Someone already mentioned this in another thread, but I agree with that idea, that the UK singles chart should be changed to a revenue chart. With this move it will be much easier to add instant grats (everyone of them and not just the first) and later the album's sales when the customer buys through "complete the album" option. Of course with this option an album costs less so it will add less than if someone buys the album without purchasing a single song earlier from it.

 

A big plus that paid streaming could be added and calculated easier than in a unit-based chart, also 59p tracks wouldn't count so heavily as in a units chart.

Also if someone buys a single with 4 tracks (not separately), it adds more to the song's success, rather than 1 unit as it is now, so it would be more balanced.

 

The German chart works like that and streaming is already added (paid streaming of course).

My eyes glaze over when I even see someone attempt to explain what they are/why some can and can't chart so I dislike them. #livinginthepast

I'm not sure what they are, but I hate all industry tricks.

I'm not sure I genuinely understand their essence.

Are they new songs that one only gets by pre-ordering the whole (yet unreleased) album?

 

In this case I dislike them.

They can be downloaded separately as well.

So what is the difference between them and regular singles?

So what is the difference between them and regular singles?

It has no promo, radio-support, video, remixes, it's just a buzz song for an upcoming album. It's like an album track.

Well, in this case I'm rather neutral towards them.

There are tones of singles that don't get any promotion, have no video or remixes as well.

Well, in this case I'm rather neutral towards them.

There are tones of singles that don't get any promotion, have no video or remixes as well.

I think you misunderstood, they are not meant to be singles, as they are not out as a single or on an EP, they are like album tracks.

 

Although you can download separetly the songs from the album (which is on pre-order, but the instant grats are available from the album), still they are a promotional tool. If you pre-order the album, you can get a song.

OK so if there's an unreleased album and you pre-order it, you automatically get that one song that was made available as an instant grat? What if there are several instant grat's available? Would you get them all when pre-ordering the album?

In this case, it's absolutely normal that these songs are excluded from the singles chart.

 

If, on the other hand, only the (instant grat) song is bought individually, I think it's fair enough to include it in the chart just like all the other album tracks. The difference between a single and an album track is getting thiner and thiner in digital era. I'd go even further and claim it got irrelevant these days.

 

OK so if there's an unreleased album and you pre-order it, you automatically get that one song that was made available as an instant grat? What if there are several instant grat's available? Would you get them all when pre-ordering the album?

In this case, it's absolutely normal that these songs are excluded from the singles chart.

 

If, on the other hand, only the (instant grat) song is bought individually, I think it's fair enough to include it in the chart just like all the other album tracks. The difference between a single and an album track is getting thiner and thiner in digital era. I'd go even further and claim it got irrelevant these days.

Yep that's a good explanation of it ;)

 

I think they cannot (or they don't want to) separate the sales between the individually bought and those that were bought through pre-ordering the album. That's why OCC changed the rule to allow the first instant grat song to be chart eligible, the other though aren't.

Yep that's a good explanation of it ;)

 

I think they cannot (or they don't want to) separate the sales between the individually bought and those that were bought through pre-ordering the album. That's why OCC changed the rule to allow the first instant grat song to be chart eligible, the other though aren't.

However the OCC also excluded the sale of the track from other download sites, even though these sale is not linked to any record industry promotion of the purchase of an album. That is not fair.

 

On an earlier point you made about having a revenue chart. That reminds of a joke that was on TV many decades ago about why are teenagers so interested in the amount of money pop stars make!

You might as well ask Pop Stars to provide their bank statements to make a chart up.

 

Actually the OCC already control the purchase price too much, particularly when it comes to the album chart, with many budget albums being excluded. In fact when the price was risen for one album, even though it was decades old, it became a new entry on the album chart - that was only just recently.

 

I don't mind them at all. I do dislike that the 2nd one onwards can't qualify for the chart though, the OCC shouldn't be able to invent rules like that around them and they should just do the fundamental part of their job and count the songs people are buying.

Oh and lol at myself for having a 1am mini rant at something chart related.

 

Le Dand Tragique.