Is cultural diversity a criterion for chart quality?

[denmarkman]

I still don't have any sort of grasp on what constitutes "chart quality". The only way I can imagine a chart is bad is if it's dishonest. Sure, charts full of The Beatles and U2 aren't super fun to look at, but if it's what people like I'd rather them put those albums on their chart than force diversity onto their chart for the sake of diversity.

And no, it obviously doesn't make you racist. People living in the western world are inevitably going to be exposed to more "white music" than anything, and unfortunately not everyone has as much time as they'd like to explore a wider variety of styles. This is much more likely to be a consequence of being too busy or just not being as passionate about listening to music than it is to be a consequence of being racist.

[eyezayzay]

Most of the people here happen to be caucasian and don't really want to go out of their comfort zone, it's fair. They were probably not exposed to a lot of AA dominated genres growing up? (This is an assumption, not a fact.)

It sucks for someone like me that is rather thin on people that can relate to some of those genres with me.
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[Saoirse]

white men with guitars will get you BEA far.... or, wait

[Happymeal]

Cultural diversity tends to play a part in my particular rankings solely because I enjoy what other cultures can bring into the picture over the ones I personally adhere to (meaning that instead of viewing myself as a participant of activities or ideals synonymous with x, I view myself as synonymous with x). However, race, affiliation to x, etc. is typically irrelevant for music as far as I'm concerned (and irrelevant for most entertainment based media that I enjoy) when referring directly to enjoyment. Not referring to enjoyment, I don't see how race and culture have much to do with each other. There are plenty of different collectives which consider their activities as a culture which all fall under the same race yet they're very different from one another. As much as certain people want to view hip hop as synonymous with blacks, as far as I'm aware, every single black person is different (genetically speaking) and a plethora of black people have different approaches to the creation of said music. Lumping people together for almost any reason tends to irk me because it's not an accurate portrayal of every perspective.

[meccalecca]

[Necharsian]

[Decurso]

You can't fault people for not listing what they haven't heard or don't like. I've been exposed to a lot of Asian rock through living in Asia for 6 years...but I don't go around to people's charts saying you should have more Chinese/Japanese artists in your chart. You can only list stuff that you are aware of, and given the overwhelming amount of music out there it is pretty impossible to be aware of even a fraction of what is out there, even for the most dedicated listeners.

Personally, I don't really care for hip-hop/rap. Most of those artists are black. Does this make me racist? Of course not. It's just that particular style of music doesn't appeal to me. Boy bands (most of whom are white) don't appeal to me either. Reading too much into people's tastes is just ridiculous.

As others have said, even with a limit of 100, you are not going to be able to get a full grasp of someone's listening habits and tastes. I don't have any female artists on my top 100. does that make me sexist? Does it mean I don't listen to female artists? Of course not. I listen to a lot of female artists. Just because you don't see something on someone's chart don't assume they don't listen to it.

[sp4cetiger]

[eyezayzay]

Genres are a little stupid anyway. There are plenty of genres within hip hop itself. Alternative, Experimental and Indie hip hop all bring something unique to the table and there are plenty of bands/groups that categorize themselves as multiple things (Rage Against the Machine).

Before discounting everything from a certain genre, try to expand from just those "singular" genre categorizations.

Check out something like Shabazz Palace's Lese Majesty or Black Up. It's not like your average hip hop record.

Check out some Jazz, Blues, Funk, Soul, R&B. These were all crucial to the development of music but are randomly discounted? Be honest here...
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[eyezayzay]

Side Note: Stop assuming people automatically mean hip hop. If you're honestly that ignorant about music to think that's the only "culturalyl diverse" music around then...wow. I feel bad for you.
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