Chart Attack (stylized as CHARTattack) was a Canadian online music publication. Formerly a monthly print magazine, it was called Chart and published from 1991 to 2009.Chart goes paperless , eye weekly, January 15, 2009. Online content ceased to be updated sometime between mid 2017 to 2019, after which owner Channel Zero laid off the site's staff. The site's content is no longer available live online, the domain has been taken over by a usurping commercial website unrelated to music. Much of the old content is still available as web archives at the Wayback Machine.
History and profile Launched in 1991 as National Chart, the magazine was started by York University students Edward Skira and Nada Laskovski as a tipsheet and airplay chart for campus radio stations in Canada.(June 3, 2000). "Charting a success story: From eight-page newsletter to 70-page glossy, Chart has grown along with the decade's music", Toronto Star, p. M2.Flynn, Andrew (May 14, 2000). "Chart magazine makes it 10: Little publication grew strong by focussing on Canuck music", Canadian Press. Reprinted in The Daily News, p. 29. The magazine soon grew to include interviews, CD reviews and other features. National Chart was considered an internal publication for the National Campus and Community Radio Association, Canada's association of campus radio stations, and was not available as a newsstand title.
When Skira and Laskovski graduated, they incorporated Chart as an independent magazine, and began to pursue national newsstand distribution. Although it was no longer an NCRA publication, many campus radio stations continued to file airplay reports for the magazine's Top 50 chart even though its status as the official NCRA chart was transferred to the new publication !earshot.
The magazine's primary focus was Canadian alternative rock and indie rock, although they profiled important international acts, and rap and pop music acts as well. At its peak, the magazine had a press run of 40,000 copies per issue, making it the largest paid circulation music magazine in Canada in its era.
The magazine ceased publishing a print edition in 2009, continuing as a web-only publication. The website briefly suspended publication in summer 2011, but its acquisition by andPOP, a Canadian entertainment news website, was announced on November 1, 2011.. MediaCaster, November 1, 2011. In 2013, andPop was in turn acquired by Channel Zero."Channel Zero Acquires Controlling Interest in ANDPOP" . Broadcaster, June 11, 2013.
The site laid off its staff in 2017."Canadian music site Chart Attack goes on hiatus" NOW Toronto, February 6, 2017.
Reader polls In 1996, 2000 and 2005, the magazine conducted polls of readers, musicians and music industry professionals to determine the 50 best Canadian albums and songs of all time. There were 25 albums and 18 songs which ranked in the top 50 in all three polls.
Top 50 albums Rank 1996 2000 2005 1 Sloan, Twice Removed Joni Mitchell, Blue Sloan, Twice Removed 2 Neil Young, Harvest Neil Young, Harvest Neil Young, Harvest 3 Joni Mitchell, Blue Sloan, Twice Removed Joni Mitchell, Blue 4 The Tragically Hip, Up to Here Rheostatics, Whale Music Broken Social Scene, You Forgot It in People 5 Rheostatics, Whale Music Rheostatics, Melville Neil Young, After the Gold Rush 6 The Tragically Hip, Fully Completely The Lowest of the Low, Shakespeare My Butt The Weakerthans, Left and Leaving 7 Neil Young, After the Gold Rush Sarah McLachlan, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy The Lowest of the Low, Shakespeare My Butt 8 The Band, Music from Big Pink Rush, Moving Pictures The Tragically Hip, Fully Completely 9 Cowboy Junkies, The Trinity Session Sloan, One Chord to Another The Band, The Band 10 The Lowest of the Low, Shakespeare My Butt The Tragically Hip, Fully Completely Rheostatics, Whale Music 11 Sarah McLachlan, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy The Band, The Band k-os, Joyful Rebellion 12 Neil Young, Rust Never Sleeps Neil Young, After the Gold Rush The New Pornographers, Mass Romantic 13 k. d. lang, Ingenue The Tragically Hip, Day for Night Sloan, One Chord to Another 14 Neil Young, Tonight's the Night Mary Margaret O'Hara, Miss America The Band, Music from Big Pink 15 Rush, Moving Pictures Daniel Lanois, Acadie Rush, 2112 16 Rheostatics, Melville Neil Young, Rust Never Sleeps Sloan, Smeared 17 Slow, Against the Glass Change of Heart, Smile Arcade Fire, Funeral 18 Sloan, Smeared Matthew Good Band, Underdogs Rush, Moving Pictures 19 Leonard Cohen, I'm Your Man The Tragically Hip, Road Apples Sarah McLachlan, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy 20 Nomeansno, Wrong The Band, Music from Big Pink Leonard Cohen, Songs of Love and Hate 21 Teenage Head, Frantic City Sloan, Smeared The Tragically Hip, Day for Night 22 The Band, The Band The Tragically Hip, Up to Here Blue Rodeo, Five Days in July 23 Neil Young, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere Joni Mitchell, Court and Spark Hayden, Everything I Long For 24 Sarah McLachlan, Solace Neil Young, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere Neil Young, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere 25 Mary Margaret O'Hara, Miss America Rush, 2112 Metric, Old World Underground, Where Are You Now? 26 Sons of Freedom, Sons of Freedom Neil Young, Tonight's the Night Eric's Trip, Love Tara 27 Blue Rodeo, Outskirts The Grapes of Wrath, Now and Again Constantines, Shine a Light 28 Doughboys, Whatever Rufus Wainwright, Rufus Wainwright The Guess Who, American Woman 29 Daniel Lanois, Acadie Blue Rodeo, Five Days in July Neil Young, Rust Never Sleeps 30 The Inbreds, Kombinator Alanis Morissette, Jagged Little Pill Constantines, Constantines 31 Hayden, Everything I Long For Daniel Lanois, For the Beauty of Wynona Thrush Hermit, Clayton Park 32 The Pursuit of Happiness, Love Junk Leonard Cohen, Songs of Leonard Cohen The Tragically Hip, Up to Here 33 The Guess Who, American Woman Sloan, Navy Blues The Super Friendz, Mock Up, Scale Down 34 Blue Rodeo, Five Days in July The Guess Who, American Woman Nomeansno, Wrong 35 Eric's Trip, Love Tara Bran Van 3000, Glee Sarah Harmer, You Were Here 36 Skinny Puppy, Bites Cowboy Junkies, The Trinity Session Blue Rodeo, Outskirts 37 The Tragically Hip, Day for Night Eric's Trip, Love Tara Sam Roberts, We Were Born in a Flame 38 Nomeansno, Sex Mad Barenaked Ladies, Gordon Billy Talent, Billy Talent 39 Spirit of the West, Save This House I Mother Earth, Dig Neil Young, Tonight's the Night 40 54-40, 54-40 Sianspheric, Somnium Bryan Adams, Reckless 41 Change of Heart, Smile 54-40, 54-40 Sloan, Navy Blues 42 Art Bergmann, Sexual Roulette Moist, Silver Leonard Cohen, Songs of Leonard Cohen 43 Rush, 2112 Nomeansno, Wrong Feist, Let It Die 44 Joni Mitchell, Court and Spark Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Slow Riot for New Zero Kanada Rheostatics, Melville 45 Leonard Cohen, Songs of Leonard Cohen Our Lady Peace, Clumsy Rufus Wainwright, Rufus Wainwright 46 Teenage Head, Teenage Head Godspeed You Black Emperor!, F♯ A♯ ∞ Cowboy Junkies, The Trinity Session 47 The Grapes of Wrath, Now and Again Bryan Adams, Reckless Alanis Morissette, Jagged Little Pill 48 Simply Saucer, Cyborgs Revisited Blue Rodeo, Outskirts Death from Above 1979, You're a Woman, I'm a Machine 49 The Tragically Hip, Road Apples Sarah McLachlan, Surfacing Our Lady Peace, Clumsy 50 13 Engines, Perpetual Motion Machine Blue Rodeo, Casino Matthew Good Band, Beautiful Midnight
Top 50 songs