Any effort to chart Soca music is a welcome step toward elevating the genre. Visibility matters, and I’m genuinely glad to see that COTT (Copyright Organization of Trinidad and Tobago) now shares a weekly Top 10 Soca chart. While I applaud the effort to chart the songs, I will boldly voice my concerns about the lack of representation and how they relate to the chart.
But let’s be honest—how a chart is compiled determines its credibility, and that’s where some real concerns arise. Since Carnival went to sleep, it appears that the same songs are changing places on the chart, with a few exceptions. Every Soca music fan should be concerned about this chart, as it does not chart any of the hundreds of songs released for upcoming Caribbean carnivals.
Then there’s the fine print at the bottom of the chart: “Countdown positions are determined by PLAY COUNT, then by Total PLAY TIME (not shown on countdown).”
COTT’s current chart is based solely on “TV & Radio Play.” While it’s understandable that play in fetes, bars, ads, concerts, and competitions is excluded, what’s troubling is that streaming platforms and digital play are also ignored. In today’s music ecosystem, that’s a major omission. Streaming is how most people discover and engage with music—especially globally. Ignoring this means failing to understand the audience's pulse.
Please clarify how those “play counts” are tracked. Does the tracking process include all radio stations? Who decides which songs get spins and how often? Is it the program director? Radio hosts? Or worse—industry politics or favors influencing airtime?
If listener call-ins drive the chart, it serves as a gauge of public interest. But transparency is key. We need to know:
- Are stations self-reporting or is there independent monitoring?
- Is there a standard protocol across all participating stations?
- How are discrepancies handled?
The Soca community deserves greater clarity from COTT regarding the compilation of this chart. Numerous uncertainties currently depend on the legitimacy of this chart, and the Soca community deserves greater clarity.
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Production Notes/Music Credits:
Soca Charting: Top 10 Radio Plays
Period: 5th June to 11th June, 2025
Credited to: COTT
Origin: Trinidad, Republic of Trinidad & Tobago
Genre: Soca 🎶
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