EP/02: THE CHARTS
Matt & Mike are joined by podcaster, pop critic and chart analyst CHRIS MOLANPHY to talk about Music Charts, Youtube, Tik Tok, Soundscan and more.
How do music charts work? How does a song get on Billboard’s Hot100? How have the charts had to adapt over the years to stay relevant as new ways of listening to and purchasing music have come into play?
We speak with chart analyst Chris Molanphy, who explains the charts, how they are always evolving and why they are so important to the industry. We discuss a variety of charts, focusing mostly on Billboard and their Hot100. Chris carries deep insights into the fascinating history and evolution of music charts, from formulas used to determine how many streams are deemed to equal an album purchase to how a hit song becomes a hit - and then travels through our collective awareness as it jumps from for example TikTok to streaming services to radio play.
The interview goes deep into chart controversies over the years: like the removal of Lil Nas X’s Old Town Road from the country charts and attempts to cheat the charts over the years from commercial radio payola to spoofing streaming services with fake plays. Hear more of Chris on his Slate podcast Hit Parade and read his Slate column Why Is This Song No. 1?
About CHRIS MOLANPHY
Chris is a chart analyst and pop critic who writes about the intersection of culture and commerce in popular music. For Slate, he hosts the Hit Parade podcast and writes their “Why Is This Song No. 1?” series. His work has also appeared in Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, Vulture, NPR Music’s The Record, The Village Voice, Billboard, and CMJ. Chris is also a frequent guest on National Public Radio (Soundcheck, All Things Considered, Planet Money, On the Media) and on Slate’s podcasts The Gist and the Culture Gabfest.
Learn more at: https://chris.molanphy.com
