I have been trying to work towards a solution for keeping the Beyond Radio charts going but increasingly it has become a losing situation. There are a number of factors involved. My focus on the podcast and nostalgia writing certainly are a big part of it. Too many threads to keep any of them all going in a timely way. A secondary job that is not necessarily making me much money is also taking away a portion of time from my week. That situation also needs to be re-assessed.
But the major reason is that the database program I have used for the last 25 plus years may be archaic and random files have become corrupted. I just do not have the time or energy to try to piece that stuff together and re-do the work anymore. I also do not have the time to learn a whole new program. Perhaps in time I will but it isn’t going to happen in the short term.
The other more minor influences on my decision are a lack of any kind of feedback and almost non-existent connection to current “Pop” music. That is not to say that I have lost my desire to hear new music. I find plenty of great music outside the current mainstream to enjoy in other genres. If you look at my current chart, it is almost devoid of anything from the Hot 100. I actually don’t mind being out of touch with current “Pop” trends. I am the old man in the room now.
Perhaps it’s a natural evolution that has been pushed by the universe. So far only files that contain current music information have been corrupted. Part of what has kept me doing this for so long is that is helps me to discover new music. I will figure out how to do that more efficiently and I may more narrowly focus what I present here in the new music realm. The nostalgia writing and podcast will still be here and hopefully better than ever.
5 years ago this situation would ruin my day but right now I’m just going with the signs that have been shown to me. It is time to shift priorities and that can be very freeing. To quote Adele, my own psyche is being “Easy On Me”.