Here’s some answers to key questions provided by the BBC, with our comments added:

Why do you have a playlist?
Radio 1 tries to bring the best new music to the widest possible audience. The playlist combines the favourite tracks of all the different DJs and producers to provide a varied mix of music and introduces exciting new artists alongside those more established.

Shake: So why do you need a playlist? And where are the exciting new bands and artists in any of the above playlists? “… to the widest possible audience” So why are you majoring on pop and dance music and ignoring rock?

“Pop’s strong showing came despite Rock’s domination of the album release schedule - 40.2% of all new releases in 2009 were Rock, followed by 13.7% for Pop, 10.1% for Dance and 8.6% for Urban. Rock’s share of albums fell from 35.7% to 31.0% in 2009, the lowest proportion of sales since 2004. Kings of Leon’s ‘Only By The Night’ was the genre’s only release to sell more than a million copies during the year, although titles by artists such as Snow Patrol, Queen and Kasabian all exceeded the half a million sales mark.” - BPI

Shake: BBC Radio airplay is dominated by pop and dance, hence increased sales over rock. The BBC is not representing the music that is available because it is ignoring rock music which represents over 40% of music released.

Who decides which tracks are playlisted?
The new playlist is compiled at a meeting chaired by the Head of Music each Wednesday and is published online at approx. 5.15pm. The Playlist Team, consisting of a varied mix of producers across all shows attend, alongside the Music Team; however everyone from the Controller to the work-experience person can, and frequently does voice their opinion!

Shake: Why on earth is a committee needed to select music to play? It really isn’t rocket science. And why do you need a record company executive/plugger to ’sell’you a song? It’s a dog’s breakfast and no wonder the playlists are so unimaginative and the cost to the ordinary tax-payer of running Radio 1 so incredibly high. Isn’t the quality of the music enough or is there some unspoken deal being done - like providing free Live Lounge Sessions to the BBC? At the BBC music has become nothing more than a commodity and most great music is ignored.

Do tracks move up from one list to another?
Yes, most tracks do. The playlist meeting each week considers which songs we think listeners would like to hear more and which they want less of - and tracks are moved accordingly.

Shake: So in truth less artists and music gets more and more airplay, while many others don’t get a look-in. It means that some artists can be played relentlessly over a 12 month period. And it’s all based on what YOU think listeners want to hear… Well Mr Parfitt explain this to me: Today is the 5th November and listeners have been choosing which music to play on your Open Access week. So why is it the best day’s music from Radio 1 for bloody years, and non of it picked by your silly committees. Incidentally, rock dominated listener song choices… Time to wake up Mr Parfitt and SMELL THE MUSIC (didn’t working as John Peel’s soundman teach you anything?).

Look at this:

Artist                          Weeks In Top 40 Album Chart
Pixie Lott                      59 Weeks
Lady GaGa                    94 Weeks
Mumford & Sons          56 Weeks
XX                                63 Weeks
Cheryl Cole                  53 Weeks
Katie Perry                   107 Weeks
Biffy Clyro                    51 Weeks
30 Seconds To Mars     46 Weeks
The Script                    102 Weeks

And there are other examples (notably Florence & The Machine) who have spent 12 months or more in the top 40 chart because of relentless airplay by BBC Radio 1 and 2. In sharp contrast acts like The National, Midlake, Jonsi and Arcade Fire received very limited airplay (if any) and tumbled quickly out of this chart after topping it. Right now Take That and JLS are coining it via A and B listing on Radio and Radio 2 at the same period. I also suspect the number of times listed songs are played far exceeds the level stated by the BBC (although it cleverly doesn’t specify specific/concrete numbers).

What criteria are used in deciding which tracks are added?
Many factors are taken into account and it’s a delicate balancing act. We aim to play a mix of genres, ensure we support new UK artists as well as more established acts and feature more challenging tracks not played by most other stations. The newest songs are introduced alongside tracks that are more familiar and popular with listeners.

Shake: “It’s a delicate balancing act” - bullshite! Just listen to Radio 1 and you’ll see it is dominated during daytime by dance and pop, and there are few new acts played nationally. Why is it that poor music from the likes of Cheryl Cole seems to be automatically A-Playlisted when there is vastly better music out there that should be played. This playlist policy is killing great music and how Andy Parfitt has the nerve to think he’s doing a good job and that Radio 1 is the world’s best music station is beyond me. It is a fucking disaster. And where are the challenging tracks not played by other radio stations? And what precisely are ‘challenging tracks’ anyway?