Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2017

Announcement date

In mid-2016, support grew for a campaign calling on Triple J to change the date of the Hottest 100. Calls were led by Indigenous Australian activists and supporters, many of whom regard Australia Day as "Invasion Day".^[15] Australian hip hop duo A.B. Original and their anti-Australia Day single "January 26" were instrumental in drawing support to the cause.^[16] Responding to the campaign in September 2016, Triple J established a review over whether the date of the Hottest 100 should be changed.^[17]

The review of the date continued into 2017, including consultation with Reconciliation Australia, the National Congress of Australia's First Peoples, and the National Australia Day Council, while 2016's Hottest 100 was held on Australia Day without change.^[18] In August 2017, Triple J launched a survey asking for public opinion on whether the date should be changed.^[19][20] Shortly after the survey began, former Triple J presenters Matt Okine and Kyran Wheatley came out in support of a date change.^[21][22]

On 27 November 2017, Triple J announced plans to move the Hottest 100 to the fourth weekend of January. This followed analysis led by Rebecca Huntley and Daniel Stone, of the aforementioned survey,^[23] which attracted 64,990 responses, indicating that 60% of listeners supported moving the date.^[24]

Reactions

The announcement was welcomed by many musicians and the Australian Greens.^[25] Within the Liberal Party, however, Communications Minister Mitch Fifield was reportedly "bewildered" by the choice, one that MP Alex Hawke described as "disappointing" and "pathetic".^[26] As the minister responsible for the government-funded Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), which Triple J is part of, Fifield wrote to the ABC's board of directors on 28 November asking them to return the Hottest 100 to Australia Day.^[27]

Some organisations offered alternatives to Triple J's Hottest 100 in response to the date change.^[12] These include nationwide rock radio station Triple M broadcasting an Ozzest 100 countdown of only Australian songs on 26 January,^[28] and Senator Cory Bernardi's Australian Conservatives publishing an AC100 playlist of Australian music on Spotify.^[29]

#101–#200 List

On 28 January 2018, Triple J broadcast the second 100 songs of the countdown.^[30][31]

Artists with multiple entries

Countries represented

Records

• The Smith Street Band came in at No. 21 for the second year in a row.
• The song "Blood" by The Middle East charted in the countdown for the second time after a cover by Gang of Youths featured at No. 41. The original version charted at No. 64 in 2009. "Electric Feel" by MGMT which came second in 2008, also charted for a second time, after Tash Sultana's cover came in at No. 78.
• Flume made his sixth consecutive appearance in the Hottest 100, having appeared in every annual countdown since 2012.
• Gang of Youths are the third artist to chart three times in the top 10 places after Powderfinger in 2003 and Chet Faker in 2014.
• Lorde's four tracks equals the record for the highest total number of entries from a female artist. She follows Lily Allen, Florence and the Machine and Kimbra, who achieved the same feat in 2006, 2009 and 2011 respectively.