it is useful for the music business to keep track of what music is "selling" - whether you agree the music is a business or not with margins so tight with streaming/illegal downloads the industry will just get more "risk averse" - which does feel like the right conditions for a "musical revolution" where something could break through - eg via social media

Says who? Says me  and it's not..but i don't wish to debate it,except to say our levels of excellence have been so heavily reduced ,Ed Sheeran does seem to  stand out compared to the dross out there.
The point of the post is , the charts mean nothing, they only help the music business to confirm that the methods and strategy they employ are working..

We all know there's better out there , better than ED ,better than Taylor...but why diversify ,when you can concentrate it all into a nice manageable , manipulative package.

If you dont want to debate it then why OP it, whatever You I or Anyone else thinks or feels when it comes to making money Music is a business it always was and always will be and like all great businesses its survival is knowing what their client wants, in this case the audience  "We all know there's better out there"  and we all know there is an audience for all but the suits at the top they go were the big money is but only after the likes of ED has done all the hard work, but i will include to the majority like people like us its also a very enjoyable past time, i think im enjoying this   

[Oldbutyet]

The point of the post is , the charts mean nothing, they only help the music business to confirm that the methods and strategy they employ are working..

I couldn't agree with you more!!
[/quote]

You two sound as if you're both singing from the same old sh1t hymn sheet, disagree with above.

[S.T.C]

Its not like an iconic album like Dark side of the moon or Rumours   as been created.....

I have been listening to the album heavily since it has been released and it has gone from good to great the more I listen - especially on the back on Multiply and Plus

There are 5 or 6 AMAZING songs but there are no real "duff" ones IMHO

Ed Sheeran is the "real deal" and certainly paid his dues trying to make it and is as far from Says who?"manufactured" as it gets with regards his look and music

I think it is the lethal combination of the label creating the "hype" and then the artist living up to it (or even exceeding it) through amazing live performances (especially with the loop pedal and performing with other artists) and down to earth interviews

The songs tick every box - hooky, current, relatable

I feel we may actually be witnessing something that will get looked back on as an incredible run of albums/music

Regarding the charts - I agree it is a little non-relevant now as people access music in different ways but I do think it is useful for the music business to keep track of what music is "selling" - whether you agree the music is a business or not with margins so tight with streaming/illegal downloads the industry will just get more "risk averse" - which does feel like the right conditions for a "musical revolution" where something could break through - eg via social media

Says who? Says me  and it's not..but i don't wish to debate it,except to say our levels of excellence have been so heavily reduced ,Ed Sheeran does seem to  stand out compared to the dross out there.
The point of the post is , the charts mean nothing, they only help the music business to confirm that the methods and strategy they employ are working..

We all know there's better out there , better than ED ,better than Taylor...but why diversify ,when you can concentrate it all into a nice manageable , manipulative package.

If you dont want to debate it then why OP it, whatever You I or Anyone else thinks or feels when it comes to making money Music is a business it always was and always will be and like all great businesses its survival is knowing what their client wants, in this case the audience  "We all know there's better out there"  and we all know there is an audience for all but the suits at the top they go were the big money is but only after the likes of ED has done all the hard work, but i will include to the majority like people like us its also a very enjoyable past time, i think im enjoying this   

I don't want to debate the merits of E/Sn's album..as it's subjective ,to some people it's caviar ,to others Cod roe  ..yes it is a business , but it used to exploit the talented bands and artists out there....now it manipulates the mainstream with the music and the artists it want's....the way is shut and the dead keep it.

[Oldbutyet]

but it used to exploit the talented bands and artists out there..

They still do or are we living on different planets 

[Boydie]

Quote
The point of the post is , the charts mean nothing, they only help the music business to confirm that the methods and strategy they employ are working..

I couldn't agree with you more!!

You two sound as if you're both singing from the same old sh1t hymn sheet, disagree with above.[/quote]

@ OLDBUTYET

How can you disagree with this statement after acknowledging and accepting that the music industry is a "business"

The charts are their "sales figures" and the position in the charts directly correlates with success of all elements of the business (marketing, pr, artist image, quality of product etc.) so I am really confused that you think this is the "same old sh1t" and you disagree   

What do you disagree with?