Posted January 6, 200718 yr Shake-up set to boost charts By Mark Goodier The voice of UK charts for 10 years January 05, 2007 (from the-sun.co.uk) THIS Sunday, the UK Top 40 charts as we know and love them will go through one of the most significant changes in their 54-year history. From now on, any songs downloaded on a computer, as well as the ones that are bought in the shops, will be eligible for the No1 spot. Think about that for a minute. So instead of, say, 100 records competing to fill the Top 40, around 3million songs will be fighting for the coveted top spot. So alongside the likes of Westlife, Coldplay and Robbie Williams, you’ll have artists as diverse as Pink Floyd, Van Morrison and Elvis Presley all vying for the Top Ten It’s a great move that I hope will put the vibrancy and the magic back into the Top 40. New rules specify that for a song to be eligible for the charts it no longer has to be backed up by a physical single available in the shops. So essentially, the charts you tune into on a Sunday evening will be an absolute barometer of exactly what the nation is listening to, not what the record labels have decided to release. It’s a breath of fresh air as far as I am concerned. By the late Nineties, the record industry had all but killed off the music charts by engineering it to their own ends. They marketed and released records in such a way that they could predict exactly what was going to be in the Top 5. However, the punters got savvy and lost interest. The changes put the charts back in the hands of the punters. For example, if an advert comes on telly with a great soundtrack, like the great jeans commercials of the Eighties with the likes of Louis Armstrong and Jackie Wilson, then it’s likely those old tracks will go back into the charts. And if The Beatles back catalogue is made available digitally for download, you could have a Top 20 made up entirely of great Fab Four records. It also creates an opening for quirky and innovative records like White Town’s Your Woman in 1997, made by some bloke in his bedroom and picked up by radio. And if there is a big cultural event, for instance the death of a big star, then there’s every likelihood there will be a surge of downloads that will push them posthumously to No1. A band like the Towers Of London may suddenly enter the charts on the back of Donny Tourette being in Celebrity Big Brother. The downside is, of course, we could also see 2002s dreadful No3 DJ by H & Claire back in the charts for the same reason. The change will be gradual but some bands will benefit straight away. I have heard that Snow Patrol’s brilliant track Chasing Cars is going back in the Top 10 this week, despite the fact it was released last July. Over the coming months I think the changes will reignite the nation’s passion and change the face of the charts forever. The great British public love to be surprised, and that is something the old Top 40 used to do. I reckon the magic of listening to the Top 40 on a Sunday evening is back on track. Mark Goodier presented the Radio 1 Top 40 singles charts from 1991-2002. He now hosts shows on Radio 2 and Classic FM.
January 6, 200718 yr I miss Mark Goodier He's doing the Real Radio chart now (12-3pm Saturday) available on DAB radio. Was listening earlier, great show, not the proper chart but far better presentation.
January 6, 200718 yr He's doing the Real Radio chart now (12-3pm Saturday) available on DAB radio. Was listening earlier, great show, not the proper chart but far better presentation. I don't have a DAB digital radio, oh well
January 6, 200718 yr The argument, that including downloads in compiling the "singles" chart would block new talent because "the top 40 would be clogged up with non-budging old tunes" looks flawed - well to me at any rate! And from also reading an article in today's Guardian newspaper, opinion seems to be that downloads will help, not hinder breaking new talent. So there! to all you doubters and fans of physical only charts.
January 6, 200718 yr I remain to be delighted with the new rules. The starred out rule was not to my liking. Maneater and Crazy were still selling well when their weekly sales/ position dissappeared from the chart! Oh well, I look forward to their return!
January 6, 200718 yr Well... the chart will certainly look different, the most changes will be in the bottom half of the chart 51-200
January 6, 200718 yr Well... the chart will certainly look different, the most changes will be in the bottom half of the chart 51-200 I know, most songs aren't going to sell 4,000 in a week are they if they have been out for a couple of years, unless they are used on telly or the singer appears on Big Brother
January 6, 200718 yr i think th enew rules will make it harder to get to number 1,as singles / songs will be downloaded over alength of time and by the time some songs are released many will have downloaded it,first weel sales will be lower but overall sales will be far higher
January 6, 200718 yr Shake-up set to boost charts By Mark Goodier The voice of UK charts for 10 years January 05, 2007 (from the-sun.co.uk) By the late Nineties, the record industry had all but killed off the music charts by engineering it to their own ends. They marketed and released records in such a way that they could predict exactly what was going to be in the Top 5. However, the punters got savvy and lost interest. The changes put the charts back in the hands of the punters. I've highlighted to bit that for me is why I have no regrets about the inclusion of downloads in the first place and why I think the latest rules are fab. :yahoo:
January 6, 200718 yr By Reuters InformationWeek Fri Jan 5, 10:55 AM ET LONDON, Jan 5 - The British pop chart will undergo one of the biggest shake-ups since its inception 54 years ago on Sunday when any song downloaded from the Internet will be able to compete for the number one single spot. Full Story http://news.yahoo.com/s/cmp/20070106/tc_cmp/196801367
January 6, 200718 yr http://news.yahoo.com/s/cmp/20070106/tc_cmp/196801367 They got the lowest sales ever bit wrong :smoke: It was Elvis - One Night pre-downloads and Orson post-downloads :rolleyes:
January 6, 200718 yr :o DJ was a great song, really unique sounding :D I like the new chart rules, will make the charts so much more interesting. Mcfly are likely to flop even worse aswell :D
January 6, 200718 yr That article sums up my thoughts perfectly :D That's exactly what I think about the changes!
January 6, 200718 yr as far as I know Orson are the ones that have the lowest sales for reaching the #1, not Eric Prydz
January 6, 200718 yr Hail Mark Goodier! Good write up. Agreed, he should still be doing the UK chart show not tweedledum & tweedledee. He knows more about charts than those two put together. And i agree i think this is going to be a bright new future for the chart, no more disqualified & deleted singles.
January 6, 200718 yr Well, after all these weeks of discussions, I'm happy that in less than 24 hours we can see how the first chart will be shaped up :dance: It's true that this is a positive change, but I still fear this change will kill the physical Cd singles, little by little :( xox.
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