On not understanding the charts

[koganbot]

GLAM's "I Like That" entered the Gaon Chart this week at 57. This was way lower than I'd anticipated, my expectation being based on an Allkpop story saying "I Like That" had finished number 3 on January 2 on the Bugs Chart. I don't know what the Bugs Chart does, actually (the chart is in Korean, not surprisingly). I assume it records daily numbers, though I don't know of what. "I Like That" isn't in today's top ten.

GLAM began promoting the single on December 29, performing it on SBS's Gayo Daejun accompanied by their Vocaloid friend SeeU. The video didn't go up until three days later, though teasers had started on December 26. Full-throttle comeback performances started on January 3. So, anyway, I don't know whether or not the song had a full week in the public consciousness to post numbers — Gaon's week runs Sunday to Saturday, so the current rankings are based on December 30 through January 5; next chart will cover January 6 through today.

SNSD's "I Got A Boy" is number 1 with a rather unimpressive 28,479,080 points. Its numbers might not reflect a full week either: video wasn't up until Monday December 31, and I don't know when sales started. Also, it's a weird song.

On YouTube, "I Got A Boy" is at 26,564,464 views. Are there Korean video sites I should be taking account of too? YouTube views for "I Like That," which are divided up between LOENENT and GLAMofficialvideo, total 291,414. A couple orders of magnitude of difference, there. Gaon points for "I Like That" are 3,376,761, which makes up one order of magnitude but is still way behind. So Allkpop's lead, "GLAM have been giving Girls' Generation a run for their money with their new single, 'I Like That,' which is rising up on music charts," seems very wrong. Premature, anyway.

I'm rooting big for "I Like That," which I'll write about later. Is a good song, not a great one, but socially this group matters. And they dance well. And the lyrics engage in fairly subtle arguments with themselves, aren't just slogans. Though as slogans they're good, too.

Comments

[askbask.livejournal.com]

I wrote a long post that I accidentally clicked out of, so to sum that up:

The article is probably based on a real-time #3 at any given moment. For some reason new songs tend to have an easier time getting up there on Bugs even if they don't make a significant impact overall.

Bugs is not one of the major digital stores. No one can be said to give a top dog a 'run for their money' based on a simple Bugs jump.

I've got my hopes up before seeing a high placing there for a favorite only to find it's not very successful after all.

Instiz aggregate iChart: http://ichart.instiz.net/
- The ranking below is the week so far.
- Click on 실시간 above the graph on the left to get the top 30 most consumed tracks right now. If a track is top 5 on Bugs but doesn't appear in the top 30 there, ignore the former. This real-time chart is updated ever 30 minutes or so.

Gaon's download only chart differs a bit from the main one. GLAM is at #40 with 43,260 sold.

Numbers on Gaon are down over all from last year. As mentioned the prices are doubled.

SNSD is at #1 with 319,824 downloads. "The Boys" last year sold 759,000 in its first week, but we have to see how much is due to other factors than the price jump. Interesting weeks ahead.

[koganbot]

Number one on the aggregate iChart right now is Jung Hyung-don's "Gangbuk Dandy," which appears to be a not-that-funny goof on "Gangnam Style" and a number of other things, though with much more house and techno in its rather good rhythm track, in fact an okay melody that's going to waste.

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(Also, is that our hero Park Myung Soo acting as MC or mentor or something, he of the genuinely funny and genuinely good "I'm Having An Affair"? Or is it just someone with a similar haircut?)

[askbask.livejournal.com]

Yes. It's also from the same show that I'm Having an Affair came from. They always produce some big hits when they do their annual music thing.

[koganbot]

Here's a link for "Gangbuk Dandy":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=379NjchCjzw

[koganbot]

"I Like That" down 10 places to 67 on today's Gaon Chart. So unless it goes viral somewhere, it's a definite nonhit, though I don't think it'll put GLAM out of business. They may be garnering a core audience for future adventures.

[askbask.livejournal.com]

Yes, I think they're gaining some fans. I've heard solid fan chants on some music shows (I was watching one with some friends and noted that their fan chants were the girliest I'd heard, which suggested to me they were reaching an audience ready for their positive message. You hear fan chants on some shows and not others, though).

Some boybands you never see on charts (and can come off lame, cheap to me) have intense, passionate fan chants -- and I guess their careers are sustained on there always being girls who want a boyband 'for themselves', maybe, and a new group of handsome boys is as good a thing to join as more crowded fan clubs.

For how long I don't know, some perform live quite often and maybe sell merch and stuff, but I don't think there's a culture for this as strong as the one in Japan for 'indie idol groups' who do constant live shows.