A Potted History.
Once upon a time there was a 13yr boy who was disappointed by the direction that mainstream music was taking - or by only acknowledging a tiny part of what was available. That was how it started.
But "FAB" was only one person, and so he decided to listen, observe and take note. Eventually he formed a group, taking tips from experienced names in the world of music, and blending in his own unique formula - the result was rather "off beat" but ....
the FAB Chart was born!
There are those who still don't "get it" - and they probably never will.
They need to think outside of the box.
Some see the FAB Chart as a tip sheet - or as a music barometer - some as just a bit of fun.
For those who need some kind of purpose or reason for the FAB Chart, it's an interesting way of poking music fans in the ribs and saying "Hey, come and listen to these cool artists and songs". When people put their songs online, we have a teams who listen to new music each week, and the best of the best are put forward for the FAB Top 30. We assume that musicians put their songs online because they want people to listen to them. The FAB Chart gets between 500 to 1000 unique visits each week. We are only a small part of a massive music scene but it only takes one listener with influence to put an artists on the better musical map. A radio DJ in California was so taken by a song he heard on the FAB Chart that he played the song on his local radio show. The British singer/songwriter found that he suddenly had a new army of fans from across the ocean. From little acorns ... etc.
The website and radio are financed by sponsors, and the FAB team are volunteers.
The FAB Chart is about music above all else.
MUSIC CHARTS
Some people ask “What is a music chart?”
Responses vary from “Who cares?” to long winded opinions of music history.
Often, music charts are talked about as ‘lists’, obviously people getting confused with playlists which are a different thing. Playlists are sort of static whereas music charts involve movement giving an impression of life.
There are always people who say The FAB Chart is not a proper chart because its not based on sales. Actually, there are several popular music charts not based on sales, for example The Heritage Chart. All music charts have their own system and exist primarily to promote music and to entertain, but they are all proper charts.
We at FAB are British so we see things from a British perspective. At its height (70s / 80s) the UK had several thousand (at least) record shops but only about 300 were chosen to be ‘chart shops’. Those chart shops were given special promos by the major record labels to encourage the record buyers, a form of hyping and manipulating the music market. Only sales from those few select record shops were counted for the weekly music chart so, it was possible that while the official chart had one song as the most popular or best seller, the majority of record shops could have had a totally different song at No.1. So, even when the music charts were supposedly based on sales, the numbers could have been way off. Today’s music market is different but still controlled by the major labels. Sales are very low and so the rules keep changing to keep the impression of business as usual.
It is now easier than ever to copy a song from the internet for free. Some of the artists on The FAB Chart do not charge fans for copies of their songs. Some have made it into the FAB Top 30 on the strength of only a Youtube video. It’s a bit of a leveller.
The FAB Chart is what it is.
FABULOUS ALTERNATIVE BIZARRE
If you wish to help sponsor The FAB Chart, use the Donate button below.
Music Annual Awards - Radio service - Website Upkeep - etc
But "FAB" was only one person, and so he decided to listen, observe and take note. Eventually he formed a group, taking tips from experienced names in the world of music, and blending in his own unique formula - the result was rather "off beat" but ....
the FAB Chart was born!
There are those who still don't "get it" - and they probably never will.
They need to think outside of the box.
Some see the FAB Chart as a tip sheet - or as a music barometer - some as just a bit of fun.
For those who need some kind of purpose or reason for the FAB Chart, it's an interesting way of poking music fans in the ribs and saying "Hey, come and listen to these cool artists and songs". When people put their songs online, we have a teams who listen to new music each week, and the best of the best are put forward for the FAB Top 30. We assume that musicians put their songs online because they want people to listen to them. The FAB Chart gets between 500 to 1000 unique visits each week. We are only a small part of a massive music scene but it only takes one listener with influence to put an artists on the better musical map. A radio DJ in California was so taken by a song he heard on the FAB Chart that he played the song on his local radio show. The British singer/songwriter found that he suddenly had a new army of fans from across the ocean. From little acorns ... etc.
The website and radio are financed by sponsors, and the FAB team are volunteers.
The FAB Chart is about music above all else.
MUSIC CHARTS
Some people ask “What is a music chart?”
Responses vary from “Who cares?” to long winded opinions of music history.
Often, music charts are talked about as ‘lists’, obviously people getting confused with playlists which are a different thing. Playlists are sort of static whereas music charts involve movement giving an impression of life.
There are always people who say The FAB Chart is not a proper chart because its not based on sales. Actually, there are several popular music charts not based on sales, for example The Heritage Chart. All music charts have their own system and exist primarily to promote music and to entertain, but they are all proper charts.
We at FAB are British so we see things from a British perspective. At its height (70s / 80s) the UK had several thousand (at least) record shops but only about 300 were chosen to be ‘chart shops’. Those chart shops were given special promos by the major record labels to encourage the record buyers, a form of hyping and manipulating the music market. Only sales from those few select record shops were counted for the weekly music chart so, it was possible that while the official chart had one song as the most popular or best seller, the majority of record shops could have had a totally different song at No.1. So, even when the music charts were supposedly based on sales, the numbers could have been way off. Today’s music market is different but still controlled by the major labels. Sales are very low and so the rules keep changing to keep the impression of business as usual.
It is now easier than ever to copy a song from the internet for free. Some of the artists on The FAB Chart do not charge fans for copies of their songs. Some have made it into the FAB Top 30 on the strength of only a Youtube video. It’s a bit of a leveller.
The FAB Chart is what it is.
FABULOUS ALTERNATIVE BIZARRE
If you wish to help sponsor The FAB Chart, use the Donate button below.
Music Annual Awards - Radio service - Website Upkeep - etc