Question about old R&R charts
Aug 4, 2024 19:54:51 GMT -5
Post by thirddegree50123 on Aug 4, 2024 19:54:51 GMT -5
Hi all,
There is probably a thread that answers this question somewhere already but I wasn't quite sure how to search for it. I'm not even sure if this is the right place to create this thread.
Anyway....
I didn't begin following the charts until 1997 so while my knowledge of songs prior to this is vast, my understanding of the charts prior is not. I have recently been digging in to the R&R charts of the late 80's via World Radio History and I have been confused by something. I'm currently archiving the charts of 1989. In February of this year, R&R begins publishing it's 'New Rock' chart which we now know as Alternative. It is a top 30 chart of tracks. However, in September of the same year the New Rock chart turns into a combination of albums and tracks (see image below). The magazine does contain album charts for other formats but for those there is always a tracks chart as well. But for New Rock we only see the albums and the tracks chart is abandoned. I have looked at a few more random issues through 1993 and it seems that this continues at least through then for New Rock. Even the back page only contains the albums chart.
I have a vague understanding that sometime in the early 90s radio charts shifted from a playlisting method to tracking actual spins. But this is in 89. I just don't understand why they would only publish an albums chart for a particular format, especially after publishing a tracks chart for many months. I get that New Rock was a new format (hence the name) and maybe they were still trying to work out some kinks. But unless these albums were being played in full on the radio, why was the tracks chart not published for so many years?
I was so looking forward to archiving the Alternative charts of this era to see the rise of grunge and such but I guess won't now. I know I can look at the Billboard magazines archived on the same site and Pop Radio Top 20 has this data for Billboard as well but I'm specifically archiving R&R.
Can someone explain this to me? And maybe the whole playlisting concept in general also?
There is probably a thread that answers this question somewhere already but I wasn't quite sure how to search for it. I'm not even sure if this is the right place to create this thread.
Anyway....
I didn't begin following the charts until 1997 so while my knowledge of songs prior to this is vast, my understanding of the charts prior is not. I have recently been digging in to the R&R charts of the late 80's via World Radio History and I have been confused by something. I'm currently archiving the charts of 1989. In February of this year, R&R begins publishing it's 'New Rock' chart which we now know as Alternative. It is a top 30 chart of tracks. However, in September of the same year the New Rock chart turns into a combination of albums and tracks (see image below). The magazine does contain album charts for other formats but for those there is always a tracks chart as well. But for New Rock we only see the albums and the tracks chart is abandoned. I have looked at a few more random issues through 1993 and it seems that this continues at least through then for New Rock. Even the back page only contains the albums chart.
I have a vague understanding that sometime in the early 90s radio charts shifted from a playlisting method to tracking actual spins. But this is in 89. I just don't understand why they would only publish an albums chart for a particular format, especially after publishing a tracks chart for many months. I get that New Rock was a new format (hence the name) and maybe they were still trying to work out some kinks. But unless these albums were being played in full on the radio, why was the tracks chart not published for so many years?
I was so looking forward to archiving the Alternative charts of this era to see the rise of grunge and such but I guess won't now. I know I can look at the Billboard magazines archived on the same site and Pop Radio Top 20 has this data for Billboard as well but I'm specifically archiving R&R.
Can someone explain this to me? And maybe the whole playlisting concept in general also?
