Seems a little hypocritical that signed CD singles won’t count but albums still will. What’s the difference?

 

Probably that it’s more likely people will play an album/buy it for the music too rather than the singles which are clearly just selling a signature.

Seems a little hypocritical that signed CD singles won’t count but albums still will. What’s the difference?

Single sales (at the top of the chart) are quite healthy, whereas album sales have been declining.

Edited August 23, 20231 yr by Voodoo

What an absolutely idiotic ruling re: signed CD singles. Do the OCC have any idea what they're doing, when they're the ones who were trumpeting it's revival just shy of two years ago (https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/cd-single-sales-surge-in-the-uk-as-ed-sheeran-abba-coldplay-and-more-return-to-the-format__34089) and are basically killing off the incentive to do them stone dead?

 

Why should other artists who were doing them - Leigh-Anne for one, Craig David for another as he did one for "Who You Are" with MNEK - suffer just because of Lewis Capaldi? It's just not fair.

It does seem like a ridiculous rule tbh. What a weird decision!

the rationale doesn't make much sense, I mean, why signed is ok for albums but not for singles?

I totally see how this is to avoid another Pointless situation

but it's not like Pointless only sold cos it was signed, think it had a lot to do with being 99p and free shipping

if they wanted to avoid another Pointless, they could have set a minimum price a bit higher instead

 

don't think it's the end of the physical single either.... Billie did very well with unsigned cassettes that sold out super fast

and sold 7K so not bad...

Time to ban all physicals unless environmentally friendly in my opinion

That's such a bad rule!

 

I guess Demi's signed CDs of REVAMPED won't be chart eligible now then :(

That's such a bad rule!

 

I guess Demi's signed CDs of REVAMPED won't be chart eligible now then :(

Signed albums are still eligible!

the rationale doesn't make much sense, I mean, why signed is ok for albums but not for singles?

I totally see how this is to avoid another Pointless situation

but it's not like Pointless only sold cos it was signed, think it had a lot to do with being 99p and free shipping

if they wanted to avoid another Pointless, they could have set a minimum price a bit higher instead

 

don't think it's the end of the physical single either.... Billie did very well with unsigned cassettes that sold out super fast

and sold 7K so not bad...

 

I expect record labels have complained to ERA or OCC about it. It would have been bad for the industry to apply the rule to albums as well, because they are profitable. They're selling the singles at a loss specifically to hype a single to #1 so that's the difference.

 

Maybe they could've set a minimum price, but I believe the price rules are based on dealer price? If they're being sold direct to consumer then there isn't a dealer price. Just a theory anyway!

I've obviously missed the origin of the whole cassette/casserole joke, was that an autocorrect gone wrong or something?

 

I believe Casserole was actually an autocorrect for Cassandra Jenkins. I remember seeing Casserole Jenkins - Hard Drive posted a lot a few years ago. How it moved across to cassettes was probably just a tongue in cheek comment as it's a music related word starting with "cass..."

Was not aware of this album rule.

 

4.4 Remix and Live Albums

Transactions of remix or live albums will not be combined with sales of the original studio version.

 

This is an interesting album rule

9.3 Where a track appears on more than one album by an artist, streams of this track will be attributed equally to each studio album that has not charted in the top 40, a maximum of one studio album that has charted in the top 40 (the album to first chart in the top 40, or other studio album nominated in advance by label), and a maximum of one greatest hits album (the hits title with the highest sales DUS for that given week, or other hits title nominated in advance by label).

 

And the track itself gets the streams for the singles chart? Is that 4 different ways of attributing streams?

but not sure if I understand, when does a song appear in 2 different studio albums, one uncharted and one charted? makes no sense to me

Yeah allowing double counting but only when albums that don't have a top 40 peak are involved is strange! Just allow the first studio album and nothing else, that's all that's needed to stop Years & Years-esque situations with old hits on a new album, or Mabel adding the hits from mixtape Ivy to Roses onto her High Expectations album.

I just realised they also introduced a new rule:

A track older than 3 years can automatically reset to SCR if that track has not charted in the Top 100 Official

Singles Chart within the past 3 years (excluding any track with a Christmas genre) and if its streams total

increases by 25 percentage points greater than the streaming market change week on week

 

This is a great rule change.

 

Although the Christmas thing, would that mark the first time ever that the OCC has had different rules for different types of song?

It might just mean CD singles being 99p with free postage becomes the standard. I've never really understood the value of signed CDs other than ones signed in person.

Raye and Mabel did personalised ones for their fans which I guess is an incentive rather than just a cheap signature

This is a great rule change.

 

Although the Christmas thing, would that mark the first time ever that the OCC has had different rules for different types of song?

 

To be fair though pretty much every Xmas track older than 3 years (that would usually chart) will have charted within the top 100 within the past 3 years so nothing would be applicable anyway.

I don't think the rule change will make much difference. Recent weeks have proved that people that want to collect physical music will buy it if the price is right, regardless of there being a signature or not.

 

If artists were releasing a signed and unsigned variant, then I could see the issue (as the product is exactly the same, the signature would just be an incentive to buy another for die hard collectors...).

 

It's a tricky one, but I think sticking with the three physical variants allowed seems more sensible (where a signature etc counts as a variant) as there's no way of telling who listens to cassettes or CDs, and it helps keep the chart fresh for those willing to put out a physical product for their fans!

The Saturdays used to get their fans to send the cd covers to them and they would sign it and post it back.

Edited August 24, 20231 yr by kimberley88

This is a great rule change.

 

Although the Christmas thing, would that mark the first time ever that the OCC has had different rules for different types of song?

 

Yes I agree, I guess it was done in the wake of Running Up That Hill.

 

Although awkward if one of the omnipresent top 100 oldies like Everywhere or Mr Brightside ever gets a huge lift back into contention for the top 10 or whatever.

Yes I agree, I guess it was done in the wake of Running Up That Hill.

 

Although awkward if one of the omnipresent top 100 oldies like Everywhere or Mr Brightside ever gets a huge lift back into contention for the top 10 or whatever.

Anything over 3 years old has to have been absent from the top 100 from 3 years to get the reset, so unlikely any of the omnipresent ones get a reset!