I've talked about this before, but since this situation has come to a head and that I have finally succumbed to streaming thanks to Spotify, it's time to revisit this; in particular, relating to the way that I compile my weekly Scenes 'n' Soundwaves 100 Playlist that appears each week when you scroll down to the bottom of the page.
You may have noticed those little green triangles or dots after certain songs, or the legend at the bottom of the chart. With the beginning of this year, I moved my playlist from an iTunes/iPod-based list to that of Spotify as both my wife and I were able to subscribe for a reasonable monthly amount. There are several reasons for doing so, and none of them have anything to do with the perception that the iPod is a thing of the past. I've defended that nice, small pocket-sized player forever and have blogged about its advantages in the past and have lamented Apple's decision to discontinue production of it. I have over 9500 songs on it, and it will continue to store all my digital and uploaded music from the past.
I have heard bad things about streaming, despite it being the listening option of choice for a decade now. Yet, it's upended the way not only how music is heard, but it's turned the music trade charts upside down. Artists, especially those obscure, up-and-coming, don't quote CD or digital sales, but the number of streams a song received.
 |
| The Scenes 'n' Soundwave Top 40 Playlist on Spotify. This year, I switched to a streaming-based playlist which forms the basis of the SNS 100. |
When I started my blog chart in August 2010, the mp3 and iPod was the listening device of choice, and I was ecstatic. Except for the 1970's decade when albums--be it vinyl, 8-track or cassette) had merit and were the way my friends and myself listened, I've pretty much been a singles guy since. I enjoy a mixture of artists and styles, and for decade, I made mixed monthly tapes and CD's. Starting the blog gave me a chance to share that with friends who were still interested in new music.
Each week, I will add anywhere from six to ten new songs on the SNS 100. Getting ideas from various sources, I will sample a snippet to see if the song has merit. Artists that have established themselves on my playlist in the past pretty much get an automatic add. Whether a song has staying power when I listen to the whole thing will determine how long it stays there. Some will fall off after a few weeks, some take their time with repeated listens that grow on me. And perhaps, that's the problem with digital downloads.
Downloads, usually from Amazon or iTunes, cost anywhere from ninety-nine cents to $1.29. When you think about it, that's amazing, since back in the sixties and seventies, 45 rpm vinyl single records cost the same price, fifty years ago!!! But, downloading those songs, and I usually will add about 450-500 songs per year, definitely adds up, and you're spending close to a thousand dollars on music per annum.
There are many streaming services out there, from Pandora, which really was the first one, to both Apple and Amazon music, and the most popular of all, Spotify. My wife and I have the combo plan for about $13/month, which is much less than buying 30 mp3's a month which comes out to $50. The main difference is, the song isn't technically yours, you can play it on Spotify on your phone, Bluetooth device, your car, or other similar devices, but you can't "save" it anywhere. These services will allow you to sample new music based on the playlists that you made, If I add a song to my chart and I don't take to it, off it goes, but I am able to add as many new songs that I wish for that fixed monthly rate, thanks to that flexibility.
Another advantage to streaming is that you can make your playlists public to share with others, which I have done. And, when you play a song, it actually counts towards the "sales" figures and charts. While all the times I play a non-charting band like Say She She, for example, is still miniscule and not noticeable, every little bit helps.
Of course, there are disadvantages to streaming that I have encountered. First, and I discussed this last year when the controversy over certain podcasts caused artists like Neil Young to pull their music from the service. And secondly, while you can find a lot of music, both popular and obscure on here, there are many songs---Carolina beach music in particular--that aren't on here. When it was an mp3-based list, the only requirement is that the song had to be available, either for purchase (CD or digital download), or that I have a complimentary copy, courtesy of the artists (and I am so grateful that I have a rapport with several artists and DJ's), thus can play them on my iPod. So, what happens when there's an awesome song out that isn't there?
Luckily, Spotify has an option that you can include songs that aren't on the service, from your computer's mp3 collections, thus I can integrate the mp3's that I have into a streaming playlist, both on my computer or phone, with the only drawback being that it's not public. But my blog playlist does have YouTube links so that the song could be heard that way.
Another drawback to Spotify is that, although it does rank your most listened to songs on a rolling month basis, as well as the total number of streams out there, it doesn't show the number of times YOU streamed it. This contrasts with iTunes which does keep track of your plays. If you are a regular of this blog, you probably noticed that some songs had a red dot next to them, which indicated that I played the song 25 times or more on either my iPod or iTunes; 50 plays are indicated by a triangle. These are the same symbols that Billboard, for years, indicated a gold or platinum record respectively. Only one song--Deb Browning's long-running "3 More Minutes", has more than 25 plays on iTunes, since I haven't listened to any current music on that platform in a while.
 |
| The Spreadsheet that I use to compile information for each week's SNS 100. |
But, if there aren't any ways to track number of Spotify plays, how can I "award" songs? For now, on the day I compile my SNS 100, I use the feature that shows my most played songs. The first one listed gets a triangle, while the second and third most, get a dot, which is kept throughout the chart run. Once I find a way to track number of plays, I will revert back to that system. Since the Spotify logo is green, that's the color I use to distinguish it from the red I used for iTunes.
The other topic I wanted to discuss was the new method of releasing singles from forthcoming albums every two or three weeks, either standalone or in advance of an album. When I designed my chart, I wanted to emulate a radio station playlist as well as the way trade magazines such as Billboard used to compile their charts. A song would be released, and it would make its way up the chart, peak, decline, at which time, the artist would issue a follow-up. Of course, that was when radio stations were the main outlet to expose music. That isn't the case anymore, what with social media and other means of exposing music. My original policy was to pretty much do the same.... take one artist's song, move it up, then after ten weeks or so, go to the follow-up. But a look at my current chart, shows artists that have multiple songs either also listed or waiting in the wings.
For example, the duo Colorjoy has two songs in the top five this week: "Golden Age" at #2, released at the beginning of March, and "Beautiful People" at #5, released just two weeks later. "Drops of Honey", currently #33, came out three weeks after that, and yesterday (as I write this), two more tracks were released, both of which will debut here next week. Several years ago, five songs on the chart was unheard of; but a band like Colorjoy, who I have a great rapport with and respect for, will have these songs added immediately. I plan to feature the duo in next week's blog. The album Golden Age will then be released after those five tracks.
But there are other acts that have dropped multiple songs in a matter of weeks. The Arcs, the side project of The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach, had released four singles in three months in advance off of the project's second album, Electrophonic Chronic. "Keep on Dreaming", this week's Impact winner was actually the first single release from it, but I had no idea of it, nor was the second single, "Heaven Is a Place". The blog top ten "Eyez" was the third single, but the first I knew about. Another example is the duo Tennis, which released three songs ahead of their Pollen set, in a two-month span. The first two, added right away, were the top ten "One Night With the Valet", and the #21 "Let's Make a Mistake Tonight". While I allowed the latter to move up the blog chart (as well as making a dent in the Triple-A airplay chart), a third song was released, "Forbidden Doors", which I am adding this week. Note that in all cases, no singles were released (or plans to) after the album dropped. Maybe that is just as well, since it would then give both myself and radio time to add the expose the song without worrying about more product releases.
But while Colorjoy, The Arcs and Tennis are all established blog favorites, new acts (to me) are doing this as well. Thanks to its involvement with Tim Izzard last year, the band Orbis Max, made my list many times and I got on their mailing list, enabling me to keep on top of the band's new releases. Thus, the band's new release "Whatever You Think It Is", debuted on the SNS 100, but just two weeks later, the next song, "R U OK" came out. I slowed down the ascent of the first single to concentrate on "R U OK" (#22 this week in its fifth chart week), only to receive an email promoting yet another single, "No Hero". My reaction was "wait until 'R U OK" runs its course! Blog faves like The Pageants, Alvvays, and Fitz and the Tantrums have also used this practice in recent years.
But again, the beach music community does it the old way. Since that regional format is radio-driven, artists release their music every six months to a year, giving radio and listeners time to enjoy their songs before going on to the next one.
Music changes all the time. So does the way we listened to it, and also how the songs are presented to us. You can never be complacent, that one thing is for sure!
CHARTWISE: Deb Browning just barely edges out Colorjoy, as "Think I Found Forever" logs a third straight week at the top spot, but "Golden Age" is right behind at #2. "Got It Right (The First Time)", the former five-time #1 song for Rick Strickland and Lesa Hudson, continues its resurgence at #3. Completing the top five are Say She She's former #1, "In My Head" and Colorjoy's "Beautiful People". The remainder of the top 10 are unchanged from last week.
The competition remains fierce; two songs, "Ain't Nobody" by Allie Privette and Steve Lacy's "Helmet" that were in the top 20 last week, fall out of it despite bulleting. We have two Movers of the Week this go-round; Hannah Goodall's "The Girl Who Once Loved You" (44-27) and Drugdealer's "Valentine" (50-30).
NINE NEWBIES: The long-awaited single by beach music act, The Main Event, featuring Sharon Woodruff, grabs the Top Debut, "Love Makes the World Go Round", at #51. The song is a cover of Deon Jackson's #11 hit of 1966. Ms. Woodruff and the band breathe new life to it; the band has always been adept at covering sixties classics and takes this one step further. The Main Event hit #2 last time out with their "Poor Side of Town" cover, this one might take them to the top.
Those who have not yet been confused by the bands named The Heavy and The Heavy Heavy will have to endure another obstacle. The latter debuts with "Go Down River", following up their #17 "Miles and Miles" (currently at #100). It's sort of a folksy-garage hybrid that is somewhat reminiscent of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Proud Mary", but with great harmonies in the verses. Very soulful and emotional should net them another blog hit. The Beths' latest, "Watching the Credits" is a new wave-light romp that has appeal and should have a lengthy trip up my chart. As mentioned above, Tennis' third single from its Pollen set is "Forbidden Doors". It's in the style that duo has been noted for, and Alaina Moore is in rare form. "Let's Make a Mistake Tonight" should have gotten higher that its #21 peak as it was a victim of the competition out there. This is arguably better and should return them to the top 20.
I have been waiting for a few weeks for the new Jerry Powell single, "One More Summer Night" to come out; it finally has this week. Powell, coming off his "Merry-Go-Round" single that was recorded in the 1970's with his outfit The Carnival Band, is back solo here. The song has the requisite beach music beat; and will immediately transport you to the Grand Strand. His voice reminds me a little of Toby Keith. Memories of good times at the Carolina beaches are recalled, as the singer wishes to return. With summer coming, it's the perfect song to listen to.
The New Jersey outfit Isn't It Always, scored here with the #12 "Rock Star". Perhaps in an attempt to discover more local talent in MY state, I am adding another, "Laced Love". More indie rock heaven with loads of texture should garner a lot of places. There's been a scarcity of songs like this, so I will give this a chance. Back to beach music, we have the latest by the Carolina Blue Dots, again with the bouncy beat of the vintage variety. Should definitely top the recent "New Shoes, Let's Go Dancing" and put them back into "Cruzin' Down the Boulevard" territory. Finally, Goose, a quintet from Wilton, Connecticut that have been around since 2014, enter with "Hungersite", already Top 10 at Triple-A. Sort of on the alt-Americana lane here, could catch on here with multiple spins.
Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves 100 Playlist
April 23, 2023
|
This Week |
Last Week |
ARTIST-Title |
Weeks on List |
|
1 |
1 |
NUMBER ONE:  (Single Only) (3 Weeks at #1) |
7 |
|
2 |
2 |
8 |
|
|
3 |
4 |
Rick Strickland and Lesa Hudson
- Got it Right (The First Time) |
14 |
|
4 |
3 |
9 |
|
|
5 |
6 |
6 |
|
|
6 |
5 |
11 |
|
|
7 |
7 |
Rev. Bubba D. Liverance and the
Cornhole Prophets - Ti Ta Ti Ta Ti Ta Ta▲ |
15 |
|
8 |
8 |
10 |
|
|
9 |
9 |
The Carolina Queens - The Shoop
Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss) |
5 |
|
10 |
10 |
7 |
|
|
11 |
12 |
9 |
|
|
12 |
14 |
7 |
|
|
13 |
17 |
3 |
|
|
14 |
11 |
13 |
|
|
15 |
16 |
Jimmy Ogburn's Salt Luvs Pepper
ft. David Cornelius - Love Me Like I Love You |
9 |
|
16 |
21 |
TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:  Album: Electrophonic Chronic |
4 |
|
17 |
22 |
5 |
|
|
18 |
13 |
12 |
|
|
19 |
25 |
8 |
|
|
20 |
23 |
6 |
|
|
21 |
15 |
Deb Browning and Six Piece Suits - It Don't Get Better Than
This |
25 |
|
22 |
18 |
10 |
|
|
23 |
20 |
7 |
|
|
24 |
24 |
10 |
|
|
25 |
29 |
11 |
|
|
26 |
19 |
12 |
|
|
27 |
44 |
CO-MOVER OF THE WEEK:  (Single Only) |
3 |
|
28 |
35 |
9 |
|
|
29 |
36 |
8 |
|
|
30 |
50 |
CO-MOVER OF THE WEEK:  Album: Hiding In Plain Sight |
3 |
|
31 |
26 |
15 |
|
|
32 |
40 |
4 |
|
|
33 |
42 |
3 |
|
|
34 |
38 |
6 |
|
|
35 |
39 |
3 |
|
|
36 |
27 |
12 |
|
|
37 |
28 |
11 |
|
|
38 |
34 |
23 |
|
|
39 |
33 |
8 |
|
|
40 |
37 |
9 |
|
|
41 |
51 |
8 |
|
|
42 |
30 |
9 |
|
|
43 |
32 |
15 |
|
|
44 |
31 |
13 |
|
|
45 |
49 |
8 |
|
|
46 |
48 |
7 |
|
|
47 |
43 |
11 |
|
|
48 |
53 |
5 |
|
|
49 |
55 |
6 |
|
|
50 |
56 |
5 |
|
|
51 |
--- |
TOP DEBUT:  THE MAIN EVENT BAND featuring SHARON WOODRUFF "Love Makes The World Go Round" (SIngle Only) |
1 |
|
52 |
52 |
7 |
|
|
53 |
46 |
9 |
|
|
54 |
58 |
6 |
|
|
55 |
59 |
4 |
|
|
56 |
61 |
3 |
|
|
57 |
41 |
15 |
|
|
58 |
47 |
11 |
|
|
59 |
45 |
13 |
|
|
60 |
60 |
8 |
|
|
61 |
54 |
46 |
|
|
62 |
65 |
7 |
|
|
63 |
66 |
4 |
|
|
64 |
64 |
5 |
|
|
65 |
67 |
4 |
|
|
66 |
71 |
3 |
|
|
67 |
78 |
2 |
|
|
68 |
57 |
12 |
|
|
69 |
72 |
4 |
|
|
70 |
84 |
2 |
|
|
71 |
62 |
27 |
|
|
72 |
63 |
6 |
|
|
73 |
76 |
8 |
|
|
74 |
90 |
2 |
|
|
75 |
82 |
2 |
|
|
76 |
---- |
1 |
|
|
77 |
85 |
2 |
|
|
78 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
79 |
79 |
20 |
|
|
80 |
88 |
2 |
|
|
81 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
82 |
70 |
5 |
|
|
83 |
87 |
2 |
|
|
84 |
74 |
23 |
|
|
85 |
91 |
2 |
|
|
86 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
87 |
83 |
6 |
|
|
88 |
75 |
9 |
|
|
89 |
68 |
12 |
|
|
90 |
73 |
6 |
|
|
91 |
93 |
2 |
|
|
92 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
93 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
94 |
69 |
13 |
|
|
95 |
89 |
5 |
|
|
96 |
81 |
14 |
|
|
97 |
92 |
5 |
|
|
98 |
80 |
15 |
|
|
99 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
100 |
77 |
14 |
|
|
Songs
with the greatest increase in favorite points over the prior week. ●
Songs with
25 or more plays on iTunes/iPods ▲ Songs
with 50 or more plays. ▲Song
garnered most plays on Spotify in current or past month. ● Song among top 3 most
plays on Spotify in current or past month.
Songs
on the SNS 100 are included on the following public Spotify playlists
Scenes
‘n’ Soundwaves Top 40: Contains songs in positions 1-40 on the SNS
100
Scenes
Up and Coming: Songs below #40 that are moving up the chart.
Scenes
Recurrents: Songs which have
dropped below the top 40 but are still on the SNS 100
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