Did not including the sales of downloads in 2004 and early 2005 cause songs to miss out on the #1 spot, or for runs at #1 to be shorter?

 

Take U2's 'Vertigo' - 1 week at #1 on the singles chart but ages at #1 on the download charts. And was 'Galvanise' by the Chemical Brothers actually #1 with downloads?

 

I guess sales for a download #1 in 04/05 must have been low - less than 10k? 5k? - but given the low sales overall there must have been some close weeks.

 

Also - were legal download sales recognised as part of overall sales figures? Take 'Vertigo' again - IIRC it only sold about 150k at the time. Even if it only sold 2k downloads a week as download #1, that's 20k or so sales. Would be interesting to know this - and about other big songs that sold well on downloads too - Gwen's WYWF?, for example.

It's my belief that ALL download sales from 2004 onwards count towards a "singles" total however they didn't count towards a chart placing until April 2005 (when they were integrated)

I think The Pixies were the first download chart #1? But that never charted at all. Neither did Mouldie Lookin Stain's 'Dogs Don't Kill People, Wabbits Do'. So they'd have probably both gone at least top 40 if downloads counted in the main chart at the time.

Looking back, I REALLY don't understand the rationale behind downloads ever not being included in chart totals.

Looking back, I REALLY don't understand the rationale behind downloads ever not being included in chart totals.

 

Most likely something to do with price - if cheap CDs didn't count, why should downloads? Or something. But I don't get why cheap CDs couldn't either, so :lol:

I think the OCC had to be satisfied that I-tunes etc had accurate ways of counting the sales. Also the OCC bowed to pressure by the record shops as was, re: them having stock to put in their shops- it would be odd if half the top 40 in HMV for example was empty due to only being available on downloads (which is why downloads to the single being available in physical form). That the was the argument at the beginning before the slide of the physical made the argument non- sensical.

 

 

Incidentally the first No 1 on the download chart was Westlife with a live version of "Flying Without Wings" which they released specifically to be the first No 1 and add that to their "historic achievements"

Incidentally the first No 1 on the download chart was Westlife with a live version of "Flying Without Wings" which they released specifically to be the first No 1 and add that to their "historic achievements"

 

What was 'Bam Thwok' by The Pixies then? I know that was the first something to do with downloads :unsure:

Download sales were EXTREMELY low when they first started counting towards the chart. I remember they first started getting included in April 2005, and I remember that, like the week before, they released some figures which showed the #1 download of the year so far (I *think* it was a Stereophonics song) had only sold 8k. Over that whole 3 months. So they never would've affected the outcome of any #1 before they started getting included.

What was 'Bam Thwok' by The Pixies then? I know that was the first something to do with downloads :unsure:

The first song with Thwok in the title to be downloaded?

Download sales were EXTREMELY low when they first started counting towards the chart. I remember they first started getting included in April 2005, and I remember that, like the week before, they released some figures which showed the #1 download of the year so far (I *think* it was a Stereophonics song) had only sold 8k. Over that whole 3 months. So they never would've affected the outcome of any #1 before they started getting included.

 

But back in 2005 20,000 could have been enough to get you a number one so they could have actually.

What was 'Bam Thwok' by The Pixies then? I know that was the first something to do with downloads :unsure:

 

That was the first ever download #1 (test charts were run before it was made official), however the chart wasn't official until 9 weeks later and Westlife fans blighted the history books forever with the frankly dire "Flying Without Wings" becoming the first download chart number 1. Thankfully it did beat the number 2 - " Blazin' Day" by Blazin' Squad.