charts discussion Are recurrent streams the real test of a hit?

[Into The Void]

Like we see some new songs getting huge streams but way down the road 3-5 years later its not even doing 100k.  Are recurrent streams the real indicator a song was actually a hit? 

 

Discuss

 

[Armani?]

No, just the test of a real classic

 

Which is difficult to get, not everybody has that

[Into The Void]

1 minute ago, Armani? said:

No, just the test of a real classic

 

Which is difficult to get, not everybody has that

Song Title	Streams	Daily ▾
There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back	1,618,467,130	1,043,084

 

It's true 

[HeavyMetalAura]

No. If you’re in the top 10 for like 3 months but then have horrible recurrent streams five years later, it doesn’t change the fact that you were in the top 10 for 3 months. 
 

They’re a good measure of how a song holds up, but sometimes big hits are forgotten. Doesn’t make them less of a big hit. 

[istan4badgalriri]

It shows which hits stood the test of time 

[Hurem]

16 minutes ago, Armani? said:

No, just the test of a real classic

This.

 

You can have a song be huge for a month or two and then have it dip down to ~100k streams, but it doesn’t change the fact that it was a hit at a certain moment.

[Cheers]

Not necessarily. It depends I guess. Some hits were just overplayed so much people don’t feel the need to go back to listen to them anytime soon.

[slw84]

1 hour ago, Insanity said:

Like we see some new songs getting huge streams but way down the road 3-5 years later its not even doing 100k.  Are recurrent streams the real indicator a song was actually a hit? 

 

Discuss

 

Yes, in the streaming era most people perform tricks and stunts but longevity has become the truth teller.

 

In the digital era there was strategic manipulation to wait until the audience on radio was high enough to give it one more promo sales boost or release remix 

In the CD era limited edition singles were done.

I'm sure there were things with the cassette era.

 

That said, streaming longevity determines whether a song is a hit or if it's just a high peaking song.

 

Some #1/top 10s are just high peaking songs now, if streamings can get a song high certifications and stability beyond it's standard run then it is the test of a hit.

 

that's the one good thing about the streaming era

 

[Into The Void]

1 hour ago, HeavyMetalAura said:

No. If you’re in the top 10 for like 3 months but then have horrible recurrent streams five years later, it doesn’t change the fact that you were in the top 10 for 3 months. 
 

They’re a good measure of how a song holds up, but sometimes big hits are forgotten. Doesn’t make them less of a big hit. 

True

[PurrKaty]

Recurrent streams in general are an amazing feat for any song, no matter its placement on the charts. Even if a song wasn’t a hit but is still getting great streams years later shows you made a classic song, standing the test of time, which is much more difficult to navigate than a hit a song.

 

A hit song has an amazing chart run and usually a high peak, which the song will always still be considered a hit. Just some hits fade and others stand the rest of time.

 

I think being hit and being recurrent are 2 different things though. 

Edited April 15, 2023 by PurrKaty

[Holiest Dreams]

As some others have said, just because your song is forgotten doesn’t change that it was a hit during its time. Plenty of examples of this. However that does make it less impressive, because it just proves this song didn’t hold up at all. Songs with amazing recurrents - whether they were hits or not originally - is very impressive. It proves that you made a classic song that wasn’t dropped as soon as the promo and newness ran out, and will be rediscovered by many generations to come.

[Material Girl]

no, it's a test of who gets the best playlisting 

[Reverse Warholian]

Not necessarily but it never looks bad! 

[Papi Juancho]

nope, it just goes show how some songs age better than others or what random song gen z discovered this time.

[Siberian Tiger]

Not really. A hit is a hit (not talking about a 1-OUT type of "hits" obviously). Recurrent streams mean that a song stood the test of time and is a classic.

[Enrique523]

Pretty much, yeah. If a hit single was big at some point but the recurrent streams are bad then it indicates that the song is essentially forgotten by the GP. Especially if the hit single is not THAT old.

[MingYouToo]

Nah I don't think so. A 'hit' per say is a reflection of the pop culture zeitgeist of the times it exists in. A song like, say, Genie in a Bottle, could've been MASSIVE for its time but for a slew of reasons (terrible playlisting, bad celebrity branding, lack of exposure) could have abysmal recurrents while, say, a song like A Thousand Years by Christina Perri, for many, isn't really a hit, but has had lasting usage and audience that it becomes a massive recurrent song.

[Soda Pop Queen]

Quote

Are recurrent streams the real indicator a song was actually a hit? 

maybe only for streaming age hits. The vast majority of pre-2013 hits are not gonna get massive recurrent streams unless it's being pushed in some other form of media that Gen Z is consuming or is being playlisted to death. Cross generational appeal is always a good thing but the reality is, the core "strength" of hits from years gone by will peak in whatever decade it was a hit in. That doesn't change its initial commercial success, it's just that not every hit single is meant to be "timeless". Also, maybe some classic hits have just not had their renaissance yet. 

[Cloröx]

A hit is still a hit despite poor recurrent streams. However, recurrent stream is good indicator for a classic. Luckily my fave has bunch of them 

[Feanor]

No, but they show which hits stand the test of time and which don't.

[Delirious]

On 4/16/2023 at 8:00 AM, Material Girl said:

no, it's a test of who gets the best playlisting 

This as well 

 

Some 2010s hit songs benefit greatly by being on so many major playlists like hits rewind, hits of 2015 etc. And having great positions

[Delirious]

For example, Ellie Goulding is somehow completely neglected from this playlist despite producing the biggest female song of 2015:

 

There's no LMLYD, Burn, Lights etc. Despite all being massive hits