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Post by Deleted on Sept 10, 2019 16:52:15 GMT
Edmfio76 -- Was the 'Pointless' List of the Top 35 Best Selling Studio Albums only based on UK Sales?
I ask that because if Girls Aloud and/or Little Mix were included, then it can only be for UK Sales. Neither
Act made anywhere near the same impact elsewhere - except in the tiny Sales Market of Ireland. Our
Media always went on about how big both 'Girl' Groups were, but they meant very little outside of the
UK and Ireland. Little Mix did manage to be very briefly 'big' in the USA and Australia, but most of the
interest in those Countries has now gone. Even in the UK, their last Album, ('LM5'), was nowhere near
as big as the one before it, 'Glory Days'. Their last Single only got to No.10 in the UK. I think that the
UK is now rather bored with them. Which is a big worry for them, as it is their only decent Sales Market!
ABBA would not be included in a UK List of the Best Selling Studio Albums. This is because you had to
sell over 2 Million to even be in 35th place, and ABBA's Best Selling Studio Album - 'Arrival' - is on about
1,700,000 UK Sales. Globally about 10.5 Million to 11 Million. 'Spice' sold almost 3 Million in the UK and
around 23 Million Globally. 'Rumours' has sold nearly 4,200,000 in the UK, and over 40 Million Globally.
Several Celine Dion Albums have sold far more than any ABBA Studio Album, Globally. Her 'Falling Into You'
Album, (1996), sold 32 Million. 'Let's Talk About Love', (1997), sold 31 Million. 'The Colour Of My Love', (1993),
sold 20 Million. It is due to those huge Sales, that Celine has sold a lot more Albums than ABBA.
I get tired of people being unfair about ABBA. There are 2 UK Scientists, (Real Genetic Scientists), who have
run a Mail Order Chart Fanzine, since 1980. 'Chart Watch' it is called. Now, I'm friendly with them, but they
really look down on ABBA. Every Year they work out the biggest UK Chart Acts, by giving Points to their
every Week on the Singles Chart and Albums Chart. They add all the Points together, to get the Top 100 UK
Acts of each Year. ABBA Won in 1976 and 1977. They were 2nd in 1978, 1979 and 1980. The 2 Guys then
add every Year per Decade together, to get the Top 100 UK Acts of the Decade. Elvis Presley Won the 1950's.
The Beatles Won the 1960's. ABBA Won the 1970's. Madonna Won the 1980's. Celine Dion Won the 1990's.
Eminem Won the 2000's. Ed Sheeran looks like he will Win the 2010's. (The Scientists have their own Points
System. They created it, because they know a lot about Maths etc.).
However, when ABBA Won the 1970's, the 2 Scientists were not happy. They said that it, 'Did not feel right'.
They didn't think that a Swedish Pop Group deserved to Win a UK Decade. They felt that the 2nd Act of
that Decade - Rod Stewart - would have been a more worthy Winner. Nor were they happy, when Celine
Won the 1990's and caused Oasis to be 2nd for that Decade. They compared her Win to ABBA's, and said
that she was not worthy to Win. They said that ABBA and Celine are 'The same type of Act'. By that, they
meant that both Won the ESC, (Celine in 1988), both sang 'Pop' Songs, and both had 'Foreign Accents'.
To them, this meant that ABBA & Celine were no different to each other, and far too 'Middle of the Road',
to deserve to Win a UK Decade. (It is nonsense of course. ABBA & Celine are really not the same. ABBA
were/are creative and Celine merely sings other people's Songs).
The 2 Scientists also regard ABBA & The Carpenters as being the same sort of Act. 'Music For Mums', they
called both Acts. Of course, ABBA were far more creative than The Carpenters, who never attempted to
do anything remotely 'Loud' sounding. They never went near anything as loud: as 'Waterloo', 'So Long',
'Tiger', or 'Hole In Your Soul'. But, the 2 Scientists see The Carpenters as 'Soft Pop', and they see ABBA
as exactly the same. The Carpenters also covered a lot of other people's Hits.
So, I do find their attitude towards ABBA to be totally unfair and misleading. In 1993, they said that they
were 'not convinced', by the 1992/1993 'ABBA Revival'. They did not think that it was as big as was made
out. Now, they have to admit that 'ABBA Gold' is the UK's biggest Scoring Album of 'All Time'. That it is
the UK's 2nd Best Selling Album, and that it has sold over 30 Million in World-Wide. I've seen people
look down on ABBA before. Such as the UK Rock Journalist, (brother of a Tory MP), who told me that
ABBA were 'Finished', in 1983. He told me that ABBA's time was 'Over', and that they'd never, ever be big
in the UK ever again. He has had to eat his words, of course...
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Post by Deleted on Sept 11, 2019 10:30:20 GMT
Hi. Yes, I think it was based on UK sales. I agree totally with your comments. To put the Spice Girls and Girls Aloud above ABBA is beyond me. None of them can sing or compose songs and I think that Cheryl is the most annoying person on the planet. However, this will cheer us up, I am sure you know this already about ABBA becoming the only act to appear in the charts with "Gold" for the 900th time. This is testimony to the band's iconic pop status and enduring timeless music which will alway be played just as their records continue to sell all over the world.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 11, 2019 18:34:35 GMT
Edmfio76 -- Girls Aloud had 21 UK Top 10 Singles - 2 more than ABBA. However, only 4 were No.1 Hits and they only
managed 8 No.1 Weeks between them. So, they never really dominated the UK Singles Chart. ABBA's 9 No.1's spent
31 Weeks at the Top, between them. That is Chart Dominance. I've just checked, and outside of the UK & Ireland, they
only had Hits in a handful of other Countries - all in Europe. They had just 1 Top 10 Hit in most of those Countries, with
The Netherlands giving them 2! ABBA had 24 Top 10 Hits in The Netherlands! In Germany they only had 1 Hit and that
only got to No.42! ABBA had 21 Top 10 Hits there, with 9 at No.1 and 33 Weeks at No.1! They had just 2 UK No.1 Albums,
and they only managed 4 No.1 Weeks between them, and 23 Weeks in the Top 10. ABBA's 9 UK No.1 Albums had 57 Weeks
at No.1 and 227 Weeks in the Top 10! Yet the UK Media went on about Girls Aloud as if they were absolutely massive.
I too dislike Cheryl. Since she left Girls Aloud she's somehow managed 5 UK No.1 Singles and 2 No.1 Albums. But, her last
Album stalled at No.7 and her Singles struggle to get anywhere near the Top 10, these days. Simon Cowell thinks that she
is fantastic. He actually tried to get the UK Media to start calling Cheryl, 'The Nation's Sweetheart', a few Years ago! He did
that by referring to her that way in Interviews. He is a Friend of 'The Sun's' Dan Wootton, and you can see that Simon tells
him what to write, as Dan also referred to Cheryl as 'The Nation's Sweetheart', in an Article about her! Both Simon and Dan
failed, as I've yet to see any other UK Media call her 'The Nation's Sweetheart'...
Cheryl can't really Sing and she uses loads of Auto-Tune on her Tracks. She also surrounds herself with loads of Dancers,
when she performs Singles on TV. She Dances along with them. It is a trick - to try and have us so busy watching the
Dancers, that we don't listen too closely to the awful mistakes in her 'Singing'!!!
I find it truly awful, that we have 'Singers' like Cheryl now, when once we had Women who could really Sing, such as Agnetha
and Frida...
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Post by Deleted on Sept 12, 2019 11:04:26 GMT
Hi, I completely agree. I don't listen to the charts these days as it is utter rubbish with the exception of Adele, Beyonce and Ed Sheeran who I only like these days. When you listen to any ABBA song you realise how talented and gifted both Agnetha and Frida were. They knew how to deliver a song and leave you hooked. None of the Spice Girls or Girls Aloud will ever match ABBA's pop craftmanship lyrically and vocally. It is a joke these days that Cheryl, Dua Lipa and many others receive awards when they cannot sing a note. A travesty! I often hanker for "the good old days" when ABBA were at the height of their popularity and you experienced that tingle of excitement with the anticipation of hearing a brand new ABBA song for the first time on the radio.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 18, 2019 0:45:09 GMT
'ABBA Gold' is very close to that 'other' UK Chart Record, that I mentioned in an earlier Post.
However, although it only needs a very few Weeks to achieve it, it depends how long it takes to get those few Weeks.
It might not get them for Months. Then again, it may achieve them much sooner. We will see.
One of my Friends writes for the 'Guinness World Records' Book. When 'Gold' achieves its next UK Chart Record,
I intend to send details of it to my Friend. He may add it to the Book. He contributes to the Music, (and Cricket!),
Sections of the Book...
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Post by Deleted on Sept 22, 2019 5:35:12 GMT
'ABBA Gold' is now so close to its New UK Chart Record, that it is time for me to create the List, to
show how and why it beats all the other Artist Albums. This is since the UK Album Chart began on
W/E 28th July 1956...
I'll do the 'All Time' List early next Week - 23rd or 24th September...
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Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2019 22:01:36 GMT
In the latest UK Album Chart - W/E 3rd October 2019 - 'ABBA Gold' has achieved a New 'All Time' Chart Record.
I will List it here, as soon as I am ready to also send it to The Official UK Charts Company.
Hopefully, they will be as interested in it, as they were when 'ABBA Gold' reached 900 UK Top 100 Weeks, a few Months ago.
In a way, this New Chart Record is a bigger achievement than that, as it needed the ABBA CD to stay quite high in the Charts for Years...
I'm hoping that the New Songs will give ABBA a boost in the Global Charts again, even if it just to promote 'ABBA Gold'.
'ABBA Gold' is usually in the Charts of 4 Countries every Week. They are the UK, Ireland, Austria and Switzerland.
However, at present, it is no longer in the Austrian or Swiss Charts. It is very odd to see it missing from the Austrian Top 75 and the Swiss Top 100...
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Post by Deleted on Dec 14, 2019 2:50:12 GMT
'Happy New Year' has entered the UK Top 100 Singles Sales Chart - at No.57. It is also a
Re-Entry, at No.1 in the UK Vinyl Singles Chart. It is its 7th Week, in that Chart. However,
it is not in the Main UK Top 100 Singles Chart, which is the one that really counts...
So 'ABBA Gold' is the UK's 46th Best Selling Album of the Decade. This is the 3rd Decade in a row,
that 'ABBA Gold' has been in the UK's Top 100 Best Selling Albums of a Decade. It was 9th for the
1990's, 25th for 'The Noughties' and now it is 46th for the 2010's. It has actually been in the Top 50
Decade Albums, for 3 Decades, of course, which is an even bigger achievement.
At present 'ABBA Gold' is on its 128th consecutive UK Top 100 Week. Its previous longest Top 100 'Run' was from
January 1999 to June 2001 - 125 Top 100 Weeks. However, its current No.72 Position is its lowest since December
2017, when it was at No.77 for a Week. Despite the 'Mamma Mia!' The Party Venue, and the 02 ABBA Exhibition,
(both in London), there is Zero impact on the UK Sales of 'ABBA Gold'. Really, what is needed, is some New ABBA
Music, to give ABBA a 'Boost' again, as the same Old ABBA Songs cannot be relied upon, to sustain interest, forever...
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Post by gazman on Dec 14, 2019 10:27:24 GMT
Despite the 'Mamma Mia!' The Party Venue, and the 02 ABBA Exhibition, (both in London), there is Zero impact on the UK Sales of 'ABBA Gold'. It might be that people are buying 'ABBA GOLD' in the O2 ABBA Exhibition Shop - so the impact might be there, and not through regular shops. They had good CD stocks of all the studio and compilations albums currently on release, when I visited, apart from 'Waterloo' for some reason (although they had several vinyl LP copies of that one). |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2019 0:06:16 GMT
Gazman -- As far as I understand it The Official UK Charts Company, now counts every UK Venue that sells 'ABBA Gold'.
So, any that are sold at The Exhibition etc., should be, (electronically), counted.
At present 'Happy New Year' is starting to pick up Downloads in several Countries, as it does each December and January.
However, the English Speaking World never, ever joins in. The UK, Ireland, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, have
almost Zero interest in the Song, even at New Year. It is a pity that ABBA never did a Christmas Song, as they'd be back in
the UK Top 20 now, if they had. The UK Top 20 is already full of Old Christmas Hits, with Mariah Carey and Wham! back in
the Top 10 with theirs...
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Post by gazman on Dec 15, 2019 12:26:38 GMT
Gazman -- As far as I understand it The Official UK Charts Company, now counts every UK Venue that sells 'ABBA Gold'. So, any that are sold at The Exhibition etc., should be, (electronically), counted. That is an interesting point and I wonder if that is indeed the case for the exhibition shop. The copies of 'ABBA GOLD' I saw there were the 'gold logo' on 'black' (i.e. European) variety, which I assume have been shipped over from Sweden. There were no solo, CHESS or Mamma Mia!-related items on sale that I could see, save for quite a few LP and CD copies of Benny's 'Piano'... |
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Post by foreverfan on Jan 3, 2020 16:19:49 GMT
Just for fun, and I’m sure Colin will have The figures,
The UK end of year charts have been published..
Gold ends up as the 32nd best selling album of 2019, remarkable really, selling a steady give or take 2000 copies a week, so it must have sold around 100,000 ...which is pretty good in these digital days..
MM2 is the 39th.
on vinyl...
Gold is the 38th best selling album
Voulez Vous is the 22nd best selling single..
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Post by gazman on Jan 3, 2020 18:55:11 GMT
Added to which, ABBA GOLD is in today's UK album chart at number 34.
Which means that ABBA have had a UK top 40 album for each of the last 6 consecutive decades!! (a scary thought!) :-)
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Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2020 16:35:44 GMT
Graham -- 'ABBA Gold' sold 122,600 copies, to be the UK's 32nd Best Selling Album of 2019. It should get its 19th UK Platinum
Award during 2021. That would be for 5,700,000 UK Sales. It is already well over the 5,400,000 Sales, that it got its 18th Sales
Award for, in December 2018. At a minimum, it is now on over 5,530,000 UK Sales. At present it is the UK's 34th Best Seller for
2020, with 3,000 Sales. Of course, there has only been 1 'Official' 2020 Chart, so far - W/E 9th January. (The W/E 2nd January
Charts are counted as the final Charts of 2019).
'Mamma Mia! 2' sold 117,200 UK copies, to be the 39th Best Seller of 2019. Its Total UK Sales, (to that point), being 490,600.
It was the 4th Best Seller of 2018, with 374,250 Sales.
The 1st 'Mamma Mia!' Album was only allowed into the Main UK Album Chart from June 2018 on-wards. It reached No.5 in 2018,
and sold 122,500 copies. It was the 44th Best Seller of 2018. It was not in the Yearly Top 100 for 2019. Previously, it had spent
11 Weeks at No.1 in the UK's Compilation Chart, between 2008 and 2009. Its Total UK Sales are around 1,600,000.
However, neither 'Mamma Mia!' Soundtrack will be allowed into the Main UK Album Chart ever again. Without making any
announcement, the UK Charts Company banned Motion Picture Cast Recordings, from the Main Album Chart, from W/E 9th January
on-wards. The biggest loser was 'The Greatest Showman' Cast Album. It was at No.20 in the W/E 2nd January Chart. Then it just
vanished. It had been the UK's Best Seller for 2018 and 3rd for 2019. With 28 Weeks at No.1, 88 in the Top 10 and 100 in the Top 20.
It had reached 105 Chart Weeks, when it was removed from the Main Album Chart. This means that, if there ever is a 'Mamma Mia!3',
its Soundtrack will not be allowed into the Main UK Album Chart. It will be banished to the Soundtrack Chart. (As regards an ABBA
Soundtrack Album - one will only be allowed into the Main UK Album Chart, if it is ABBA singing on it. Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody'
Soundtrack is still allowed to Chart, as that is the real Queen singing each Track, and not 'Actors' pretending to be Queen...).
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Post by foreverfan on Jan 9, 2020 9:08:34 GMT
Thanks Colin. I was wondering why MM2 was now showing in the compilation chart at 31.. It does seem to be all a bit of a mess chart wise, I know times change and different formats etc, but the “ fun” has all gone ....but guess that happened years ago..  Assuming things don’t change to much Gold will still continue to sell around its 2000 copies a week give or take, so potentially another 100,000 this year, until the new tracks eventually kick in, then we may see something exciting. As mentioned many times on here , I hope the singles do well, but the signs are not good as said older acts fail to chart anymore, George Michael’s , just before Christmas , didn’t even make the top 100.. we will see...just hope tracks are good and loads of hype.... |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2020 13:32:15 GMT
Graham -- It is so hard for 'Old' Acts to reach the UK Singles Top 10, in the 'Main' Chart, these days that none of them
ever manage it. Unless they once Recorded an Old Christmas Song, they just cannot compete against the gigantic Streams
of 'Modern' Acts, such as Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande etc. It is a fact that such 'Old' Acts can still reach
the UK Top 10 in the Album Chart. So Madonna, Queen, Kylie Minogue, Westlife, Rod Stewart and Bruce Springsteen, all
had Top 3 Albums in 2019, but none of them can reach the Singles Top 10 any more. Streams are so easy, for huge 'Modern'
Acts to accumulate, that Ariana Grande 'sold' 79 Million Singles in 2019 alone! Roughly as many Singles as ABBA have
sold in their entire Global Career! Her Fans created those 'Sales', by listening to her Tracks on Spotify and You Tube over and
over and over again. There were no 'Real' Sales - just Millions upon Millions of plays of every Song that she's ever Recorded.
As you pointed out, George Michael had an 'Unreleased' Song released as a Single in 2019. It failed to even reach the UK Top
100. In fact, 'This Is How (We Want You To Get High)', was not a Hit anywhere. Instead, his 'Last Christmas' Single, with Wham!
was in the UK Top 5, in December at No.3, and Top 5 in a further 9 other Countries. Including in Sweden, where it was the No.1,
- at Christmas - for the 3rd Year in a row! That is how having a 'Classic' Christmas Single, can still get 'Old' Acts into the Top 10,
even if their 'New' Songs are flopping! Because many 'Old' Christmas Hits get Millions and Millions of Streams, every December...
So, when ABBA do return, we have to be prepared for any New Songs being unable to get into the UK, German, Irish, French,
Dutch etc. Top 10's. Or their could be a Miracle and there may be so much interest in them, that nothing can stop them getting
into the Top 10. However, it is far from certain. A far more certain fact is that, if they returned with an Album, then nothing - at
at all - would hold it back from being No.1 all over the World. That is why I'm hoping that they back up any New Songs with a
New Album. That Album would be huge.
In the meantime, one of my 'Chart Expert' Friends, recently worked out all of the Acts, who have sold 20 Million, (or more), UK
Albums. Out of 1,000's of UK Album Chart Acts, only 9 have managed to reach such Sales. ABBA became the 9th to get there,
and they passed that level in 2018. Which means that they are the UK's 9th Best Selling Albums Act. Even Elton John has yet to get
there, and he's been releasing Hit Albums since the very start of the 1970's. Madonna is in the Top 5 Best Selling UK Albums Acts, but
her popularity has now fallen so much, that her 'Madam X' Album, entered at No.2, in 2019, but dropped so fast, that it was only in the
entire UK Top 100 for 5 Weeks! So, she can't even sell Albums now, let alone Singles!
There was a weird ABBA coincidence today. Recently I've started to listen to 'Elaine' again, and I was pointing out, to a You Tube person,
that it was the 'B' Side of 'The Winner Takes It All'. I only told him last Night. Today, I got into a Taxi, at 9.45 am, and 'The Winner Takes
It All' was being played on its Radio! It felt really strange, as I'd not thought about either it, or 'Elaine', for a long time. However, as I'd
not played it in ages, it sounded really fresh and new to me. It sounded fantastic, in fact. I then felt very depressed, at the state of 'Music'
today, compared to what ABBA were releasing in 1980. I felt like Music had died, and that ABBA were unbeatable in their talent...
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Post by gazman on Jan 11, 2020 17:25:35 GMT
Interesting comments above...I use Spotify quite a lot myself, but it must be very popular indeed with fans of 'modern' artists for them to register so many plays...
The 'Singles' chart means nothing to me nowadays - I'm usually lucky if I look down the list and recognise more than a couple of songs - and I don't think I will be concerned where any new ABBA tracks land on it, if indeed any do at all...it's just essentially a 'popular song-list' nowadays, like a radio phone-in vote...
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2020 19:40:38 GMT
Gazman - A great many people are no longer interested in the UK Singles Chart. At Christmas, a Chart Expert, that I know,
admitted to me, that he no longer up-dates his Chart Site. He says that the Singles Chart is now dominated by the Streams
created by young Fans of - mainly - Rap and Hip Hop Music. As a result, there is no longer much variety in the Singles Chart.
Too many Tracks sound the same and very few even seem to have a Tune. It has put him right off. I feel the same. The number
of Females who use Auto-Tune, is horrendous and it makes their singing sound very much the same. It breaks my heart, what
has happened to 'Music', these days. The DJ Paul Gambaccini hates it too. However, he assures me that things will get better
again. (In Music). I replied, 'When Paul? The horrible Hits seem never to end.' Both Paul and the other 'Chart Expert' used to
create Chart Books. Even they have lost interest. Another 'Chart Expert', is still a DJ. He likes the 'Music' of today. He sneers
about people who dislike the 'Modern' Singles Charts. He says that: 'The Charts are meant to be for young people. They are
not for 'Old Men'. He thinks that people who dislike today's Singles Charts, are 'too old' to appreciate good Music. So, he has
no time for those who dislike today's Hits. However, every other Chart Expert, that I know, truly loathes most of what passes
for 'Hits', these days. The DJ who likes it, is very much in a minority, on this issue...
It is not even just in the UK. Many people hate the USA Hot 100 now. In Germany, Streaming has caused a Rapper - Capital Bra
- to be so huge, that he's had 19 No.1 Singles, and he only has the 1st one 22 Months ago! He had 11 German No.1's in
2019 alone! To put it in perspective, The Beatles and ABBA used to have the: 'Most German Number 1 Singles'. They had 12 and
9 No.1's, respectively. Capital Bra's 19 are almost as many as both Acts put together! Of course, he will be way passed 20 No.1's,
by the time 2020 ends. This has put a lot of German Chart Fans off that Countries Singles Chart. They hate how Rap now 'Rules'.
there, and how Streaming' enables Capital Bra to be the 'All Time' German No.1 Artist, after just 22 Months. They see the German
Singles Charts as a joke. Many Australians no longer take their Singles Charts seriously. It is the same as everywhere else - just
one or 2 types of Music dominating all the time, and Streaming enabling Acts like Ed Sheeran, to break many 'All Time Chart Feats'.
Believe me, it is almost Global now, that Chart Fans see their own Countries Singles Charts as not worth following any more...
Someone sent me an Email yesterday. He showed me that Justin Bieber has been urging his Fans to create a Spotify Play List,
with his New Single in it. Then he tells them to keep the Play List playing, Night & Day, to create Millions upon Millions of Streams
for it - so it will get higher in the World's Singles Charts. That is Chart Manipulation, and it used to get Singles 'Banned' from the
Charts. For example, if an Act told their Fans to buy multiple copies of their Singles, from Record Shops. However, with Streaming,
an Artist is allowed to tell their Fans how to create Millions of Streams, for their New Singles. It is still cheating, but the Singles are
no longer Banned. Streaming Manipulation is not frowned upon by Chart Compilers. Justin's New Single - 'Yummy' is terrible! You
listen - without success - for a Tune in it. But, he is allowed to cheat, to try to get it further up the World's Singles Charts.
I cannot tell you how much all of this upsets me. To think of the variety of Music, in the 1960's and 1970's etc, and now we have the
trash, that passes for 'Music' today. Plus Singles Charts that are a ridiculous mess of 'Rules' and 'Manipulations'. That's one reason
why I got so 'high', when ABBA announced the 2 New Songs, in April 2018. I saw it as a chance to hear Melodies again. However,
we then got all 'The Delays', so even that anticipation became a huge non-event - so far, anyhow...
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Post by Michal on Jan 12, 2020 7:53:01 GMT
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Post by josef on Jan 12, 2020 10:58:38 GMT
These are different times we're living in for sure. I do yearn for the so-called 'simpler' times but those days are gone.
It's very easy to slate modern music. Older generations have always done it. I'm not a huge fan of rap or r&b but there is some merit to it and actually there IS some great music out there. It baffles me why time and time again it's postulated that there isn't. There IS. It really is an older person thing to somehow moan about the 'modern music' not being as good as that in the past. I miss the days of the structured pop song as much as anyone and there is a void but it's not the huge chasm some would have you believe. You just have to get off your arse and find it. There are lots of wonderful singers out there producing melodic music. I'd list a few but I doubt it would make any difference. Once someone's convinced themselves there's no point. We don't have the huge variety of the 1970's or the amazing surge of energy that punk gave or the exhilarating electronic music of the 1980's and the Britpop explosion. Then we had the dance culture in the 1990's. I actually loved it ALL. The only music genres I'm not keen on is metal and grime.
We live in trying times. It's depressing that so much rap is everywhere, glorifying violence and misogyny, etc. But equally I think people can be guilty of dismissing something out of hand and not giving it a chance. Perhaps the profanity on some of the lyrics is off-putting?
I'm aware I'm already set in my ways to some extent. But to remain truly young at heart I think it's important to keep an open mind and embrace the new.
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Post by foreverfan on Jan 12, 2020 12:39:42 GMT
^^^^I have to agree, I’ve turned into my dad🤪 and all his loathing of ABBA et al, as hard as it was for me to understand his dislike,him thinking stupid etc.. So today, although I find about 90% of what I believe someone else on here said.. Beige Music, non descript..
there is the occasional track that comes along that I actually enjoy.. Tones and I , and Monkey Dance, it’s a track I shouldnt like, but there is something that’s very catchy..as an example...
So as much as I try, I do dismiss, many without giving a chance, it’s the way of the World I guess ..... 😳
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Post by richard on Jan 12, 2020 13:57:25 GMT
It's the decline in structure that Josef mentions - basic lack of craft, I contend - that, for me, makes a lot of modern pop, that I've heard - not all - inferior to what went before. Maybe it's down to simple laziness - or being in realistic touch with your market: the over-reliance on the quick-fix, as I see it, of a little phrase/riff repeated ad-nauseam. Maybe they just don't know how to develop melodic ideas.
It would very interesting to know what Benny - obviously a master of the old school of the well-written pop song - thinks about this. I'm guessing that he would probably be too polite or diplomatic to say anything about some modern pop music trends.
I really don't see it as an age thing. For me, it's about handling the materials available in popular music in a superior way - or not. But of course I know it's all down to to personal taste and prejudice in the end... 😀
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Post by gazman on Jan 12, 2020 21:23:38 GMT
The Chart Company surely won't count repeated plays around the clock towards the charts? They had a rule to say that only a maximum of 10 plays per day would be counted, I'm sure. That would then only make a maximum of 70 plays a week which would be far, far less than what is required to register as a 'sale'.
I know these are ultimately all added together, if they qualify, but I don't think a '24-hour' play by an indivudual would be able to 'corrupt' a chart.
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Post by Michal on Jan 13, 2020 17:14:17 GMT
but I don't think a '24-hour' play by an indivudual would be able to 'corrupt' a chart. I'm not naïve to think that… but if we all do the same?  By the way, how many plays count as one sale? And what's more - it's technically possible to "pretend" that your computer is e.g. in UK even though you're from Ukraine, so theoretically all ABBA fans from all over the world could corrupt just one chart in selected country... I don't suggest we do it but I'm trying to show how absurdly the charts are made these days. |
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Post by gazman on Jan 13, 2020 22:01:59 GMT
Michal - in the UK, 100 audio streams counts as 1 sale...
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Post by gazman on Feb 7, 2020 23:59:59 GMT
Good to see 'ABBA GOLD' back in the UK Top 40 again this week - it's at number 37.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 8, 2020 2:15:54 GMT
Gazman - Yes, it is its 304th UK Top 40 Week. It is the 'All Time Record' for an Artist Album. Only 2 Albums are still
in front of it. In 1st place is 'The Sound Of Music', (1965). That has 351 Top 40 Weeks and 'South Pacific', (1958), is
2nd, with 315 Top 40 Weeks. ABBA could rise above 'South Pacific', eventually. However, it can never, ever match the
No.1 Weeks of either Album. 'South Pacific' spent 115 Weeks at No.1- including all of 1959! 'The Sound Of Music'
spent 70 Weeks at No.1! ('ABBA Gold' has 8 No.1 Weeks and ABBA have 57 No.1 Album Weeks, in Total). Nor will
'ABBA Gold' match their Top 10 Weeks. 'South Pacific' has the 1st most, by any UK Album - 279 Top 10 Weeks. In 2nd
place, is 'The Sound Of Music' - 233 Top 10 Weeks. ('ABBA Gold' is in 24th place - 61 Top 10 Weeks. ABBA have 227 UK
Top 10 Album Weeks, over all). 'ABBA Gold' is still the UK's 'Most Charted' Top 100 Album, with 927 Weeks - so far. Apart
from being the 1st Album, to reach 900 UK Top 100 Weeks, in 2019, I estimate that it will be the 1st to reach 1,000 UK
Top 100 Weeks, at some stage in 2021. So, 'ABBA Gold' holds the UK Chart Records for the: 'Most Top 40 Weeks' and for
the: 'Most Top 100 Weeks'. ABBA Gold' has the 2nd: 'Most UK Top 75 Weeks' - 649. The Album in 1st place, is 'Legend'
by Bob Marley & The Wailers. That has 662 Top 75 Weeks...
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Post by gazman on Feb 8, 2020 16:14:42 GMT
Gazman - Yes, it is its 304th UK Top 40 Week. It is the 'All Time Record' for an Artist Album. Only 2 Albums are still in front of it. Thanks for the stats, onlyabba4me - and slightly ironic, actually, that the 2 albums in front of ABBA GOLD for 'all-time top 40 album chart appearances' are both albums that would not qualify for today's chart under the current rules... |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 10, 2020 15:23:30 GMT
At present, 'ABBA Gold' is doing very well, in the Global iTunes Chart, (holding at No.4), and the European iTunes Chart, (up from No.5 to No.3). I've no idea why it is suddenly doing so well again, after all of these Years...
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Post by stepalm on Feb 10, 2020 17:33:59 GMT
Can you please explain what is the difference between I-tunes and Apple Music since they score so hight in the first but almost not at all in the other.
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I will definitely buy the various physical formats of the new singles that will be released. However I have Spotify too and even though I've used it only once or twice in my life, I have no problem letting it play the new ABBA tracks round the clock… That way ABBA could equal their rivals in streams (real or manipulated) and it will be just the sales that count in the end 
