There are two mainstream sources for radio play in the U.S., and I’ve been using http://www.radioandrecords.com/ for the last two weeks. The 2nd source is http://www.mediaguide.com/solutions/charts/music.php. Each source breaks down radio play by format in exactly the same way. The big difference is that R&R updates their charts every Friday, and tabulate airplay for each week running from Saturday to Friday. Media Guide, however, tracks airplay from Monday’s to Sunday. So, I thought I’d provide the “tweener” update for airplay in the U.S. by format, and I’ll do it again this Friday when R&R updates.
Also, I think Media Guide gets sample data and extrapolates, while R&R seems to try to track every single play at every station. Media Guide is a bigger company that tracks more than music, too. These charts ONLY TRACK AIRPLAY, which is all U2 gets from singles in the U.S. unless they actually release a U.S. single for download. CD singles in the U.S. are history it seems.
Other than Vertigo, U2 gets little to no chart help from sales, as ABOY and Sometimes are available as imports at Amazon & a few other online stores, and you might find a few imports at your local record store. Anyway, you get the picture. So, for the week ending March 13, 2005, here is how U2 is doing on the radio waves in the U.S.:
Alternative Radio Top 50: Sometimes debuts at 36
College Radio Top 100: Sometimes debuts at 98
Hot AC Top 50: Sometimes climbs from 34 to 29
Vertigo falls from 28 to 37
Mainstream Rock Top 50: ABOY falls from 9 to 15
Vertigo falls from 29 to 35
Triple A Top 50: Sometimes rises from 4 to 3 (passing Green Day)
ABOY falls from 21 to 27
Vertigo RISES from 33 to 30
I don’t expect this data to correlate exactly with R&R, but it should verify trends provide another means to get more real time data. Also, Media Guide tracks overall “Album Play”, and HTDAAB is at #12 on the Top 50 on the NC (National Coverage) Chart. It was at #7 last week and peeked at #1 apparently. Triple A format plays lots of album cuts regardless of what’s released, and this “album tracking” covers Triple A.
U2 looks to be well represented on the various Airplay formats while staying out of the Hot 100 BB, or the Pop Music Format, which is the largest single format of radio. However, if you add up all the plays U2 is getting on these other formats, they are easily getting as much exposure as many artists are who dominate the Pop Music scene. Vertigo did make it to the Pop format, though, and Sometimes might, too. That is the perception of having a “hit single”, but that’s not really the case. Vertigo was the most played song in the U.S. at one time if you add up all the plays per format at its peak.
Sometimes is doing fairly well and should give the album a boost, although the market is just pathetic. The tour, the HOF, and Sometimes should all be enough to get HTDAAB back into the top 40 IMO, but that may only mean a couple thousand more sales per week. It really needs to jump all the way into the Top 15 or so if albums sales are going to see a significant benefit.
Are all of you getting sick of information overload from me? Yeah, I’m still down from the 2 back surgeries, so that’s why I’ve got so much time on my hands. Going stir crazy…thank God for U2’s music to get me through it!
Also, I think Media Guide gets sample data and extrapolates, while R&R seems to try to track every single play at every station. Media Guide is a bigger company that tracks more than music, too. These charts ONLY TRACK AIRPLAY, which is all U2 gets from singles in the U.S. unless they actually release a U.S. single for download. CD singles in the U.S. are history it seems.
Other than Vertigo, U2 gets little to no chart help from sales, as ABOY and Sometimes are available as imports at Amazon & a few other online stores, and you might find a few imports at your local record store. Anyway, you get the picture. So, for the week ending March 13, 2005, here is how U2 is doing on the radio waves in the U.S.:
Alternative Radio Top 50: Sometimes debuts at 36
College Radio Top 100: Sometimes debuts at 98
Hot AC Top 50: Sometimes climbs from 34 to 29
Vertigo falls from 28 to 37
Mainstream Rock Top 50: ABOY falls from 9 to 15
Vertigo falls from 29 to 35
Triple A Top 50: Sometimes rises from 4 to 3 (passing Green Day)
ABOY falls from 21 to 27
Vertigo RISES from 33 to 30
I don’t expect this data to correlate exactly with R&R, but it should verify trends provide another means to get more real time data. Also, Media Guide tracks overall “Album Play”, and HTDAAB is at #12 on the Top 50 on the NC (National Coverage) Chart. It was at #7 last week and peeked at #1 apparently. Triple A format plays lots of album cuts regardless of what’s released, and this “album tracking” covers Triple A.
U2 looks to be well represented on the various Airplay formats while staying out of the Hot 100 BB, or the Pop Music Format, which is the largest single format of radio. However, if you add up all the plays U2 is getting on these other formats, they are easily getting as much exposure as many artists are who dominate the Pop Music scene. Vertigo did make it to the Pop format, though, and Sometimes might, too. That is the perception of having a “hit single”, but that’s not really the case. Vertigo was the most played song in the U.S. at one time if you add up all the plays per format at its peak.
Sometimes is doing fairly well and should give the album a boost, although the market is just pathetic. The tour, the HOF, and Sometimes should all be enough to get HTDAAB back into the top 40 IMO, but that may only mean a couple thousand more sales per week. It really needs to jump all the way into the Top 15 or so if albums sales are going to see a significant benefit.
Are all of you getting sick of information overload from me? Yeah, I’m still down from the 2 back surgeries, so that’s why I’ve got so much time on my hands. Going stir crazy…thank God for U2’s music to get me through it!
