Question 1

What is the goal of ProgCharts?

Accepted Answer

Our primary goal here is to help you discover some great prog bands and music you may not have been familiar with.     The site provides several resources (Charts, Reviews, Playlists, Best Of lists, etc.) to browse through to help you quickly discover and sample the music of hundreds of prog artists.  (Direct links are provided to the two most popular music services, Spotify and Apple Music.)   You will find both classic and current prog bands here.  Our motto is to "Honor the past, spotlight the present, and inspire the future" of prog music.

Question 2

What does this site consider "Prog" music?"

Accepted Answer

Progressive (or "prog") rock is a broad genre of rock music that started developing in the United Kingdom and United States throughout the mid- to late 1960s. Initially termed "progressive pop", the style was an outgrowth of psychedelic bands who abandoned standard pop traditions in favor of instrumentation and compositional techniques more frequently associated with jazz, folk, or classical music. Additional elements contributed to its "progressive" label: lyrics were more poetic, technology was harnessed for new sounds, music approached the condition of "art", and the studio, rather than the stage, became the focus of musical activity, which often involved creating music for listening rather than dancing.   CHARACTERISTICS OF PROG MUSIC   Progressive ("prog") music can mean different things to different people, but most will agree it includes many, but not necessarily all, of the following characteristics:   - Unique time signatures
- Unique chord progressions
- Expert musicianship with an emphasis on instrumentation over lyrics and vocals - Classical/Symphonic influences and instrumentation
- Long songs (aka "epics")
- Experimental
- More instrumental moments to a song than traditional rock music
- Concept and thematic songs and albums
- Recurring themes and reprisals in the same song or album
- Large dynamic range within the same song (loud/quiet, hard/soft, fast/slow, electric/acoustic, etc.) - Non-traditional song structure as opposed to the typical verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus-out song structure. - Album focused vs "singles"

Question 3

How do you decide which bands to include or exclude in the Charts?

Accepted Answer

A band can be included if it is a traditionally-held classical prog band (King Crimson, Yes, Genesis, etc.) or is a old or new band that we feel at least some of their music is progressive in the traditional sense (see previous FAQ).     A band or artist does NOT need their entire body of work to be progressive to be included, so long as some of their catalog is considered prog.  For example, David Bowie, Todd Rundgren, 10cc, The Who, Genesis, Supertramp, etc., had important prog albums, but not all their output was progressive.

Question 4

How are the "scores" for the charts calculated?"

Accepted Answer

The charts here are NOT traditional charts based on fan voting, album sales, singles sales, radio play, or critic reviews, but rather, charts based on overall popularity and fan-base size FROM PROG FANS for each band or artist as tracked monthly through our proprietary algorithm.  For example, David Bowie is far more popular than Porcupine Tree among the general public, but among lovers of prog music, they are of similar popularity and will appear close to each other in score and in the charts.

Question 5

How often are the Chart rankings updated?

Accepted Answer

Because of the unique nature and more limited number of prog bands, the charts are updated only a few times each year, usually every month or two.  However, other content on the site such as album reviews, playlists, videos, etc., are updated almost daily.

Question 6

Can I suggest a band be added to, or removed from, the Charts?"

Accepted Answer

Absolutely!  Feel free to send us an email to let us know.  No promises we'll accept all suggestions, but we DO promise to read and consider each one carefully.

Question 7

How are the Prog VIPs determined?

Accepted Answer

The Prog VIPs on the site are NOT a "hall of fame" for those who historically have contributed to the development of prog.  That would be an entirely different list (Robert Fripp, Ian Anderson, Bill Bruford, etc.), and there are plenty of other sites online with those kinds of lists.   ProgCharts' VIP list is of CURRENT key musicians who we feel are helping keep prog alive TODAY (Neal Morse, Roine Stolt, John Mitchell, etc.).  These VIPs tend to emerse themselves in prog, often in several different bands.  Keep in mind that the goal of ProgCharts is to help people discover prog music and bands they may not be familiar with, including not just the classical, traditional prog music of the 60's and 70's, but current prog music being made today.  We feel these VIPs have proven very instrumental in the continuation of prog rock today.     This list is constantly growing, so if you feel we've missed someone, they could very well show up in the future.

Question 8

What if I find a broken link?

Accepted Answer

Please email us and let us know.  Thanks!

Your place to discover great prog bands!

Chart Key

Honoring the Past • Spotlighting the Present • Inspiring the Future