Source: Billboard, Wikipedia
Tools: Excel, Datawrapper
I think there's a lot going on with this trend, so I did a longer write-up here.
Posted by noisymortimer
![[OC] Why Don't Movies, TV, and Plays Spawn as Many Hit Songs?](https://www.byteseu.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/ew9cgmvl1jgf1-1024x741.png "[OC] Why Don’t Movies, TV, and Plays Spawn as Many Hit Songs?")
Source: Billboard, Wikipedia
Tools: Excel, Datawrapper
I think there's a lot going on with this trend, so I did a longer write-up here.
Posted by noisymortimer
5 Comments
Effort for movies, a lack of systemic abuse for the others
Because movie soundtracks are no longer a thing? There used to be “the soundtrack to…” cds all up in best buy. Now it’s just a collection of songs you can stream, no one buys albums, so there’s no symbolic meaning to the addition of visual media.
I think the media kind of spreaded out, the possibilities are expanded nowadays, it was easier for these vehicles once things were more condensed
2009-2012/3ish drought is particularly interesting. Could’ve swore Anna Kendrick doing Cups for Pitch Perfect came out around then.
Plays don’t have more billboard hits because their relevance in pop culture has diminished but you see their popularity spike in the 60s and 70s because musicals were turned into films, not cause a song from the stage show made it to radio waves.
TV you see fewer hits because the number of network’s dramatically increased since the 1980. and easier access to cable, but again I remember California by Phantom Planet becoming a hit after The OC came out and that doesn’t show up on here in 2003 either so I guess neither songs are as popular as I remember.
My guess is that Kenny Loggins ran out of ideas.