Some of the radio-play only charts have started to compile their year-end "top played song charts" for 2005, including mediabase, Radio and Records, and Net Music Countown. These charts, with the exception of the NMC, are based only on total number of "spins" or plays for a song on each radio format. What it shows, IMO, is that while U2 did not have any smash hits of HTDAAB, they did get a fair amount of radio play in the U.S. over time.
Here are the results for Radio and Records for calendar year...Christmas to Christmas...2005:
Hot AC Top 100
Vertigo = 30
Sometimes = 48
Mainstream Rock Top 100
Vertigo = 16
ABOY = 36
COBL = 69
Sometimes = 99
Active Rock Top 100
Vertigo = 66
ABOY = 98
Alternative Top 100
Vertigo = 55
ABOY = 69
Triple A Rock Top 100
Sometimes = 5
COBL = 17
Vertigo = 20
ABOY = 25
Here are the 2005 total results from Net Music Countdown, which tracks the most played songs on the Web, including audio streams, video streams, and downloads:
Mainstream Top 40
Vertigo = 33
Alternative Top 40
ABOY = 13
Hot AC Top 40
Vertigo = 5
Album Streams & Downloads: Top 40
HTDAAB = 9
And here are the 2005 year-end charts from mediabase.com, which like R&R, ranks songs by format based on the total number of spins or plays tallied on the radio stations monitored by them, which is meant to be a statistical representation of how a song has done (or is doing) nationwide. R&R does the same thing, but each service has their own unique set of stations that are tracked for each format. Mediabase only tracks the Top 50 for each format for the year-end chart, while R&R showed the Top 100:
Mainstream Rock Top 50
Vertigo = 26
ABOY = 44
Triple A Rock Top 50
Sometimes = 4
COBL = 14
Vertigo = 36
ABOY = 39
The year-end charts for mediabase only show the Top 30-50, and with the exception of the Hot AC format, they are generally in line with Radio and Records for U2's singles in 2005...especially for Triple A Rock. R&R's sample size (i.e., total # of stations monitored) is much larger than mediabase, and the chart positions on Radio and Records were very similar to the Billboard charts when there was an "apple-to-apples" comparison. For example, the "Alternative" radio format from R&R is very close to BB's "Modern Rock" chart. Hot AC tracks very close to BB's Adult Top 40. Triple A Rock does not yet fit into a BB format, and BB combines Mainstream & Active Rock into one format, calling it Mainstream Rock.
The end results do show that U2 songs did get more airplay in 2005 than you would think if you only looked at Billboard charts each week. The formats are fragmented, especially the ones that tend to play U2 songs. Also, U2 never did get enough plays for a given song, simultaneously across multiple formats, to make it onto the BB Hot 100. Sometimes made it briefly when it was charting in the Top 30 on Modern Rock, Top 20 on Hot AC, and #1 on Triple A Rock. As soon as the song faded from Modern Rock, though, it disappeared from the Hot 100.
Sometimes and COBL did well on Triple A Rock and then Adult Top 40. Neither of these songs made much noise on Mainstream, Modern, or Active Rock Formats, which are large enough to get a song onto the radar screens of mainstream radio. Me thinks that Love and Peace would have cracked these three rock formats, and it might just have been the biggest hit for U2 in '05 had it been properly released and promoted. OOTS is a great song, but it appears to be following the same pattern as the last two singles in the U.S., leaving it destined to play out on Adult Rock Radio.
All in all, though, I think U2 had a decent year on U.S. radio, and a great year on the Net. It almost seems as if U2 themselves were content to just slowly leak out the singles in the U.S. after the Vertigo marketing blitz, possibly on purpose. They pushed themselves and this album to the limit last fall with all the shows, commercials, awards, etc., and just when a backlash seemed to be rising, they sort of disappeared into the tour and their fans, where they belong anyway.
I'll post the OOTS update from mediabase and mediaguide weekly charts in that thread later.
Here are the results for Radio and Records for calendar year...Christmas to Christmas...2005:
Hot AC Top 100
Vertigo = 30
Sometimes = 48
Mainstream Rock Top 100
Vertigo = 16
ABOY = 36
COBL = 69
Sometimes = 99
Active Rock Top 100
Vertigo = 66
ABOY = 98
Alternative Top 100
Vertigo = 55
ABOY = 69
Triple A Rock Top 100
Sometimes = 5
COBL = 17
Vertigo = 20
ABOY = 25
Here are the 2005 total results from Net Music Countdown, which tracks the most played songs on the Web, including audio streams, video streams, and downloads:
Mainstream Top 40
Vertigo = 33
Alternative Top 40
ABOY = 13
Hot AC Top 40
Vertigo = 5
Album Streams & Downloads: Top 40
HTDAAB = 9
And here are the 2005 year-end charts from mediabase.com, which like R&R, ranks songs by format based on the total number of spins or plays tallied on the radio stations monitored by them, which is meant to be a statistical representation of how a song has done (or is doing) nationwide. R&R does the same thing, but each service has their own unique set of stations that are tracked for each format. Mediabase only tracks the Top 50 for each format for the year-end chart, while R&R showed the Top 100:
Mainstream Rock Top 50
Vertigo = 26
ABOY = 44
Triple A Rock Top 50
Sometimes = 4
COBL = 14
Vertigo = 36
ABOY = 39
The year-end charts for mediabase only show the Top 30-50, and with the exception of the Hot AC format, they are generally in line with Radio and Records for U2's singles in 2005...especially for Triple A Rock. R&R's sample size (i.e., total # of stations monitored) is much larger than mediabase, and the chart positions on Radio and Records were very similar to the Billboard charts when there was an "apple-to-apples" comparison. For example, the "Alternative" radio format from R&R is very close to BB's "Modern Rock" chart. Hot AC tracks very close to BB's Adult Top 40. Triple A Rock does not yet fit into a BB format, and BB combines Mainstream & Active Rock into one format, calling it Mainstream Rock.
The end results do show that U2 songs did get more airplay in 2005 than you would think if you only looked at Billboard charts each week. The formats are fragmented, especially the ones that tend to play U2 songs. Also, U2 never did get enough plays for a given song, simultaneously across multiple formats, to make it onto the BB Hot 100. Sometimes made it briefly when it was charting in the Top 30 on Modern Rock, Top 20 on Hot AC, and #1 on Triple A Rock. As soon as the song faded from Modern Rock, though, it disappeared from the Hot 100.
Sometimes and COBL did well on Triple A Rock and then Adult Top 40. Neither of these songs made much noise on Mainstream, Modern, or Active Rock Formats, which are large enough to get a song onto the radar screens of mainstream radio. Me thinks that Love and Peace would have cracked these three rock formats, and it might just have been the biggest hit for U2 in '05 had it been properly released and promoted. OOTS is a great song, but it appears to be following the same pattern as the last two singles in the U.S., leaving it destined to play out on Adult Rock Radio.
All in all, though, I think U2 had a decent year on U.S. radio, and a great year on the Net. It almost seems as if U2 themselves were content to just slowly leak out the singles in the U.S. after the Vertigo marketing blitz, possibly on purpose. They pushed themselves and this album to the limit last fall with all the shows, commercials, awards, etc., and just when a backlash seemed to be rising, they sort of disappeared into the tour and their fans, where they belong anyway.
I'll post the OOTS update from mediabase and mediaguide weekly charts in that thread later.
Should be in top 20 on Italian EOY chart too (i think it was 8th last year with 350k)...
