Commerical radio's Hottest 100

I enjoyed the Triple J Hottest 100 yesterday. I am not a regular (or even irregular) listener of the Jays. I listen once a year. On Australia Day. And I usually only listen to the Top 20 songs or so. The reason is that I don't really like most of the music they push. Random, mostly crappy, rock acts. Weird female singer-songwriters. Politically motivated Aussie hip-hop (seriously, The Herd need to get some new material. Howard is gone, the War in Iraq is going well... find something new, dudes).

But I enjoyed the top 10 yesterday. Because the majority of the songs were mainstays on commercial radio this year. The Kings of Leon's 'Sex on Fire' was number one, and a massive hit on the commercial charts. The Presets, with two songs in the top 10, dominated Australian radio, as did MGMT, with three songs in the top 20. Empire of the Sun's 'Walking on a Dream' is the song of the summer (and number four on the Hottest 100).

This is what I expect to happen: Triple J presenters and programmers will now see these acts as "too mainstream" to play on the Jays, and will leave them off future playlists. This type of snobbery and elitism is why no one listens to JJJ. And I mean no one. For all the money pumped into it and the high profile it has, Triple J has a tiny audience.

The heyday of the 90s has subsided. Perhaps JJJ is a victim of its own success? Silverchair, Killing Heidi, Missy Higgins, the Hilltop Hoods and others have got their start on JJJ and then broken through to the mainstream.

But I think it's something different. I think it's the self-righteous attitude of the presenters and programmers. "If you listen to any other music than what we play, you are a sellout." Another problem is the age of those choosing what happens at the station. The age of the actual audience is considerably higher than the target audience. Younger listeners get their music from the internet. 'Who cares what some amateur dude in Sydney wants to play over a radio? What the hell is the radio?'

Anyway, read these articles for more about the ratings and for a former presenter's perspective on why the station is failing in its mission.

The top 20 (songs featured on commerical radio in blue)

• #1 - Kings of Leon - Sex on Fire
• #2 - MGMT - Electric Feel
• #3 - Kings of Leon - Use Somebody
• #4 - Empire of the Sun - Walking On A Dream
• #5 - MGMT - Kids
• #6 - The Presets - Talk Like That
• #7 - Pez - The Festival Song(feat. 360 and Hailey Cramer)
• #8 - The Presets - This Boy's In Love
• #9 - The Ting Tings - That's Not My Name
• #10 - Drapht - Jimmy Recard
• #11 - Ladyhawke - My Delirium
• #12 - Pnau - Embrace
• #13 - The Herd - The King Is Dead
• #14 - The Rapture - No Sex For Ben
• #15 - Cut Copy - Lights and Music
• #16 - Ben Folds - You Don't Know Me (feat. Regina Spektor)
• #17 - Dizzee Rascal - Dance Wiv Me (feat. Calvin Harris and Chrome)
• #18 - MGMT - Time To Pretend
• #19 - Flight Of The Conchords - Business Time
• #20 - Birds Of Tokyo - Broken Bones