2017 hits in review

Going by just the name of the song, I don't recognize any of them.

Maybe if I listened to them all something might be familiar but I won't be doing that tonight; probably not at all.

A friend who worked in the media / broadcasting industry explained the whole "Billboard" system to me many years ago. Here's a synopsis of his comments:

"Have you ever noticed a radio announcer introducing a brand new release by an artist, by describing it as a hit? This should tell you something. It's not a hit because of popularity, because no one's heard it yet! It's a hit simply because the artist's agent has paid for promotional time on the mainstream networks. In other words, the public is being told that a song is a hit that they should like, whether or not that's warranted."

I've never been one to permit someone else to tell me what I should or shouldn't like. Just because something's "popular" doesn't mean it's any good, or (more to the point) something I have to like because "the star maker's machinery" (Joni Mitchell) is telling me I should. The link to the Billboard list contains two Canadian embarrassments IMHO, being Justin Beiber and Drake.

(This concludes my daily rant )

I cant stand listening to commercial radio.  Major music awards mean nothing to me.  Top  music management today  still  focus their money on the old music industry model of cash-cow hits, major label investments and commercial radio.  In my opinion the gigantic promotional machine for the music industry is there to cater to those with low expectations  and  feed the masses. Big labels don't honour the arts or the artist need for originality mostly they force them  into keeping a formula pushed by management.. Music insiders have claimed  major record labels have taken deliberate steps to maximize their chart positions by such tactics as timing a single's debut to face the weakest possible competition,  Meanwhile, other labels have been known to deliberately withhold even their most marketable songs in order to boost album sales. Since 2013 the three big labels have been Universal , Sony, and Warner.  It is claimed  other independent labels only have about  11% to 12% of the market worldwide.