Record Research CEO Vinnie Freda published a guest post in Hypebot discussing the power that is in music charts, not only for fans, but for historical significance, democratization of data, and more.
Yes, I am a proud chart addict. And in an era when music has never generated more data, I believe the numbers matter more than ever. However, like most addictions, there is a dark side to the charts, and I saw it up close during my 35-year career at record labels.
– Vinnie Freda, Hypebot
Like most of us, I started out with the romantic vision that songs rise up the charts based on their quality and organic consumer demand. I learned about the fascinating industry machine and the associated personalities that focused on pushing songs up the charts. I witnessed firsthand legendary battles for the #1 album spot, like the epic competition between George Strait and Usher in 2004.