Chart Mondays: No Review. Ed Sheeran Has Taken Over The UK Top 20 Singles Chart 10th March 2017 - 16th March 2017

March 13, 2017 Critic Jonni 0 Comments

Let's be honest, we knew this was going to happen last Monday, as we saw; Ed Sheeran was dominating the iTunes and Spotify charts. It's not a surprise at all that his songs from his album charted in the UK, but what it was a surprise to see his entire album, including the bonus tracks on the deluxe version, chart inside the UK top 20.

Ed Sheeran's Facebook Cover Picture

Even if I changed my Chart Mondays to include the UK top 20 Singles Chart, I still wouldn't have a music video to review this week, since I've done "Shape of You" and "Castle On The Hill" by Ed Sheeran, and the other songs inside the top 20 either doesn't have a music video, or I've already reviewed it.

This is why I hate streaming at the moment, it's literally messed up the UK Singles Chart, and subsequently messed up my Chart Mondays review. Last year, Drake's "One Dance" dominated the charts and was never uploaded to YouTube which led to everyone listening to the song on Spotify or other similar streaming sites, therefore allowing him to stay at number one for 15 weeks. It's not even his best song, just saying.

So how has streaming done this? Well, someone decided that 100 streams are equal to a sale, they've changed that for 2017 to 150 streams, yet it's still affecting the chart majorly. However, one person can only contribute 70 streams a week towards the chart so it would take one person over two weeks of listening to the same song to contribute a sale, yet it clearly mounts up and affects the charts majorly.

Just take a look at the top 10 for the past few months, it's rare that there was a new entry, and on the occasion that there was, they stayed in the top 20 for far too long. The top ten rarely changes nowadays and the chart just isn't exciting.

The problem is due to Spotify playlists, people just listen to the UK top 40 over and over again; not only that but people create playlists that other people play, those playlists have many songs from the top 40 in them. It's not the same as someone going on to iTunes and parting with their money to download a song.

In America, they also count YouTube plays, could this be something the UK needs to do switch up the chart? We definitely need to change how the chart is recorded, and we need people to care about it again. It needs to be current and interesting; otherwise, it might as well be dead especially since someone like Ed Sheeran can dominate it, and other new rising stars can't get a look in edgeways.

Here is the current UK Top 20 Singles Chart:

1) Ed Sheeran - Shape Of You
2) Ed Sheeran - Galway Girl
3) Ed Sheeran - Castle On The Hill
4) Ed Sheeran - Perfect
5) Ed Sheeran - New Man
6) Ed Sheeran - Happier
7) The Chainsmokers & Coldplay - Something Just Like This
8) Ed Sheeran - Dive
9) Ed Sheeran - Supermarket Flowers
10) Ed Sheeran - What Do I Know
11) Ed Sheeran - How Would You Feel (Paean)
12) Ed Sheeran - Barcelona
13) Ed Sheeran - Nancy Mulligan
14) Ed Sheeran - Eraser
15) Ed Sheeran - Hearts Don't Break Around Here
16) Rag'n'Bone Man - Human
17) Katy Perry feat. Skip Marley - Chained To The Rhythm
18) Ed Sheeran - Bibia Be Ye Ye
19) Ed Sheeran - Save Myself
20) Stormzy - Big For Your Boots