UPDATE: The Hottest 100 of 2014 winner has been announced!
Triple j’s Hottest 100 of 2014 has just kicked off and the national youth broadcaster has already put the lid on this year’s biggest can of worms — Taylor Swift is officially out of this year’s countdown.
Presenter Lewi McKirdy addressed the controversy even before launching into the first song of the Hottest 100 countdown. “Taylor Swift. Is she in this list?” he asked, before triggering an ignominious buzzer sound. “No,” was the blunt response.
McKirdy directed listeners who wanted to know more about why Swift had been disqualified to a new website, triplejfeed.com. The name of the site is a jab at popular viral news website, Buzzfeed, who spearheaded the #Tay4Hottest100 campaign.
The announcement overloaded the new site in seconds, with the page still inaccessible at the time of writing. Triple j’s music news page has since confirmed the news, posting only a screenshot of part of the site and stating, “That’s right, she’s out,” before again directing readers to the new site.
The screenshot shows a Buzzfeed-style listicle titled ‘8 Hilarious But Totally True Reasons You Won’t Hear “Shake It Off” In The Hottest 100’, where the station lays the blame for the social media campaign’s failure squarely at Buzzfeed’s feet. “Their #Tay4Hottest100 campaign bought Tay a one-way ticket to Bansville,” the listicle’s opening paragraph reads.
“It became pretty clear, pretty quick that a lot of people just wanted to prod some ‘hipsters’ for the lulz,” the post continues.
It was reported earlier in the week that triple j staff had been banned from speaking about the controversy, with a leaked email, apparently from station manager Chris Scaddan, stating that all would be revealed today.
Keep up with all the winners and the rest of today’s milestones on our live updates page.
UPDATE: The site seems to be live, for now. Here’s a rundown of the reasons triple j have listed for disqualifying Swift from the Hottest 100. Check out the full, reasonably humorous listicle here.
1. Don’t (Buzz)feed the trolls
“Whilst [Buzzfeed’s] advertisers enjoyed the sweet page views, it’s not legit for other media to try and troll the poll.”
2. Haters gonna vote, vote, vote
“It became pretty clear, pretty quick that a lot of people just wanted to prod some hipsters for the lulz.”
3. Do we really want to talk about this every year?
“If we allowed talented/unemployed web developers to spam one track into the Hottest 100 via a web app…then we’d have to sit back every year while internet chuckleheads started campaign after campaign…”
4. Not every KFC idea is a good idea
“We’d prefer it if people voted for the love of music, not the love of cholesterol.”
5. More like #Tkay4Hottest100
“Tkay Maidza made it into the list at #100. Imagine if that didn’t happen because a joke Buzzfeed campaign got a song that triple j never played onto the list instead.”
6. 13,511 more reasons
“Taylor Swift got played on triple j a total of 0 times in 2014… Luckily other Australian radio stations picked up the slack and played Shake It Off 13,511 times…”
7. I’m number one, so why try harder?
“Shake It Off didn’t get nearly enough votes to be at the top of the Hottest 100. Had the campaign not been invalid, the Buzzfeed clickbait-fest would have trolled enough votes to be number 12…”
8. We ain’t even mad
“To be clear, triple j doesn’t have beef with Taylor Swift. She’s smart, she’s cool, she’s successful, and she has great taste in BFFs.”
Read the full listicle at triplejfeed.com
Gallery: Triple j Hottest 100 of 2014 Frontrunners
8 Hilarious But Totally True Reasons You Won’t Hear “Shake It Off” In The #Hottest100 #TkayForHottest100 http://t.co/CIVyF23fRh
— triple j (@triplej) January 26, 2015
Hottest 100 Frontrunners
-
Internationals2
Surprisingly, there's only a few international acts who have a solid shot of making the top 20... -
100 Future Islands
Future Islands - Future Islands have topped many best of lists worldwide with their joyful hit 'Seasons (Waiting On You)' and was the second most played song on triple j in 2014, signalling a good chance for the Baltimore act to place high in the poll. -
100 Asgeir
Asgeir - This sweet-sounding Icelandic singer made his rounds during the recent summer festival season, touring his debut album. According to social media data, the 2014 single 'King & Cross' is performing strongly. -
100 Ronson
Mark Ronson - A late entry and a real threat to the frontrunners, Mark Ronson & Bruno Mars’ funky hit 'Uptown Funk' should storm up the chart to take a strong position. -
100 Milky Chance
Milky Chance - This German duo stole Australian hearts with their sleepy track 'Stolen Dance', taken from their debut album, which has strong odds to crack the top ten. If nothing else, it’s a good track for synchronised festival dancing. -
100 Glass Animals
Glass Animals - These English indie rockers made quite an impact with Australian audiences in 2014 with their debut album 'Zaba'. They might face the vote-splitting curse too though across a couple of tracks including 'Gooey', 'Pools' and their Like A Version cover of Kanye West’s 'Love Lockdown'. -
Zhu
ZHU - The enigmatic Listen Out standout act ZHU is in a strong position to crack the Hottest 100 top 20 with 'Faded', which enjoyed ample triple j airplay. -
Run The Jewels
Run The Jewels - Their second album is getting a lot of love internationally, along with substantial triple j airplay. El-P and Killer Mike’s epic Zack De La Rocha-featuring track 'Close Your Eyes (And Count To Fuck)' is a favourite to make the poll. -
100 Alt J
alt-j - These guys are another contender that might see their votes split across various tracks from 2014’s ‘This Is All Yours’. ‘Every Other Freckle’ looks likely to land high on the list, but votes could also go to 'Left Hand Free' and the Miley Cyrus-sampling 'Hunger Of The Pine'. -
La Et Shake It Off Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift - triple j have now officially excluded Taylor Swift from this year's countdown. More info on the front page of our site. -
Aussies2
Australian acts have done very well this year, making up 18 of the top 100 selling singles this year. Here's who's in with a chance at the Hottest 100 top 20... -
100 Sticky Fingers
Sticky Fingers - If they’re selling out tours they haven’t even had a chance to announce, it’s fair to assume the voting public are pretty chuffed with what Sticky Fingers have to offer. 2014’s 'Land of Pleasure' track 'Gold Snafu' is a fan favourite. -
100 The Griswolds
The Griswolds - Behind Taylor Swift, The Griswolds’ 2014 song 'Beware The Dog' is the most talked about track on social media in relation to the Hottest 100, signalling potential votes. They’re in for a shot at the top ten according to bookies too. -
100 Vance Joy
Vance Joy - He won the Hottest 100 last year with 'Rip Tide' and will probably poll highly again with his 2014 love song 'Mess Is Mine', taken from his debut studio album 'Dream Your Life Away'. -
001- chet faker
Chet Faker - His 2014 debut album 'Built on Glass' spawned many loved tracks, which may just work against his chances in scoring top place if the votes are split. 'Talk Is Cheap' is still high up there with a chance for the top stop according to bookies. Faker’s tracks '1998' and 'Gold' are also expected to chart well, within the top 20. -
100 Hilltop Hoods
Hilltop Hoods - They might have “the most unfortunately named song of 2014” but the chances of 'Cosby Sweater' finishing high on the Hottest 100 poll remain very good. Anyone who caught their epic, guest-filled rendition at Beat The Drum last week will surely agree. -
100 Illy
Illy - Illy should make a showing with his 2014 ear worm single 'Tightrope', (Ft. Scarlett Stevens). -
100 Peking Duk
Peking Duk - These guys are still the front runners to take the top spot with their track 'High' (Ft. Nicole Millar). Not only was it the most played song on triple j in 2014, it’s also the bookies favourite and the song predicted to take first place based on social media votes. -
100 Sia
Sia - She’s winning both national and international awards for her 2014 single 'Chandelier', no doubt helped along by its music video, and Sia’s in for a chance to score high in the triple j poll. Perhaps those enamoured by her evocative 'Elastic Heart' video may even throw some votes that way. -
Amity Affliction
Amity Affliction - Despite splitting with guitarist Troy Brady in 2014, it was still a good year for The Amity Affliction. Their track 'Pittsburgh' cracked the ARIA top 40 and looks likely to score well in the Hottest 100. -
Art Vs Science
Art Vs. Science - Aussie electro-house trio Art Vs. Science’s 2014 single 'Create / Destroy' was tied as the second most played song on triple j in 2014 and got a lot of love from listeners. Hopefully that translates into votes. -
Flight Fac
Flight Facilities - 2014 was a big year for Flight Facilities, who took on national and world tour amidst dropping their debut studio, which featured a bunch of surprise collaborations. Their sunny track 'Sunshine' feat. Reggie Watts is a favourite. -
The Presets
The Presets - Australian mainstays The Presets had the fourth most played track on triple j in 2014 with 'Goodbye Future'. That coupled with their set at Beat The Drum should bode well for their chances in a high Hottest 100 place.
