Once upon a time, the singles chart was a sacred institution. Before, a number one record meant something. A collective cultural moment, a burgeoning sound that was peaking, a popular artist making a statement, some indication of where a nation was through its taste and ears.

But ask yourself, when was the last time you cared about what song hit number one? Better yet, when was the last time you even knew what was number one?

Thanks to the streaming era, the metrics of old have become irrelevant. But ask the record companies, the streaming platforms, and anyone remaining in the mainstream music industry, and the lingering husk of chart positions and the race to the top is still a major factor in how everything plays out.

Can we move on from thinking pop music is the best thing ever?

Today's charts are not any real measure of popularity or success – instead, they now measure which record label has the most sophisticated gaming strategy. Power and influence have been taken from the listener, who once had to be motivated to buy a tangible product, and given over to the levers of the record industry, where they can pretty much make the rules as they like.

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© Herald Scotland