News

Rock Singles Chart Ghost-Town; Supply's Fault Or Demand's?

• 9th May 2011

Good morning, readers! I trust you all had excellent, excellent weekends.

Whilst generally dogs-bodying myself around the internet last week, I stumbled upon the Official BBC Radio 1 Rock Singles Chart (link) – and was pretty dismayed at what I saw.

Have you ever been in a rock club and thought, 'This could easily be 2001!', for the sheer lack of new music being played? The same old hits being churned out consecutively for the past ten years? The chart looks how that sounds. Grim.

Granted – Avenged Sevenfold stormed in to number one in their first week on the chart with their track “Not Ready To Die” – however that doesn't mean much; it didn't chart amongst the collective Top 40 Singles at all. Looking down at the list, you slowly start to notice a trend; where the hell is all the new rock music?

The Goo Goo Dolls are at number 3 (down one from last week) with their track “Iris”, that's been in the chart for 202 weeks. That's a few weeks shy of four years. Evanescence's “Bring Me To Life” is at four, after almost three years in the chart.

Sadly, it doesn't get any better, or newer. Queen, who haven't released a studio album since 1995's Made In Heaven, have four songs in the Top 40. Motorhead, Guns N' Roses, Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin all feature prominently in the Top 20.

Undoubtedly, there's a noticeable lack of new rock music being released; but why? Is there no demand for new rock music being released? Or have labels just worked out that they can make more money releasing songs from supergroup's back catalogues than they can pushing new music?

Anyway. Up on glasswerk.co.uk this week we've got a great feature about the highs and lows of last month's Groezrock, some pretty spiffing competitions – and of course, all the music news and reviews you could ever ask for.

Have a good week!

MSD