It certainly feels like Despacito was released recently, when in fact, it completed two years in January. Not only did it top the Billboard Hot 100 Chart, but it also came rather close to being the longest-running no. 1 song. While it didn’t win the title, but it did tie with Mariah Carey’s 1995 hit song ‘One Sweet Day’ for most of the time.
Northeastern University’s Andrew Mall observed the trends and patterns that made this ‘tie’ possible. He said that since people these days have developed increasingly heterogeneous listening patterns, it’s not surprising that Carey held that title for all this time. Such listening patterns of the diverse U.S. population would, obviously, lead to a variety of songs turning up on the Billboard Hot 100. “Pop music is a reflection of something more than a single mainstream; it’s a reflection of the entire messy fabric of our society,” he said.
Digital Music is one major factor in deciding and influencing the music charts around the globe. For example, Billboard Hot 100 tracks just singles, which only started including streaming services and digital sales in early 2013. As the scope of the music widened, so did the diversity, that showed up on the list. A prime example is the song ‘Gangnam Style’ which fell from the charts but shot back up as many were still listening and watching it on YouTube.
Mall thinks that the digital strategy of the artists is as important as their music. It is difficult for established artists to make their stand ‘digitally’. Mall says, “Take Mariah Carey, for example: compared to some of the newer pop stars today, her audience is a bit older, and perhaps not as connected to music in a digital way. It’s harder for an artist like her to achieve success in the way she did 20 years ago.”
Mall observes the demographics of music listenership in the U.S., saying that after Macarena, Despacito was the first mostly Spanish song to top the charts. Pop music is very much shaped by Latin music, according to him. Shakira, Enrique Iglesias, Ricky Martin were some of the many successful crossover stars – maybe still are. So, when Beiber contributed to ‘Despacito’, it moved up the charts even more than before. It is evident in the views on YouTube – the original version has 3.5 billion views, while the remix has 520 million views.
Pranjali Wakde
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