The hit parade: career driver, cult and commerce

For his article, Hanspeter Künzler received more or less detailed answers to a number of questions from the music scene. As there was not enough space in the printed Swiss Music Newspaper As he is limited in his work, he was only able to publish some of the feedback in his text. Here is the complete feedback in alphabetical order.

Adrian Weyermann, musician

What was your relationship to the hit parade as a 12- and 18-year-old - and today? Are you still interested in the hit parade at all?

I had my big high times with the "bestsellers on the turntable" between 1978 and 1982, when I was between 4 and 8 years old. I could hardly wait for Sunday:

Boney M. with Rivers of Babylon, Blondie Call Me, Stevie Wonder Master Blaster, Robert Palmer Johnny and Mary. For me, this is the deepest musical childhood.

As a 12 to 18-year-old, I didn't really care about the hit parade, my heart was already beating more independently. Although as a musician, I was always kind of in between even then. Too bulky for the hit parade, too pop for the indies.

Seven years ago, when I was writing my last album for the Weyers, I tried to listen through the Top 40 just to know what people are listening to today. Unfortunately, 99 % of the songs made my skin crawl. Too bad. So I came to the conclusion that it's probably not for me (anymore). Today, I always listen to current hits from my daughters' rooms that I somehow like.

In the glorious sixties and well into the seventies, we all followed the hit parade, even if we had long hair and smoked pot. What does the hit parade audience look like today?

Sometimes perhaps like my daughters, often quite different, I think.

To what extent was/is the hit parade a driving force for your work with The Weyers?

I would say that the measurability of success (clicks, likes, social media, chart positions) almost ruined my enjoyment of music. That's why I consciously left the professional music business as an artist/songwriter five years ago after a burnout and have been an enthusiastic music teacher ever since.

Are click figures more important today than the hit parade? If so, what are the consequences?

See above ...

 

Andreas Rohrer, presenter of "Sounds!", SRF 3

I'll keep it short and sweet!

What was your relationship to the hit parade as a 12- and 18-year-old - and today? Are you still interested in the hit parade at all?

At 12: Great entertainment and information value. Listened to in the car every winter Sunday on the way home from the mountains.

At 18: The hit parade was a yardstick for what was generally considered musically relevant and good. But it was relativized by alternatives.

Today: irrelevant

In the glorious sixties and well into the seventies, we all followed the hit parade, even if we had long hair and smoked pot. What does the hit parade audience look like today?

Like Alexander Blunschi

If you ever made music, was the hit parade a kind of beacon or was it more of a deterrent?

For my guitar and vocal skills, which are not worth mentioning, the grunge and pop-punk of the 90s had a big influence, i.e. things that were in the charts at the time.

Are click numbers and likes more important today than the hit parade? If so, what are the consequences?

I think so. The hit parade no longer exists as a gatekeeper. Distribution is more important than sales. The fact that the charts include streams doesn't change their current status.

 

Andreas Ryser, record company manager, musician

What was your relationship to the hit parade as a 12- and 18-year-old - and today? Are you still interested in the hit parade at all?

I recorded the hit parade on cassette as a 12-year-old, made my own covers with photos from Bravo or Pop RockyWhen I was 18, I was already pretty fed up with the Beastie Boys and Living Color. Today I only watch the charts when someone tells us that we're in the album charts with our acts because we've sold a few records ... singles charts, nope ...

In the glorious sixties and well into the seventies, we all followed the hit parade, even if we had long hair and smoked pot. What does the hit parade audience look like today?

Since the hit parade is filled with Tiktok virals, which perform very well on the streaming services and thus determine the charts, this is not so much our construction site, hit parades are then simply the top 100 in the world.

To what extent was/is the hit parade a driving force for your work with Filewile today?

No drive. The singles charts have become so global that you don't really have a chance of being on them. Of course, this primarily has to do with the fact that streaming services, such as Spotify, do very little for local music markets. As a result, the charts are much more globalized than they used to be.

Are click figures more important today than the hit parade? If so, what are the consequences?

Of course, charts are still the driving force behind getting onto the big commercial radio stations. The charts differ very little from the Spotify charts. This means that all the charts on streaming services or Tiktok and YouTube are much more relevant, also because a lot of additional usage can happen there if the song is in the charts. Radio used to be something like the communication of most sales, so it was actually a product of the music industry to sell even more music that was already selling very well ...

Of course, we realize that it has a big impact when we have results, for example when we appear in big playlists, concerts are sold out or the groups have a lot of followers. Because people are just very bored and what is heard and seen a lot is automatically considered good.

Funnily enough, this is a phenomenon that is also gaining ground in the indie scene. No matter how experimental the music, we can use reach arguments to get even more reach and thus boost an artist. Just like the purpose of the hit parade. One of the best strategies of all when it comes to live performances is this: It's super important to sell out a few shows quickly, then communicate this over and over again, so you can sell more tickets much faster and better, and social media is of course very helpful.

Annakin, musician

What was your relationship to the hit parade as a 12- and 18-year-old - and today? Are you still interested in the hit parade at all?

In my teenage years, the hit parade was of course an eagerly awaited weekly event. I watched the German hit parade on TV every Saturday evening and at the same time got ready to go out with lots of hairspray. The hit parade heralded the start of the weekend, as we still had school on Saturday mornings. A little later, the hit parade came on Sunday on DRS 3. It was the time when Depeche Mode's Enjoy the Silence and Sinéad O'Connors I do not want what I havent't got were in the charts, both are still great idols for me today. Today, I'm still interested in the charts because I've had the honor of being represented in them with all my albums. But I no longer actively listen to them.

In the glorious sixties and well into the seventies, we all followed the hit parade, even if we had long hair and smoked pot. What does the hit parade audience look like today?  

I think everything has changed massively. Today's kids look different because they have different idols. Today it's the Billie Eilish slob look, as my godson once put it, and in the past the equivalent was perhaps punk and then grunge. It used to be the poppers with gelled hair and today people love the nerds, like Ed Sheeran or Lewis Capaldi. I think it's a nice and above all tolerant development.

Perhaps the hit parade used to be a special event because it was a kind of first playlist that you got to hear. Apart from at the disco, there was no easy way to listen to all your favorite songs in a row back then. You always had to change the tape, CD or record first. One of the first forms of playlist was probably recording on cassette. But you were always too late and usually only pressed the recording button when the song had already started.

 To what extent was/is the hit parade a driving force for your work today?

It's not really a driving force, but I still think it's cool when an album or a song of mine charts.

Are click figures more important today than the hit parade? If so, what are the consequences?

That may be. But I find this tendency problematic because the click figures often don't reflect the truth and they only really generate money if you have an infinite number of clicks.

 

Brandy Butler, musician

How was your relationship with the "hit parade" as a 12- and an 18-year-old? And today? Are you interested in the charts at all today?

When I was 12, I would come home every day after school and watch MTV live. I wouldn't say that I recognized that what I was watching was more or less the charts, but I definitely was interested in what music was popular at that time for social reasons. By the time I was 18, I was in college and no longer watching MTV for the charts. The internet was still in its baby form but downloading platforms like Napster had just started. And so, the charts were more like what was everyone downloading off of the platforms.

Today I am no longer interested in the charts as we have known them at all, except that I watch a lot of old chart-reruns (like Soul Train and Dick Clark's Bandstand) with my dad who has dementia. These days I understand that the charts were/are basically a tool run by the major labels to advertise their products. Even streaming platforms. The major playlists have secret curators, and often they are the major labels. I do think what is interesting is how social media can make a song jump to internet stardom based on how people interact with a song. But still, the charts are just a curated playlist. I prefer to make my own.

During the "glorious" 60s up to the mid-70s, we all (I mean people my age, not you!) followed the charts, even if we had long hair and smoked dope. Who follows the charts today?

I don't think people actively follow the charts anymore. The charts were a kind of reference to what you should be listening to and therefore buying. With the start of streaming apps and curated playlists, this lost its relevance. You can listen to literally all the music all the time for 15.- CHF a month, and if you don't know what you like an algorithm will just automatically pick it for you.

Have the charts ever been a motivational force in your work?

Never ever. I think to make a chart hit in most cases your goal has to be to appeal to the most amount of people possible. In my case I make music for myself, simply because I love to, so that doesn't really give me a lot of mass appeal. (It does give me really true fans, but I think I would fall more under niche music than anything).

Is the number of clicks more important today than the charts? If so, what are the consequences?

Are clicks more important than plays? I think already there you're showing your age. 😉 Most people don't have mouses anymore, so clicks is not a term from the most current generation. Streams and likes are much more important. They are the currency of social media, and in that world, they are worth a lot. You can translate it into sponsorships and ads all which have the potential to generate revenue. However, they also come with barriers. You need access to the playlists or have platform algorithms that push your music (like the major labels do). And still even with all that, it doesn't necessarily translate outside that world to money. The average payment for a stream is .00002.

I think it could be interesting in today's world to redefine what charts are and how they could be calculated. But I think the day of charts are kind of over. The internet makes its own recommendations based on the trends, but this can last literally from a day to a few weeks. Usually within a month it is no longer cool to even like that song.

 

 Daniela Sarda, musician

What was your relationship to the hit parade as a 12- and 18-year-old - and today?

As a 12 to 18-year-old, I generally listened to a lot of music. As I was generally interested in music, I naturally had my favorite albums, which I always listened to regardless of the hit parade. The hit parade had more influence on certain trends and the fact that you really liked certain songs for a while. But it didn't influence my personal taste in music. Nowadays, I don't listen to Hit Parade anymore, if I do, I listen to Pop Brandneu or Fresh Finds on Spotify to discover new releases.

 Are you still interested in the hit parade at all?

I'm not interested in the hit parade at the moment.

In the glorious sixties and well into the seventies, we all followed the hit parade, even if we had long hair and smoked pot. What does the hit parade audience look like today?

I think musical tastes have become much more individualized. I could imagine that people who consume music casually still listen to charts, but young people put together their own playlists on Spotify. I took a quick look at the current Swiss hit parade, I still know two or three names from it (Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo).

 To what extent was/is the hit parade a driving force for your work today?

 For my current work, the hit parade was not so relevant, perhaps more for the feeling of togetherness that you had when everyone sang the same song and could dance to it. Even as a young singer, my work was inspired by soul, R'n'B or canzoni, music that wasn't always present in the charts.

Are click figures more important today than the hit parade? If so, what are the consequences?

Both are important. Aren't many artists still trying to get into the charts? Or is this perhaps still a tool of the major labels to be consumed and bought by the masses? Click numbers (likes?) once again represent the interest of individual music listeners, their individual tastes, and give special music styles and niches a platform that would not exist in the charts.

 

Luca Bruno, presenter of "Sounds!", SRF 3

 What was your relationship to the hit parade as a 12- and 18-year-old - and today? Are you still interested in the hit parade at all?

As a 12 and 18-year-old, I wasn't interested in the hit parade at all. Before that, between the ages of 6 and 10, I was a huge fan and was glued to the radio for four hours every Sunday afternoon. I even got myself a Walkman with a radio tuner so that I could listen in on the go. I recorded a few issues on cassette and listened to them over and over again. The hit parade presenter on DRS 3 was also about the biggest star I could imagine.

Today, I don't really care about the album charts, partly because physical sales have fallen so far that even three-digit sales figures are enough for a top 10 position. I still find the singles charts interesting because they're still a relatively good indicator of what's popular at the moment.

In the glorious sixties and well into the seventies, we all followed the hit parade, even if we had long hair and smoked pot. What does the hit parade audience look like today?

Only hip-hop fanatics and ultra-fans of Popstars still regularly watch the charts. Circles in which high chart positions still really make an impression - and the various fanbases engage in streaming wars and races over them. Hip-hop acts are still "bluffing" with chart positions - in the alternative circle, of course, this is completely irrelevant.

Are click numbers and likes more important today than the hit parade? If so, what are the consequences?

Definitely. Although the aim of the charts should actually be to be congruent with the streaming figures. Nevertheless, I find the Spotify charts, where you can see exactly how often a song has been streamed, a lot more transparent than the charts, whose calculation key is still pretty nebulous.

 

Michael von der Heide, musician

What was your relationship to the hit parade as a 12- and 18-year-old - and today? Are you still interested in the hit parade at all?

Of course I loved the hit parade as a teenager. I recorded it every Sunday and, like most people, got annoyed when the presenter snorted into the intro or outro. I still have many of the cassettes. It was always incredibly exciting, of course. Like the Eurovision Song Contest, you get annoyed when your favorite song doesn't make it to one or falls out of the top 10 again, and, and, and! But that time totally shaped me.

I followed the hit parade for a long time as an interested musician to see what was still going on. But I'd say I gave up in the last four or five years. There was a lot of music that didn't appeal to me at all, and I realized that I had dropped out of the race, which makes me feel relaxed.

It was never really a big issue for my music. As you can hear on my first album, I never chased after the mainstream musically. I certainly had the odd song that I thought might be suitable for radio. And of course I was delighted when my album Tourist reached number 5 in 2000. Or that I've been in the charts again and again in recent years, even though I'm completely independent as far as record companies are concerned, because I have my own. I'm pleased about that, but it's actually irrelevant. The audience at the concerts doesn't care whether the album is in the charts or not.

Are click numbers and likes more important today than the hit parade? If so, what are the consequences?

The click figures don't affect me much. Right now I have a single with Eve Gallagher where we have wonderful click figures, which everyone is happy about, including me, but that's really totally unimportant for my work, for my music, at the moment.

In the glorious sixties and well into the seventies, we all followed the hit parade, even if we had long hair and smoked pot. What does the hit parade audience look like today?

I suppose I look like I did in the 80s, styled like I was in the 80s. I don't know that many young people today, but they don't listen to the hit parade. I don't know who's really still into it. They listen to Spotify and playlists.

 

Stefan Künzli, music editor at CH-Media

Did the hit parade mean anything to you as a child?

Absolutely! I started in '71, when I was 9, very young, and it had a big impact on me, it was almost the only thing you could hear on Swiss radio back then. The hit parade was very important and formative for me. Not anymore today, of course.

When did that change?

Gradually, in the 70s, when I went in the direction of jazz. Then I wasn't so interested anymore. But I still kept up with what was going on. It was still relevant at the time in that it showed what the most successful songs were, which in turn had an effect on album sales. You can no longer do that today. It's become quite difficult to keep track of it all.

And people were really happy when a Swiss band was in the charts.

I didn't notice much of that. Pepe Lienhard, Sheila Baby, Swiss Lady. And of course Heavenly ClubI think that was in the first Swiss hit parade year.

Do you have memories of certain hit parade songs?

I can remember it pretty clearly. I really soaked it up. Suzi Quatro, for example, terrific, Sweet, Slade, that was the line back then as a teenager. And Deep Purple, Black Nightthe first hard things - I still like them today ...

Toni Vescoli, musician

What was it like for you back then when "Heavenly Club" reached number 1?

That was a crazy summer, of course. We were on tour, as Sauterelles, together with Arlette Zola, one evening she first, the other we. Of course we were curious to see if Heavenly Club would be in the charts. And indeed, it wasn't long before we were in, and the record went up and up and suddenly it was number 1. Christoph Schwegler said: "well, well, well, and at number 1, Les Sauterelles!" Of course that was huge for us. We knew Christoph well personally, he always came to Atlantis when we played there.

It was a crazy thing, and the fact that we stayed in first place for six weeks was a bit of a sensation at the time. It made us very happy. On the other hand, it also tore me apart a bit, because my daughter Natalie was born at exactly the same time as we were in the hit parade. I soon didn't know what I should find more relaxed, hahaha! But the birth of my daughter was more relaxed!

To what extent was the hit parade a driving force for you, before and after the hit?

Drive - of course, as a band we had the feeling that it would be cool if we got into the charts. But we actually just wanted to make records. Heavenly Club wasn't even our favorite. Actually, we should have Montgolfier wanted to be a hit. But of course you think that you would like to have a hit.

Was there pressure from the record company to repeat the formula after the hit?

We weren't under any pressure from the record company. But it was slightly tragic anyway, because soon after the tour we went on, the band started to crumble apart. Düde Dürst, the drummer, started jamming with Hardy Hepp, and at some point he left, in 1968. It was a pity, we could have made a big start in Germany after a record conference in Hamburg. But nothing came of it. I carried on with the Sauterelles, but soon went it alone. It was no longer interesting financially either. The whole scene had changed. The clubs. There were no more week-long engagements, you had to do one-off gigs.

Wasn't it considered uncool in the progressive environment to appear in the charts?

Well, in 1968 we weren't actually in a progressive scene. I would rather say that would have been Düde mit Krokodil. But the Sauterelles were more of a commercial thing anyway, so it wasn't at all uncool to have a hit. It became much more difficult when I entered the charts in the mid-70s, first with the Pfäfflithen Scho root. A few people have already said (mimicking a Bernese accent): "Aha, you're in the hit parade now, aren't you?"

The Bernese Troubadours thought it was pretty bad that a so-called singer-songwriter was now in the hit parade. That was very unusual at the time. Mani Matter and all the others never made the hit parade. Then this Vescoli comes along with the Züri-Schnure and sweeps everything away, hahaha. I followed the hit parade in the 60s, at the time of Heavenly Clubbut not so much later on. When I made my own songs in Swiss German, the hit parade wasn't so important anymore.