I struggle to find anyone outside of the business who listens to the BBC chart these days. I even know of one 15 yr old girl who had never heard of Mika until I asked her if she liked his song. "Who?" she asked. "He's been number one for two weeks," I told her. She shrugged. "Never heard of him."

Also, judging by their counter, there are very few recent visitors to the FAB Chart web site. It did have a surge a few weeks ago, but interest seems to have died.

Is this a general trend away from interest in music charts? Maybe people are just concentrating on what they personally like and are not much bothered about how popular those songs are with everyone else.

Then again, things could be different in a few weeks time. The music world seems to be a bit erratic at the moment.

I was discussing something similar recently. An artist, and there

I always check the BBC chart on page 533 of ceefax on Sunday night, mostly out of habit, but never listen to it on the radio nowadays. Years since I tuned into Radio One.

I follow the FAB Chart mainly to find new music - or music that is new to me - but also have an interest in what's going up or down. Maybe this is because it's unsusual and unpredictable.

But I agree that general interest in music charts is fading. Way back I used to study the top 100 singles, then ask the guy in the local record shop for his list of new releases so that I could keep up to date.

I can't help thinking that part of the reason for the lack of excitment about the mainstream chart is the demise of Top Of The Pops, and the decline in standards at Radio One (too limited in genre, presenters doing it for themselves rather than for the fans, etc.)