The Chair Tops Radio Charts, But It’s Not All Good News for Aussies

by lkatulka on January 18th, 2008

Image details: 2007 ARIA Awards - Arrivals served by picapp.com

The ARIA judges love them, the record-buying public loves them, and now it’s official: the DJS of Australia also love Silverchair.

The Chair’s monster comeback single “Straight Lines” was the most played song on Aussie commercial radio last year. It beat out “How to Save a Life” by The Fray and Gwen Stefani’s “The Sweet Escape” to claim the title.

But it wasn’t all good news for Aussie artist. Thirsty Merc were the only other Aussies to crack the top 10. Their power ballad “20 Good Reasons” was at a respectable number four. But the next most popular song was Missy Higgins’ “Steer” sitting all the way down at number 21.

Only a quarter of the top 100 in 2007 were Aussies, compared to 34% in 2006. And four of those songs were actually released in 2006.

I’ve got to admit, these results really surprised me. Everyone said 2007 was a cracker year for Aussie artists, so why are we hearing less homegrown hits on radio? I only hope the local radio industry does more to support our artists in 2008.