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Digital released songs

Printed From: Top 40 Music on CD
Category: Top 40 Music On Compact Disc
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URL: https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=5355
Printed Date: 22 May 2025 at 11:45pm
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Topic: Digital released songs

Posted By: eriejwg
Subject: Digital released songs
Date Posted: 20 January 2010 at 6:40pm

Perhaps, this may have come up for discussion in the past. As an extension of the "iTunes Finds" thread, just wondering with a number of tracks being released digitally and not on a physical CD, are those considered for inclusion in the database?

Replies:

Posted By: Pat Downey
Date Posted: 20 January 2010 at 9:23pm

Yes I have included a number of current songs that have not appeared on cd but do appear as a digital download. As far as older titles, time permitting I will include those also. I am currently working on adding Airplay only tracks to the database and that is keeping me occupied.

Posted By: JMD1961
Date Posted: 21 January 2010 at 2:57am

Thanks for all the hard work, Pat. The database is an invaluable resource.

Posted By: Paul Haney
Date Posted: 21 January 2010 at 5:29am

Pat Downey wrote:

I am currently working on adding Airplay only tracks to the database and that is keeping me occupied.

Pat, thanks for including those Airplay only tracks!

Posted By: Hykker
Date Posted: 21 January 2010 at 6:41am

Any database of "hit songs" that includes music from the last 15 +/- years needs to encompass airplay only tracks since a significant number of "hit" songs were never commercially released as singles.
This brings up the question though...what is a "hit" song in the 21st century? A song that gets lots of radio play? In the old days that would have been referred to as a "turntable hit", ie-one that for whatever reason got played a lot on the radio, but only generated weak sales. Reasons for these songs' existence vary, from a need to balance a playlist to payola. In retrospect, were they legitimate hits or not?
I realize today that most any song is available as an individual download, and I'd imagine these are counted by the trades (or at least ones downloaded from the major download sites, ie-Itunes & Amazon).

Posted By: Paul Haney
Date Posted: 21 January 2010 at 3:49pm

Hykker wrote:

This brings up the question though...what is a "hit" song in the 21st century? A song that gets lots of radio play? In the old days that would have been referred to as a "turntable hit", ie-one that for whatever reason got played a lot on the radio, but only generated weak sales. Reasons for these songs' existence vary, from a need to balance a playlist to payola. In retrospect, were they legitimate hits or not?
I realize today that most any song is available as an individual download, and I'd imagine these are counted by the trades (or at least ones downloaded from the major download sites, ie-Itunes & Amazon).

The Billboard Hot 100 is still a combination of sales & airplay. In fact, digital downloads have really revitalized the singles market. I still consider any song that makes the Top 40 of the Hot 100 to be a hit.

I think that these 1990s Airplay only songs would've been Top 40 hits, had Billboard policy allowed them to chart at the time. It wasn't until December of 1998 that they finally changed their policy to allow Airplay only tracks to chart on the Hot 100.