charts discussion Should Billboard separate Christmas songs from Hot 100?

[What_A_Mess]

No. Hot 100 should reflect what the public is listening. If that Means Christmas songs then let it be

[By the Water]

If they're what people are listening to this time of the year I don't see why they should

[BGood2Me]

51 minutes ago, jdanton2 said:

they could have a separate chart and call it current hits or something like that and remove Christmas as well as album bombs . the Hot 100 would still include all songs .

 

2 hours ago, Credit said:

no but maybe they can run a different chart without the christmas songs

I agree with this

[Trent W]

I didn’t have a problem with it, but they are charting since November now and we don’t lnow what is actually popular currently anymore.

 

Also album bombs are a much bigger problem with the same 10 artists doing it a few times a year

 

The Hot 100 is not as relevant anymore because of this issues and fans spamming everything for a #1 debut

 

The Hot 100 used to hold a lot of prestige in the industry until like 2018-2019 when these issues started to block the chart’s function. 

[Green]

NO

 

All the charts around the world include Christmas songs, why would Billboard remove them?. They are the most consumed during that time of the year

 

If that's the case then they will have to remove the 4th of July songs and the Holloween songs too?

[UNNAMI]

if so, do u want no.1 on hot 100 have like 50 points in xmas week? because no one listen to any other song than xmas music then

[favorite crime]

No, but one of the reasons Xmas music is top 5 so early this year is because charts are weaker than ever. This is actually because radio is being weighted less and less over the years. So now the chart is essentially ruled by streaming bar the occasional BTS mass buying stint

[SleepingTigers]

No. But I’d prefer if they didn’t contribute to the hot 100 year end. 

[hausofdave]

52 minutes ago, Trent W said:

I didn’t have a problem with it, but they are charting since November now and we don’t know what is actually popular currently anymore.

Spotify 

#2 AIWFCIY

#3 Last Christmas

#7 RATCT

 

AM

#1 AIWFCIY

#9 Jingle Bell Rock

#10 IBTLALLC

 

clearly the GP have ramped up xmas streaming earlier and earlier per year

[Khal]

I wish there was a way to figure out “filtered” streams in the sense of how many of those streams are from individuals as opposed to playlists generated by malls/restaurants 

[Maroonx]

While I would've loved for them to separate the charts, more issues would rise from it... Like other holidays, and songs that get a boast from other holidays (like 'Party in the USA' for 4th of July and MJ 'Thriller' for Halloween)... Would it be ineligible to chary because it gets a "holiday boast" even though they aren't particularly a holiday song. Then one could also argue about album bombs...

 

After much thought, it's better to just leave it, it would be so messy to change the rules and the formula.

[SleepingTigers]

They should at this point just do what they do with the global charts. Have one normal hot 100 then hot 100 excl. holiday songs. 

[Trent W]

22 minutes ago, hausofdave said:

Spotify 

#2 AIWFCIY

#3 Last Christmas

#7 RATCT

 

AM

#1 AIWFCIY

#9 Jingle Bell Rock

#10 IBTLALLC

 

clearly the GP have ramped up xmas streaming earlier and earlier per year

Yeah but the Hot 100 lost a lot of relevance

 

If Xmas songs are going to dominate 2 months of the year, and then in the rest to deal with several album bombs

 

The chart will become pointless in the next years

Edited November 26, 2023 by Trent W

[Feanor]

16 minutes ago, Khal said:

I wish there was a way to figure out “filtered” streams in the sense of how many of those streams are from individuals as opposed to playlists generated by malls/restaurants 

This, in an ideal world.

 

Christmas music shouldn't be excluded, it's what people listen to this time of year after all. But Billboard should try to find a way to exclude or lower the weight of streams generated from playlists playing in public, not just for Christmas music, but for all music.

[khalyan]

Seasonal music is not exclusive to Christmas. We get Thriller every Halloween, Party in the USA and Firework at the 4th of July, Sweater Weather every fall cold front. So I don’t mind Christmas music fulfilling the same concept. 
 

I think the issue is how early this happens for Christmas. You don’t have Party in the USA charting June 14th, or Thriller charting September 26th. And I don’t necessarily believe Christmas music is as popular as the charts indicate. 
 

I am surprised more artists don’t make Christmas music each year?  Right now it’s obviously not going anywhere. Why doesn’t Taylor have a folklore-esque Christmas album?  Why doesn’t Gaga have a jazzy pop album for the season? Why doesn’t Adele have a single Christmas song? It seems like such an easy way to get a long lasting hit album/song. 

[mrpartyrocker]

No. It’s just a matter of few weeks and not that much of a big deal considering we won’t have new songs during this time, or even if we do, people are too busy listening to Xmas songs so the charts would look very weak as the consumption is not the same as before the holidays or after. If anything it gives everyone a breath of fresh air. 

[mrpartyrocker]

4 hours ago, khalyan said:

Seasonal music is not exclusive to Christmas. We get Thriller every Halloween, Party in the USA and Firework at the 4th of July, Sweater Weather every fall cold front. So I don’t mind Christmas music fulfilling the same concept. 
 

I think the issue is how early this happens for Christmas. You don’t have Party in the USA charting June 14th, or Thriller charting September 26th. And I don’t necessarily believe Christmas music is as popular as the charts indicate. 
 

I am surprised more artists don’t make Christmas music each year?  Right now it’s obviously not going anywhere. Why doesn’t Taylor have a folklore-esque Christmas album?  Why doesn’t Gaga have a jazzy pop album for the season? Why doesn’t Adele have a single Christmas song? It seems like such an easy way to get a long lasting hit album/song. 

I think they will at some point. Xmas music is not necessarily a great business move as it’s just a matter of few weeks they’d look at promoting/seeing the promo effect. They probably will as a last business venture, but not everyone will see a Mariah kind of effect. Maybe only Taylor.

[CatchIt]

There are people on here saying the Hot 100 should reflect exactly what songs are being streamed / played / sold in a given week but the problem is the Hot 100 is already subject to manipulation today (with recurrent rules, sales limitations, arbitrary percentages accorded to radio, streaming and sales and so on). 
 

so should omitting Christmas songs be one of the 100 rules already in place? Perhaps. The average person (barring stans in stan wars) look to the charts to see what current music is popular - I highly doubt they care to see Mariah being a staple on the charts every Christmas. So yes, I do think Christmas songs released a long time ago that are known to chart every year during holiday season should just be put on a separate chart and the Hot 100 should be reserved for songs that are CURRENT or are actually seeing a surge in streams / sales for the first time (e.g. Cruel Summer). There should be a recurrent rule that stops songs that have charted in the top 10 in any given year (especially #1 songs) from charting again in another year.

Edited November 27, 2023 by CatchIt

[GraceRandolph]

9 minutes ago, CatchIt said:

 The average person (barring stans in stan wars) look to the charts to see what current music is popular

The average person doesn’t give a **** about charts. 

[spree]

they should heavily down-weight the streams from malls/stores.  Not totally get rid of them, but definitely reduce their weight.  I don't think the Top 5 is really Xmas songs and it's not even December yet.  No one I know is playing Xmas music, and only one or two houses in the neighborhood have put up their Xmas lights.  It's not that crazy important yet.  Reduce the weight of department store streams.  

[CatchIt]

20 minutes ago, GraceRandolph said:

The average person doesn’t give a **** about charts. 

Well if thats the case and the Hot 100 is solely used to fuel stan wars than all the more Christmas songs should be barred, no?? 

[GraceRandolph]

18 minutes ago, CatchIt said:

Well if thats the case and the Hot 100 is solely used to fuel stan wars than all the more Christmas songs should be barred, no?? 

No, the Brenda and Mariah stans need something to fight over. 

[BletaRexher]

Americans dragging out Christmas more and more every year is so annoying. If you’re already playing Christmas music on November 1st no one will tell you this but they find it irritating. I used to like Christmas but the more people keep dragging it out every year (I blame millennials) the more I just ignore its existence. 

[suburbannature]

4 minutes ago, BletaRexher said:

Americans dragging out Christmas more and more every year is so annoying. If you’re already playing Christmas music on November 1st no one will tell you this but they find it irritating. I used to like Christmas but the more people keep dragging it out every year (I blame millennials) the more I just ignore its existence. 

It’s not just America - it started earlier in many other countries. Filipinos celebrate Christmas starting in September 

[suburbannature]

11 hours ago, spree said:

they should heavily down-weight the streams from malls/stores.  Not totally get rid of them, but definitely reduce their weight.  I don't think the Top 5 is really Xmas songs and it's not even December yet.  No one I know is playing Xmas music, and only one or two houses in the neighborhood have put up their Xmas lights.  It's not that crazy important yet.  Reduce the weight of department store streams.  

I went on a walk last night (upscale neighborhood) and nearly every other house had lights and one family was playing Santa Tell Me and AIWFCIY while putting up lights. People have been playing Xmas music and getting festive, like it or not.