When Britain refused to listen

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

'Not heard it' is one of the more common comments read when the Top 40 polls are posted. Which is perhaps the most unsatisfying answer that can be given. Lots of people can say they've heard every single in the Top 40, provided they'd listened to JK & Joel that particular week. Although they may not necessarily remember all of them the next day...

But, if you 'haven't heard it', bloody why not?! I personally stopped listening to the Top 40 countdown in full around the same time as I started University - some ten years ago now. As you grow up it seems life gets more and more in the way, preventing you from having the same ease of control you may have previously enjoyed when it comes to making choices as a young viewer or listener. So far so obvious, and it seems this is the real reason why the Poptimists electorate are often at a loss to decide whether a recent Top 40 hit is good or bad based on how it sounds. There are other factors too such as the nature in which media has changed since then - dedicated music video channels, t'internet (esp. portals/filters/resources such as youtube and itunes) and downloading facilities...all things intended to make the pursuit of hearing music easier. But, it's not really working that well is it? At least, not for 'people old enough to know better' who seem to be ageing faster than the technology is progressing, and that's pretty terrifyingly fast. It's all too much. But, really, aren't these just excuses? Is this sort of reasoning good enough? Should we take it as a given that the charts are reasonably constant in terms of quality (regardless of the ebb and flow of sales figures)? Should a Poptimist be putting more effort in? It's not meant to be a chore after all.

I'm interested in any serious views people may have about the whole thing, so the question(s) be as follows:

What is your current attitude to pop (however you define it) and new music? Are you keen to hear as much of it as you can or do you prefer to revel in nostalgia (or perhaps some healthy balance of both)? Where do you turn to, specifically, now to find out about new music anyway? If you DO know every song in the top 40 any given week does this just make you a Chart Geek rather than a Pop Lover now? Do you even care about music or are you just one of those disgusting poll-fetishists I've heard about?

EH?

Comments

MP3s

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Something I have long thort about for Poptimists is an MP3 of the day - spanning pop-time and pop-space, with a quick word on why you might want to hear it. Including, in other words, an "MP3 Blog" aspect for the community.

Of course I wouldn't be able to contribute more than 1 in 5 of these, probably no more than 1 in 10. But is it a good idea or is this place best kept free of the MP3 Blog taint?

Re: MP3s

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

I would welcome more mp3dom

It's 50/50 whether it encourages or discourages more discussion...

Re: MP3s

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

How about a few MP3s of the Week? Everyone gmails you a selection and then you can bung them up in a bunch on Monday/whenever. Then they're all in one place for ease of finding etc.

Re: MP3s

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Well, if we have a centralised hosting place that would work better, but I'm not the person to decide that!

MP3 posts tend not to get that many replies/comments, btw.

Re: MP3s

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

"Well, if we have a centralised hosting place that would work better, but I'm not the person to decide that!"

you may notice that i upload them straight to the server, with the intention of removing them again after a week or so (but, er, forgetting often, heh heh)

Re: MP3s

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Yes this is what I was thinking.

Putting on the ORGAHAT we could do themed weeks! OMG this is a triffic idea (even if only I think so)

Re: MP3s

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

i was planning to put up some World Cup-themed songs. this is why i was snfifing around for that St Etienne track the other day.

Re: MP3s

[cis.livejournal.com]

themed weeks could be fun! i was thinking this afternoon on the way home that I wanted to do a non-anglophone hip-hop post (because it's sunny) and suggest that people ysi other stuff they thought was good in the comments, but figured it would probably not really work, but something centralised and orgafunnish might be better.

i never know whether people don't comment because they don't care (and haven't dl'd) or because they don't listen immediately after downloading and then after a day or two ahs passed it feels beyond teh lj-comment period of grace. Mind you, a friend posted an entry a couple of weeks ago where she was like 'what is this shaznay lewis song why do i have it and how is it so good?' which made me massively happy for being so very after-the-fact.

Re: MP3s

[lockedintheatti.livejournal.com]

for me it is always that by the time i get round to listening to stuff the time for commenting is past, not that the downloads aren't appreciated.

and a non anglophone hip-hop post sounds great.

Re: MP3s

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Ackshewerly putting a themed-week up one-a-day would circumvent this a little, i.e. if people wanted to comment on day 1's song on day 2's post it would still be on topic kind of.

Re: MP3s

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

If I could download mp3s at work (or at all) I would welcome this, as it is I would find it v frustrating. Don't we already do this with the multitude of YSIs though?

Also I am fascinated by how many poptimists seem able to download and listen to music while at work! I am in a v easy-going office but quite apart from anything else wouldn't have the time!

Re: MP3s

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

the great thing with podcasts is how EASY it is to consume. it's a drain on the server bandwidth - which YSI aint - but YSI is a bit of a faff. no GREAT faff, but podcasting is a doddle.

i'm off to look for a "join these mp3s together" utility for mac...

Re: MP3s

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Podcasting is worse than mp3s! I still have no idea how to even play podcasts! Or what they are! Or anything!

Re: MP3s

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

podcasts basically ARE mp3s and you listen to them in exactly the same way. they're just longer, like radio shows or DJ mixes is all.

Re: MP3s

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

if that's true, then alan's post above makes no sense at all

Re: MP3s

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

yes i am confused now as well ha ha

Re: MP3s

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I hate technology. Take these computers away from me!

(I say this because mine has crashed inexplicably and ALL MY WORK IS LOST FOREVER)

Re: MP3s

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

they are mp3s where the "go and get them from here" and "do this when there is a new mp3" is entirely automatic for you

Re: MP3s

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

this makes me sad, cos although i have ver teK sKeels I am not usually very techy with my day-to-day stuff but kind of assumed that EVERYONE was mad fer podcasts. they are great (barring the usual worries about the silly name).

if it wasn't this thread making me think i'd be the only member of the audience i would volunteer to GET IT GOING.

I have worked out how to bang together some cut up mp3s and writing the RSS needed would be a walkover for me.

Re: MP3s

[thenipper.livejournal.com]

I think you can do this kind of thing in GarageBand, if you have it.

Re: MP3s

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Definitely if and when we do the next PWC-style thing this is a must, allows people to hear track excerpts quickly so even if they don't vote they can form an opinion and participate.

In fact we can do one for the final and 3rd place match if you want to flex yr skillz?

I prefer discrete MP3s I think though.

Re: MP3s

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

that's what you are already doing.

i'd still like to hear a "here's what's happening now in poptimism-world". 4 or 5 songs taking up 5 mins every week (roughly 5MB download), and obviously each week's mp3s would have a "discrete download" click on FT somewhere (even if on a hidden page)

Re: MP3s

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

naturally i'm in a good position to put together sequences of track excerpts, given that i spend a large chunk of my spare time doing this wiv the Ultramix project

a PWC Review maybe? a distinct NO to PWC Ultramix or Megamix tho i fancy, arfs

Re: MP3s

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Whot I meant though is a 2 minute file someone cd download with 30 seconds of each track and someone saying "IRAN", "FRANCE" etc over the top.

I am confused as to whether this is a 'podcast' or not.

Re: MP3s

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I can't envisage any circumstance in which I wouldn't prefer discrete mp3s - when I download I don't just download to hear and move on, if I'm going all the bother of, er, clicking my mouse, I'm going to want to keep the mp3 (and then burn the song to CD, use it when DJing, put it on mix CDs &c, which I wouldn't be able to do with a podcast)