So... what are we called?!?

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   Before the internet, I was unaware that there were so many chart geeks who obsessively followed Billboard and various countdown shows.  

I knew about the "Listener who wants to know" letters that would flood in in to Casey, and I was aware of Paul Grein's ChartBeat column which would end with the "We Get Letters" section, full of chart obsessed missives and corrections.

But not until message-boards and Social Media did I really understand that there was a hobby / subculture of pop music statistics(I bet Paul Haney knew, though!)

But what is this hobby called?  Is there a term for those of us who wait with baited breath for the new chart each week?  It can't just be "Music Fans" or "Chart Watchers"... could it?

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jebsib Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Music Fan Joined: 06 April 2006 Status: Offline Points: 15	Post Options Post Reply Quote jebsib Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: So... what are we called?!? Posted: Yesterday at 9:14pm
	Before the internet, I was unaware that there were so many chart geeks who obsessively followed Billboard and various countdown shows. I knew about the "Listener who wants to know" letters that would flood in in to Casey, and I was aware of Paul Grein's ChartBeat column which would end with the "We Get Letters" section, full of chart obsessed missives and corrections. But not until message-boards and Social Media did I really understand that there was a hobby / subculture of pop music statistics(I bet Paul Haney knew, though!) But what is this hobby called? Is there a term for those of us who wait with baited breath for the new chart each week? It can't just be "Music Fans" or "Chart Watchers"... could it?

Hykker Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Music Fan Joined: 30 October 2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 22	Post Options Post Reply Quote Hykker Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 14 hours 38 minutes ago at 7:41am
	I never was particularly obsessed with charts, but in the late 80s I was a weekender at an oldies station (that had been top 40 from the 50s thru about '88 or so). Sunday afternoons I'd do a "this week in 19xx" countdown of the top 20 from that week in years past, when possible using the station's own surveys (with a little fudging where there were songs we/I didn't have...mostly obscure stiffs). This was before this was a common practice for oldies stations, and it seemed to attract a lot of chart fans. Had one lady who was guaranteed to call & request something contemporary for the featured countdown that was lower-ranked. Don't know if she had a bunch of Whitburn books or just a good memory. No one ever called me out when I'd fudge a chart position.

Paul Haney Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Music Fan Joined: 01 April 2005 Status: Offline Points: 41	Post Options Post Reply Quote Paul Haney Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 12 hours 46 minutes ago at 9:33am
	No doubt that both Record Research and American Top 40 are responsible for most of us "chart nerds" (my preferred term) that now get together on the internet. Joel told me several times that he thought he was the only one who cared about the charts back in the 1950s and 1960s. It was only from talking to some local DJs that he thought there may be some interest in his research. Like Joel, I was also obsessed with sports statistics as a kid (especially with my baseball cards), so I think looking at the charts the same way was a natural progression. The way Casey presented the chart info on AT40 was also very appealing.

EdisonLite Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Music Fan Joined: 18 October 2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 203	Post Options Post Reply Quote EdisonLite Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 9 hours 38 minutes ago at 12:41pm
	I think "chart nerds" or "chart geeks" could be an accurate description - but I feel "nerd" and "geek" both have a negative connotation. So I'd prefer terms like "chart enthusiasts", "chart obsessive people", "chart junkies" ... although "junkies" has a negative connotation, too :) When I saw the subject of this post, I thought this would be about our group specifically. So that would lead to the question - what is a good description of OUR group. I'd say the things that are of most interest to us are: Where can we find a top 40 hit on CD? Where can we find a single mix or version on CD? What exactly is the difference between the single version and the album version of a song? What's the exact length of a song? So ... based on this group's focus, what's the best description for US? Edited by EdisonLite - 9 hours 37 minutes ago at 12:42pm