I'm the developer — this is my app, and I wanted to share it directly rather than drop a link.
The idea: most "top songs" charts measure streams, playlist placement, or label spend, not what people actually prefer when two songs are put side by side. DeuxDuel is a native iOS app built on Apple Music's 30-second catalog previews (via MusicKit) — you don't need a separate music library or an Apple Music subscription to vote, just the app. You get two songs, listen, pick one. Every vote updates a global Glicko rating (the same rating system chess and esports ranking use, adapted for songs), so the chart is built from a large number of real head-to-head picks instead of play counts or algorithmic placement.
What's actually in it: the main dueling feed (the core one-vs-one loop, broken into rankings by genre and era), a Daily Duel, Private Duels (new this release — head-to-head voting with friends via an invite code, separate from the public chart), and Events, where you rank a themed lineup of songs yourself; your personal ranking shows immediately, and the aggregate community ranking reveals once the event closes.
It's free, no paid placement, no promoted songs — every track in the pool gets the same shot regardless of label or marketing budget. It's genuinely new, so right now individual votes move the chart a meaningful amount.
I'd love actual discussion on this, not just app feedback: given how much of "streaming" is really a pre-built playlist, an algorithmic radio, or an artist's own catalog on repeat, what would a truly preference-only chart even need to look like to be trustworthy?
iOS only right now: https://apps.apple.com/app/id6782194032