Was reading the (admittedly slightly retarded) post about 3rd albums being an unlucky number, and it made me think about this. Point has been raised many times before. I'm just a bit intrigued about it really, as someone who normally couldn't give a shit.

I don't think it can be put down simply to changing fashions, as this has never happened before to this level, there have always been bands with top 10 singles and stuff even during dips. Now there just isn't. Its just odd how an entire genre can vanish from the singles charts in such a short space of time. Obviously, I say vanished, there are exceptions, Noah and the Whale and Foo Fighters have both had pretty big hits within the last couple of months, but across the board it seems to be true.

NME seem to be obsessed with finding a "new strokes/white stripes" that can excite mainstream attention, but I'm doubtful that this will happen for a long time, if at all.

Another strange thing is that radio 1 seems generally oblivious to this. Arctic Monkeys, Two Door Cinema Club, Friendly Fires, Noah and the Whale, Cage The Elephant, Bring Me The Horizon, Miles Kane, The Strokes, Foo Fighters, Panic! at The Disco, The Vaccines, Fixers & The Computers are all currently daytime playlisted. But I bet half of these don't even chart in the top 200.

Another interesting point, this "decline" seems to just about coincide with the rise of download singles over physical ones. Might this be something to do with it?

Anyway, this has been covered before, but its certainly an interesting point, if not one to get worked up over as some have.