I don't think I've ever done it, but I would admit, if I got news that there was 1 sale between the #1 (which I hated) and the #2 (which I loved) at 11:59 p.m. on Saturday night, I'd probabably rush and buy 2 copies of the #2. :lol:

I remember buying a song to keep Girls Aloud - Untouchable out of the top 10

I can't remember what song it was though

I remember buying a song to keep Girls Aloud - Untouchable out of the top 10

I can't remember what song it was though

 

That was a waste of money! The #10 was like 3k ahead that week.

Ive never tactically voted to bring a person down in the charts, but ive tactically voted to help get someone up in the charts...

I think the OCC have ways of breaking ties so no, it wouldn't happen, even if the top 2's sales were equal.

They do. I think one of them is to do with the percentage increase in sales although that wouldn't work if they were both new releases which sold zero copies the week before. Personally, I think they should ring me up and let me decide :D

Why would you tactically buy a song? That's beyond pathetic.

 

Although i never buy the Sugababes competition in their release week. That's more of a loon driven thing than tactically buying a record to attempt to manipulate the chart.

 

It's ridiculous. One person can not influence the chart of a country like the UK.

I think its pointless if you do it tbh

No, my view is what's one person going to achieve, ok, so if it's a campaign and lots of people are doing it I might, but a general week - no, not really worth it, I'm too into the music.

i bought the rage song like pretty much everyone else but that's it

I pity ANYONE who would feel the need to ever "tactically" buy a record and wholeheartedly affirm what Silas has already said.

I too, agree with Silas. And I also agree on the whole buying one of my favourite acts songs one week and no one elses until the week or two after. If Kelly Clarkson or Britney were releasing one week, I wouldn't buy anything else until the week after. (God forbid if they were both to release on the same day :drama:)

Why would you tactically buy a song? That's beyond pathetic.

 

Maybe, but I was merely asking the question, not judging motives. :)

 

It's ridiculous. One person can not influence the chart of a country like the UK.

 

That, I can't agree with.

 

By my reckoning, there were 16 occasions last year in the singles T40 where songs were divided by less than 5 copies, and one actual tie (27/2, #35 & #36).

By my reckoning, there were 16 occasions last year in the singles T40 where songs were divided by less than 5 copies, and one actual tie (27/2, #35 & #36).

 

I still remember one week in 2005, Mylo/Daniel Powter being tied at #4 and #5, and in the very same week the top two compilations sold the same amount of copies too, so indeed it does happen! In the former case, Mylo was placed above at #4 but I don't recall why, as it was falling whilst Daniel Powter was a non-mover...I guess Mylo fell less in sales that week percentage wise or something :unsure:

Never. I don't see the point of doing that. If that song beats that song. Yes that's great but it will probably knock off by another.

 

Common sense really.

I think Steve Miller Band - The Joker and Deee-Lite - Groove Is In The Heart were less than 16 copies apart? It was originally thought they were tied but it was later announced Steve Miller Band did actually win by a few copies.

 

I seem to recall there being a lot of fuss about the notion of '% increase' having been the deciding factor given they were tied in terms of the sample units they used to do the charts in these - and as the media pointed out, Dee-Lite being effectively punished for being no.4 the previous week when the Steve Miller Band were no.6.

 

Maybe I'm mis-remembering, but wasn't there a period afterwards where ties weren't seperated resulting in the occasional 'joint no.26's' or whatever in the early 90s?

 

Quite agree about the pointlessness of buying a record to try to change it's chart place, even though it be nice to see an artist you've supported do well in the charts. Personally, I'm very sad and buy all top 40 singles the week they enter the chart. Only record I couldn't bring myself to buy in the last few years was the 4'33" : what a rip off! Suddenly started having warm feelings towards Simon Cowell afterwards...!

Personally, I'm very sad and buy all top 40 singles the week they enter the chart. Only record I couldn't bring myself to buy in the last few years was the 4'33" : what a rip off! Suddenly started having warm feelings towards Simon Cowell afterwards...!

 

That must be very expensive over time...

The worst thing about the Kate Nash situation was that JK and Joel rang her up that week just to tell her 'sorry love, you're no.2 for a fifth week'.

*there

 

The sales weren't anywhere near exact back then, it's almost certain the gaps between them were more than 16.

 

But anyway, I think Steve Miller Band - The Joker and Deee-Lite - Groove Is In The Heart were less than 16 copies apart? It was originally thought they were tied but it was later announced Steve Miller Band did actually win by a few copies.

The Joker sold 8 copies more than Groove Is In The Heart but both had the same chart panel sales due to the rounding up or down of fractional sales which the sampling process produced. Back then the charts didn't show total market sales for titles but rather showed sales as if they had taken place in 250 stores. It was a historical thing which dated back to 1969 when the chart panel really was just 250 stores. By 1990 the chart panel was a lot bigger but to keep a consistency sales were whittled down to show sales in a theoretical 250 stores and the fractions that this produced were rounded either up or down to the nearest whole number. It was this chart panel sales figure that was equal due to rounding but the raw figure showed that The Joker sold 0.5 copies more (I think the actual chart panel sales were 2585.2 for The Joker and 2584.7 for Groove Is In The Heart). Total market sales were worked out by multiplying the chart panel figure by 17 (the theoretical chart panel of 250 stores was one seventeeth of the size of the UK record market) and 0.5 x 17 is 8.5 which rounded down to 8 copies. Multiplying the two chart panel sales by 17 gives a sales total of 43,948 for The Joker and 43,940 for Groove Is In The Heart.

 

As you can guess, it wasn't the most reliable way of calculating sales but since 1997 the UK chart now calculates overall sales rather than chart panel sales and the current sampling method produces fractional sales to 10 decimal places which should make tie breaks unnecessary though there must still be some way of deciding how to place two tracks that have the same sales - two of the Beatles songs that charted in the lower half of the top 200 a few months ago had the exact same sale and were both only sold through iTunes. I don't know how they decided which song was placed higher as neither track had any sales in the previous week to do the ultimate tie break of placing the song with the faster rising or slower falling sales in the higher position.

Edited January 29, 201114 yr by Robbie

The Joker sold 8 copies more than Groove Is In The Heart but both had the same chart panel sales due to the rounding up or down of fractional sales which the sampling process produced. Back then the charts didn't show total market sales for titles but rather showed sales as if they had taken place in 250 stores. It was a historical thing which dated back to 1969 when the chart panel really was just 250 stores. By 1990 the chart panel was a lot bigger but to keep a consistency sales were whittled down to show sales in a theoretical 250 stores and the fractions that this produced were rounded either up or down to the nearest whole number. It was this chart panel sales figure that was equal due to rounding but the raw figure showed that The Joker sold 0.5 copies more (I think the actual chart panel sales were 2585.2 for The Joker and 2584.7 for Groove Is In The Heart). Total market sales were worked out by multiplying the chart panel figure by 17 (the theoretical chart panel of 250 stores was one seventeeth of the size of the UK record market) and 0.5 x 17 is 8.5 which rounded down to 8 copies. Multiplying the two chart panel sales by 17 gives a sales total of 43,948 for The Joker and 43,940 for Groove Is In The Heart.

 

As you can guess, it wasn't the most reliable way of calculating sales but since 1997 the UK chart now calculates overall sales rather than chart panel sales and the current sampling method produces fractional sales to 10 decimal places which should make tie breaks unnecessary though there must still be some way of deciding how to place two tracks that have the same sales - two of the Beatles songs that charted in the lower half of the top 200 a few months ago had the exact same sale and were both only sold through iTunes. I don't know how they decided which song was placed higher as neither track had any sales in the previous week to do the ultimate tie break of placing the song with the faster rising or slower falling sales in the higher position.

 

I was already aware of this, but thanks anyway :P

 

Weree the two Beatles songs ordered alphabetically? That'd be the logical next step for ordering...

That must be very expensive over time...

 

Less so than it used to be though, when CD singles were the only option! :P