Introducing Rhythm of the Night and SA’s Unofficial Official Alternative Music Chart
SA Alternative Top 20 Chart
Rhythm of the Night was founded by a collective of music lovers (including a former music compiler) who share a passion for the Alternative music scene in South Africa who noticed that there is a wide gap within the Alternative scene when it comes to providing musos and fans alike with access to the best performing songs and artists within the industry.
Cue Rhythm of the Night’s SA Alternative Top 20 Chart.
The chart will act as a showcase for the new hits and talent within the Alternative Music scene of SA. It will be a combination of a traditional, data-based chart and a buzz chart.
Put simply, they measure a song and its artist’s overall impact starting from the release date of a selected track or single.
As most of you know, commercial charts are determined by multiple factors including sales, streams and radio airplay. Some songs climb the chart due to extensive airplay, while others climb due to streaming power.
However, in a local context we can agree that the alternative genre does not get the extensive amount of airplay and commercial support, and this is where online, as well as live performance presence comes in as a determining factor for the Top 20 amongst other qualifying criteria below:
Note: This is just a basic outline of rules and criteria in order to give you a better understanding of the chart, but are not the only determining factors
- Songs must be original work created by the artist/band (no covers as we want to encourage creativity and originality)
- A song should not be older than six (6) months from its release date (this rule ensures that songs are measured and compared more accurately with others released in the same time frame)
- No more than one song per artist/band will be allowed on the Top20 (this makes way for more artists to feature on the chart, and eliminates domination of the chart – think Ed Sheeran in 2017 who had 16 songs in the Top 20 over a gazillion weeks)
- Music must be available on major streaming platforms (i.e. Spotify, Apple Music etc.)
- Artists/bands may be independent or signed!
- Submissions are welcome
- Also look at : growth of the track since its release (in terms of views/streams) and growth of the artist (online, and other presences) as mentioned above.
But, it’s not only about the numbers….
The aim is to not only provide an indication of which alternative artists and tracks are doing the best when looking at the data, but also portraying the best newcomers within the scene. Whose music is being talked about? Who is creating a buzz? etc.
The goal is to help musicians further their music career’s momentum as well as provide a platform for them to gain new listeners and fans. Furthermore, Rhythm of the Night aim to provide a platform for music lovers to also discover the latest trending artists and tracks, promote alternative music, and help build up a following for the featured artists.
Rhythm of the Night want to encourage artists to keep creating new music as well as encourage fans to explore new music and support our local industry.
WHEN AND WHERE?
The SA Alternative Top 20 will be released weekly on Fridays, using Friday to Thursday chart week measurements. The first chart will debut on Friday, 5 June 2020.
The chart will be posted on the Rhythm of the Night Facebook and Instagram pages.
Every week they will also share the chart as a playlist available on Spotify and Apple Music. Followers can simply click on the provided links which will take them directly to the playlist on the streaming platform of their choosing.
By sharing playlists on major streaming platforms, it makes it super easy for listeners to follow the featured artists and discover more of their music. No commercials, no unnecessary presenter rambling, no weird sound effects, just the music.
Rhythm of the Night have also created a Youtube channel where they will feature monthly playlists of their favourite picks of each month as well as music videos of their featured artists.
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