In the times that I was avoiding to study, I made this chart, showing the music genres songs on the American Billboard Hot 100 Year End belonged to (5800 songs). The main reason I made one, was because I thought some visual thing would make it easier to see what happened. I made multiple versions, because some songs were too difficult to be assigned to one genre and sometimes I reassigned songs to another genre; I could not represent every genre, because then the chart would be too busy to look at. This is the latest version.

Some remarks: I found it difficult to draw a line between traditional pop and pop ('50s, '60s), between new wave and synthpop ('80s, if any) and between synth/electropop and dancepop ('00s/'10s). I did not know how many genres I wanted to represent. If too many, the chart would have been too busy; if too few, the chart would maybe not show some important trends; what do you think? Do you have suggestions for a next version?

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_Z7W4bAQPZs/VPtkraAgLDI/AAAAAAAAAQA/eXoRw0pGdo4/s1600/billboard7.png

WOW that is cool!!!  :o  :D

That chart doesn't make any sense. 

How not? Enlighten me :)

I find it fascinating!

How not? Enlighten me :)


A.  I don't know where to look
B.  I don't know what I'm looking at

Basically, it is too complex.  People want simplicity

Basically, it is too complex.  People want simplicity


I'll defend it.  For any vertical slice, you're looking at what was popular that year.  Genres like synthpop get renamed to electropop without changing their sound.  Fads like disco or new wave last about 5-10 years. 

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-avpdYifXl1I/UtqMoAJRU5I/AAAAAAAAjRw/BEe4AcvFwFg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-01-17+at+9.51.00+PM.png

Here's an interactive one from Google Research.  There are fewer genres, but what makes it interesting is that it's compiled from the actual data that Google Play users have in their timelines, and it's interactive.  Hover over a year and you get what was interesting.  Click on a genre, like "Rock", and see it split into subgenres "Alt-rock/Prog-rock/Rock-and-roll" etc, and click on any given subgenre and see which performers were popular (or at least, who was remembered well enough to earn a spot on a Google Play user's playlist!) during that period of time.  The static screenshot doesn't do it justice.  Hours of visualization fun.

A.  I don't know where to look
B.  I don't know what I'm looking at

Basically, it is too complex.  People want simplicity

It's not the first version I made, and it won't be the last one.
It's just popularity by year based on Billboard Hot 100 Year End,
and I made it just to visualise what the h* happened in time.
If you feel it's too complex, I will look if I can make it more simple.
Suggestions are welcome.
Main problem is the balance between information and simplicity;
I can't just put all "rock" in one bar, because I would feel a lot of important
information will be lost then concerning sub-genres.
I already put genres near each other which I feel resemble each other, like: r&b things in the top, rock things at the
bottom and pop in the middle.
Also aesthetics played a role: If I had put the "hip hop" bar above of the "contemporary r&b" one, they would just get such awkward shapes,
so it was better to reverse them.
I can do more to make colouring more logical (for example: r&b and soul in more resembling shades,
all kind of pop in more resembling shades and rock too).
I would personally like too to make the edges in the graph more smooth than pointy, but excel won't let
me do it..

Here's an interactive one from Google Research.

Yes, that's an awesome tool :) By my understanding, It differs by showing *all* music which was brought out instead of
focussing on the popularity of it by year, and more on albums instead of singles.

It's nice and vivid - looks like an explosion in a paint factory!

Just me probably, but I find it a little too much to take in all at once - not your fault, as there's way too many genres to cope with...

I wonder what this year will give us. When seeing today's charts I'd say more pop, maybe even more country and a return of r&b. We're only halfway the year though.

I like how it shows how suddenly or gradually a certain trend grew or disappeared. For example, it seems that after years of steady growth, glam metal has a rather abrupt decline around the beginning of 1989.

Changed it back to a non-weighted chart;

For comparison I'm planning to make a British one, but I'm not sure which charts to take.
Would this be a good source?

http://www.uk-charts.top-source.info/index.shtml

Changed it back to a non-weighted chart;

For comparison I'm planning to make a British one, but I'm not sure which charts to take.
Would this be a good source?

http://www.uk-charts.top-source.info/index.shtml


I dunno; I'm not from the UK, but we do have a couple of Europeans here who might be able to help you nail down which databases and/or charting services were most reflective of UK/Euro preferences.

I dunno; I'm not from the UK, but we do have a couple of Europeans here who might be able to help you nail down which databases and/or charting services were most reflective of UK/Euro preferences.


I am European myself, but not British; the charts look reasonable to use though; at least it are 100 songs. There exist Top 40s of course, but I want 100 positions. It shouldn't matter too much because every chart has different and changing rules and Billboard isn't perfect either. I better just begin and see if it works out.

I
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dcXmd3lPE5Q/U-4NFop9UOI/AAAAAAAAANk/5kkOhZKdt3A/s1600/Billboard6.png
R&B was 40% of the chart from 1993-2001. Wow. It was still 30% of the chart up to 2007. Currently in 2013 R&B was only 10% of the chart.

Hip Hop on the other hand was 20% of the chart from 1992-1996 and reached a high of 25% of the chart in 1997-1998. Went back to 20% of the chart in 2001-2002(after a low of 8% in 2000) and than went to 30%-35% of the chart from 2003-2007. Currently Hip-Hop is 15% of the chart in 2013.

I notice the struggle "Soul" had during disco and after from 1981-1986 before R&B took over the genre with "New Jack Swing" becoming big in 1987.

EDM has taken a huge bite out of R&B and Hip-Hop's popularity right now.

Country is getting more popular and mainstream from this graph. Country in 2011 had its best year chart wise since 1982.

R&B was 40% of the chart from 1993-2001. Wow. It was still 30% of the chart up to 2007. Currently in 2013 R&B was only 10% of the chart.

Hip Hop on the other hand was 20% of the chart from 1992-1996 and reached a high of 25% of the chart in 1997-1998. Went back to 20% of the chart in 2001-2002(after a low of 8% in 2000) and than went to 30%-35% of the chart from 2003-2007. Currently Hip-Hop is 15% of the chart in 2013.

I notice the struggle "Soul" had during disco and after from 1981-1986 before R&B took over the genre with "New Jack Swing" becoming big in 1987.

EDM has taken a huge bite out of R&B and Hip-Hop's popularity right now.

Country is getting more popular and mainstream from this graph. Country in 2011 had its best year chart wise since 1982.


Yes, there is very much country, though it is concentrated in the lower half of the hot 100. It almost doesn't reach top 10. Soul in 60s and 70s is mostly the motown sound.
For this year, I think there will be an overload of plain pop besides country, but we'll have to wait till december for that.

Hey, I did a new chart; basics the same as the first chart;
asked myself the questions which music genres were in the Billboard Hot 100, year end charts.
Since 1959 the Billboard had Hot 100 Year End charts, before that, some similar ones.

Modifications:
- I added 2014 to the chart: that means less EDM, less (indie) folk music,
more pop and return of hip hop /r&b.

- I thought it was better to include grunge and post-grunge into one alternative rock bar. That means
one bar less and contributes to a clearer view.

- It was really needed to include a separate reggae bar; which was scattered before in other genres;
it was most prominent in 1994.

- Remaining issues: when scanning through the lists, some songs seemed to me a different
genre than I thought before; I assign genres to songs based upon how the song sounds (if listened) and
(because I can't listen to every song; these are 5900 songs, it would take very much patience to listen to every song)
what different internet sources say about it.
Also, it is difficult to assign a genre to "crossover" songs. Keep that in mind.
And: were do I put heartland rock? (Bruce Springsteen etc.)

- Suggestions are welcome, please motivate any disagreements; it remains a subjective type of work
and someone else might do it completely different, though they have only the same songs to deal with.
Looking at this learned me a lot about popular music in the USA. Though remember I am a European;
especially my knowledge about Afro-American music ("black" music), let's say real soul/r&b (Motown), funk
etc. could be better.

- I am working on a British version: I have done about 40% of that, the later part. Prepare for more electronic things.

I've noticed something about mainstream music that began in the 2000s. Starting in 2001, music has been going in three year cycles, where songs would sound the same for three years before changing. This would mean that 2001–2003 would be the first one. The next one would have started in 2004. This "three year cycle" continues today, with music currently on the decline of electropop and trap music as a fad. Here is my list:

2001 through 2003

2004 through 2006

2007 through 2009

2010 through 2012

2013 through 2015 (the current cycle)


This trend has been going on for 15 years. The 2013-2015 musical era is probably going to be the last cycle. Predetermined musical structures can only last for so long before people get subconsciously sick of it. I'm guessing 2016 will be the year that music changes dramatically and things will sound the same for quite a while. The '90s will probably come back that year, like how the '80s did in 2006 and the '70s did in '96. More melodic music and talented artists will be heavily appreciated again after the target audience starts to see how low quality music is in the current state. There is nowhere to go but up for popular music.

Oh, here I will describe the musical trends in their three-year span.

2001 through 2003: Southern rap becoming the norm, non descript post-grunge, decline of R&B, the '80s making their first influences

2004 through 2006: Crunk music peak, merging crunk and snap with different genres such as R&B, sugary-sweet post-grunge, the '80s are back

2007 through 2009: The peak of '80s influence on music, electronic music breakthrough, dance music, southern rap decline, last gasp of rock & roll

2010 through 2012: Pinnacle of auto-tune and electropop, music sounding straight from the NES, boring urban music, death of rock, dance-pop

2013 through 2015 (the current cycle): The decline of electropop, sudden popularity of trap, sampling of early '90s songs, foreign artist breakthrough


You can see the influence of a single style (by name only) last nine years, from it's earliest influences in the mainstream to it's final heartbeat.

Southern Rap's "empire" lasted from: 2001 (earliest influences) to 2009 (final heartbeat).

This means that Electropop's "empire" is in it's final year: 2007 (earliest influences) to 2015 (final heartbeat).

I know music is at the end of the current three-year cycle because I can't tell the difference between music from 2013 and today, while 2012 sounds different. The "three-year cycle" structure just feels like it's on it's last legs. I want a change for the better in 2016!

That's interesting and might be true; three years is long; I would be tired after three years of the same music.
There are lots of theories about what is popular.
One is the "pop cycle theory" from I don't know anymore.
He describes pop cycles as ca. 10 year-long cycles with three phases:

- First phase: rebirth of pop
- Second phase: height of one or two trends which are not pop
- Third phase: decline of the trend; "adult" music/ballads.

When applying this to the pop music, he argues:

Cycle I: Rock & Roll
- Birth: 1955
- Height: ca. 1960 (Twist etc.)
- End: ca. 1962/3

Cycle II: Rock
- Birth: ca. 1964: British Invasion
- Height: ca. 1969: psych rock against Motown
- End: early 70s.

Cycle III: Disco
- Birth: Middle 70s
- Height: Late 70: Disco against album rock
- End: 1980: country pop, ballads

Cycle IV: 80s music (I don't agree, but ok)
- Birth: Early 80s: New Wave, Synthpop
- Height: Late 80s: hair metal against r&b (new jack swing)
- End: Early 90s.

Cycle V: 90s and 00s
- Birth: The mid and late 90s: pop
- Height: Early/Mid 00s: hip hop against alt rock
- End: around 2005/6. (r&b ballads)

Cycle VI: 2006- now
- Birth: new pop music (Katy Perry? etc)
- Height: 2010/1: electropop/dancepop
- End: 2011-2013? (Adele, "adult" like indie pop?)

That would mean that we are in a rebirth period of pop music,
but I'm sure more theories exist.

That's interesting and might be true; three years is long; I would be tired after three years of the same music.
There are lots of theories about what is popular.
One is the "pop cycle theory" from I don't know anymore.
He describes pop cycles as ca. 10 year-long cycles with three phases:

- First phase: rebirth of pop
- Second phase: height of one or two trends which are not pop
- Third phase: decline of the trend; "adult" music/ballads.

When applying this to the pop music, he argues:

Cycle VI: 2006- now
- Birth: new pop music (Katy Perry? etc)
- Height: 2010/1: electropop/dancepop
- End: 2011-2013? (Adele, "adult" like indie pop?)

That would mean that we are in a rebirth period of pop music,
but I'm sure more theories exist.


That's kind of contradictory what you said about the current one. If he said it goes in 10 year cycles, with the most recent one starting way back in 2006, then that would mean that 2015 is the final year of the "The End" phase of Cycle VI.

With that in mid, his theory (corrected) and my theory both line up in one aspect: 2016 will be the new beginning of popular music. I'm actually really looking forward to 2016. There's always a change in the "six" year of a decade, and many times the "six" year is the start of the "iconic" part of a decade. I want the '90s to come back!

That's interesting and might be true; three years is long; I would be tired after three years of the same music.
There are lots of theories about what is popular.
One is the "pop cycle theory" from I don't know anymore.
He describes pop cycles as ca. 10 year-long cycles with three phases:

- First phase: rebirth of pop
- Second phase: height of one or two trends which are not pop
- Third phase: decline of the trend; "adult" music/ballads.

When applying this to the pop music, he argues:

Cycle I: Rock & Roll
- Birth: 1955
- Height: ca. 1960 (Twist etc.)
- End: ca. 1962/3

Cycle II: Rock
- Birth: ca. 1964: British Invasion
- Height: ca. 1969: psych rock against Motown
- End: early 70s.

Cycle III: Disco
- Birth: Middle 70s
- Height: Late 70: Disco against album rock
- End: 1980: country pop, ballads

Cycle IV: 80s music (I don't agree, but ok)
- Birth: Early 80s: New Wave, Synthpop
- Height: Late 80s: hair metal against r&b (new jack swing)
- End: Early 90s.

Cycle V: 90s and 00s
- Birth: The mid and late 90s: pop
- Height: Early/Mid 00s: hip hop against alt rock
- End: around 2005/6. (r&b ballads)

Cycle VI: 2006- now
- Birth: new pop music (Katy Perry? etc)
- Height: 2010/1: electropop/dancepop
- End: 2011-2013? (Adele, "adult" like indie pop?)

That would mean that we are in a rebirth period of pop music,
but I'm sure more theories exist.
Where does your theory put country music, for on your above chart it has been continuous since 1956?

Where does your theory put country music, for on your above chart it has been continuous since 1956?


I don't know.  Maybe it has a different and stable kind of listeners (non urban?). It is however interesting that the genre in the 00s and 10s looks very present, but only mostly occupies the lower half of the charts.

I don't know.  Maybe it has a different and stable kind of listeners (non urban?). It is however interesting that the genre in the 00s and 10s looks very present, but only mostly occupies the lower half of the charts.
Even without looking at the chart, country music has been constant through the years.

That's interesting and might be true; three years is long; I would be tired after three years of the same music.
There are lots of theories about what is popular.
One is the "pop cycle theory" from I don't know anymore.
He describes pop cycles as ca. 10 year-long cycles with three phases:

- First phase: rebirth of pop
- Second phase: height of one or two trends which are not pop
- Third phase: decline of the trend; "adult" music/ballads.

When applying this to the pop music, he argues:

Cycle I: Rock & Roll
- Birth: 1955
- Height: ca. 1960 (Twist etc.)
- End: ca. 1962/3

Cycle II: Rock
- Birth: ca. 1964: British Invasion
- Height: ca. 1969: psych rock against Motown
- End: early 70s.

Cycle III: Disco
- Birth: Middle 70s
- Height: Late 70: Disco against album rock
- End: 1980: country pop, ballads

Cycle IV: 80s music (I don't agree, but ok)
- Birth: Early 80s: New Wave, Synthpop
- Height: Late 80s: hair metal against r&b (new jack swing)
- End: Early 90s.

Cycle V: 90s and 00s
- Birth: The mid and late 90s: pop
- Height: Early/Mid 00s: hip hop against alt rock
- End: around 2005/6. (r&b ballads)

Cycle VI: 2006- now
- Birth: new pop music (Katy Perry? etc)
- Height: 2010/1: electropop/dancepop
- End: 2011-2013? (Adele, "adult" like indie pop?)

That would mean that we are in a rebirth period of pop music,
but I'm sure more theories exist.


I agree with the early 80's, after disco died there was a new sound.