While many were happy (or somewhat apathetic) to hear that triple j were taking feedback on board and deciding to change the date of the Hottest 100, others, such as Triple M, have decided that this is an affront to all Australians and that something just has to be done.

Last month it was announced that, after years of discussion on the topic, triple j were going to change the date of their famous Hottest 100 countdown. After consulting with Australia’s Indigenous community and others who may take issue with the Hottest 100 being held on Australia Day, it was announced that the poll would now occur on the fourth weekend in January.

Despite the government’s vehement opposition towards the change, many have accepted this new decision with open arms. However, there’s still a small proportion of the Australian population who seem to have taken this decision to be an attack on Australian music itself.

Despite a somewhat contentious relationship with triple j in the past (which once resulted in the word “elitist” being flung towards the broadcaster), Triple M have today taken aim at the station’s “hipster” listenership and announced their own ‘Ozzest 100’, as The Music reports.

In an email sent out to Triple M subscribers today, the station stated their intentions of creating their own Australian countdown of songs to apparently fill the gap now left by the relocation of the Hottest 100.

“So, the taxpayer funded FM has decided that there’ll be no soundtrack for Australia Day. Let’s face it, that’s usually full of hipsters or kids making music on a Mac,” the email read.

“At Triple M, we’re going to give you what you’ve asked for. The perfect Australia Day soundtrack,” it continued.

“We want ‘Triple M’s Ozzest 100’ to include all the songs that define Australian music. That’s why we need your help to build it! Tell us about your favourite Aussie songs. We don’t care about a Top 40 chart position. who wrote it, or even awards. it’s just got to be Aussie.”

Image courtesy of The Music

The station outlined that listeners have the opportunity to send through their top three songs by December 31st so that they can be tallied up for their own version of the countdown on January 26th.

Of course, this isn’t the first time that Triple M have asked listeners to submit songs for a countdown, with numerous polls (all of which usually involve Cold Chisel’s ‘Khe Sanh’ ranking somewhere in the top two) occurring over the years. However, this time their new poll just seems like a cheap shot at a rival station.

Plenty of Twitter users were quick to jump in to disparage Triple M’s decision, with many agreeing that the station’s seemingly opportunistic choice to jump on January 26th is in poor taste.

While bands such as Midnight Oil, AC/DC, and Hunters & Collectors haven’t made a Hottest 100 since the ’90s, you can be sure that they’re going to make it into the ‘Ozzest 100’. If you haven’t had your chance to vote in triple j’s Hottest 100 yet, be sure to check out our voting guide and have your say in the biggest musical democracy in not only Australia, but the world.

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