That being said, that Maroon 5 single is a huge fart on disco. "Girlfriend", on the other hand, I love more and more.

The Mozfather

cerulgalactus

Is it worse that I can probably accurately describe all of the other nine songs without having heard them?

nonce

The Illiterate

Chris Molanphy

RepentTokyo

Also, pay close attention to Rihanna, who is returning to the old Motown tactic of no more than two singles per LP, and getting the records out quick (three albums in less than two years). If that becomes a model for the majors, and I think it will need to be, things are going to get even more harried on the charts. The test, I think, will be the next 50 Cent LP. If it tanks (and I suspect it will), the majors may finally be convinced that they need to keep their artists in the public eye as consistently as possible.

@dennisobell: I agree that Billboard should give a little more weight to radio, but I also think the main beneficiary will be country, and especially Underwood.

The Illiterate

Maybe I'm imagining it, but in that video she seems to be crawling out of her skin. The whole thing is awkward and nakedly disingenuous.

Bob Loblaw

Chris N.

You're 98% right about the dominance of singles sales, but airplay still plays a role: it keeps singles aloft after sales have peaked. That's why the Gwen/Akon single is still in the Top 10 and dropping slowly -- radio caught on to the song about 4-6 weeks after iTunes buyers did, and they still haven't played it out yet. (Well, to me it's played out. You too, probably. But by CHR standards they can probably burn it out for one more month.)

The problem is, airplay is now too weak a factor in the Hot 100. What's making the charts so schizo (as both your post above and my post last week imply) is that sales now so dominates the charts that the tiniest movements on iTunes have outsize effects, and radio airplay can't tamp down the wild swings. That used to be radio's job on the Hot 100 -- and it's what makes the Billboard chart unique, compared with, say, the British charts, which are all sales. But no matter how Billboard jiggers its Hot 100 formula, there's no way for them to put a lid on outsize track sales, whereas radio play has natural limits. Hence, the Carrie Underwood phenomenon.

Conversely, in the late '90s-early '00s, when there was no iTunes and singles had been virtually eliminated, the Hot 100 became a de facto airplay chart and became crashingly dull: singles sitting at #1 for months, only superstar acts breaking through, etc. Basically, the chart feels wonky if either factor, sales or airplay, is dominant.

Chris Molanphy

RepentTokyo

Audif Jackson Winters III