Well, as you know, radio was very segregated. Growing up today, the only example of what it was like is to look at BET commercials that are custom marketed and imagine that same approach industry wide. That's why MTV didn't play Black artists at first...the labels didn't produce videos for them, and the MTV people came from radio where they stuck to a White rock format, with very few Black artists slipping in (Eddie Grant is one). Record stores even segregated most of their records with the R&B sections.

It was kind of cool, because the Black charts were usually more interesting and it let some artists compete without getting buried by the Rock bands. But then Hall and Oats happened, and MJ happened, and Black radio stations got all bought up or became "urban radio".

That's true. While Hall and Oates and especially MJ breaking down the musical color barrier was much more needed more than simply variety on the radio, the latter is an issue nevertheless. There's a dark side to progress and I appreciate the desegregation of mainstream music but with today's state of affairs, the sanctioning of music back in the day really wasn't the evilness people say it was in retrospect.

[Edited 1/28/15 12:15pm]

Radio is still segregated. Rap songs that go pop don't reach there without being a hit on "Rhythmic" stations first.

You would still see people like Macklemore on the Black Chart if it were still a thing.

I don't think they were a terrible thing. I'm not sure who is saying that is was. There is a tendency now to say that we shouldn't look at things in terms of black people and white people, but you should instead have "rock" charts and "soul" charts because anybody can be into that music. So that segregation still exists but it is called something different. And I guess that's appropriate. It gets us away from thinking about cultural differences as pure matters of race.

They were definitely a good thing for white kids who wanted to hear some real rock and roll music, at one time. Anything on the John Birch Society "forbidden" list was the hip kids' shopping list.

bobzilla77 said:

I don't think they were a terrible thing. I'm not sure who is saying that is was. There is a tendency now to say that we shouldn't look at things in terms of black people and white people, but you should instead have "rock" charts and "soul" charts because anybody can be into that music. So that segregation still exists but it is called something different. And I guess that's appropriate. It gets us away from thinking about cultural differences as pure matters of race.

They were definitely a good thing for white kids who wanted to hear some real rock and roll music, at one time. Anything on the John Birch Society "forbidden" list was the hip kids' shopping list.

Did the "black" part refer to the artist whose song(s) were on the charts or the people who listened to the songs? I'm positive it's the former but I'd like to be certain.

Actually, they were a good thing. The hardest, funkiest, rhythmic, most "blackest" music ever was made on the Black Charts. What ruined and eventually ended R&B in the first place, is when more and more artists started watering their music down and making it weaker, purposely trying to get onto the Pop Charts.

I enjoyed all the different charts cause I think everyone got more exposure instead of everyone being lumped together and getting lost in the mix.

vainandy said:

Actually, they were a good thing. The hardest, funkiest, rhythmic, most "blackest" music ever was made on the Black Charts. What ruined and eventually ended R&B in the first place, is when more and more artists started watering their music down and making it weaker, purposely trying to get onto the Pop Charts.

Agreed. And while the 80s is my favorite musical decade, I have to admit that it was crossover-mania for most of the decade. Artists from various different genres, races, and backgrounds were trying to achieve major mainstream success after MJ and Thriller blew up on the astronomical levels that they did. Pop music was still excellent for nearly the entire 10 year span but more acts were beginning to sound alike more than ever before in order to remain relevant.

lazycrockett said:

I enjoyed all the different charts cause I think everyone got more exposure instead of everyone being lumped together and getting lost in the mix.

...which brings us to today; we're in an era of one of if not the most stagnant mainstream music scenes in history; at least in the US (and from what I see in the UK). The only chart out of the remaining ones that matter besides the Top 40 is the Rap/ R&B chart which isn't really worth listening to either.

lazycrockett said:

I enjoyed all the different charts cause I think everyone got more exposure instead of everyone being lumped together and getting lost in the mix.

I totally agree