The digital domination of the charts is being reflected by new rules that will allow download-only albums to be eligible for the Official UK Albums chart later this year.

 

The Official Chart Company announced the change in the chart rules, which come into effect in September, in a note sent to labels – and seen by Music Week – last week.

 

The memo stated that from August 30 (week 36) digital albums will be eligible for the Official UK Albums Charts “in their own right, with no requirement for sales to be combined with those of a chart-eligible physical format”.

 

It added, “All other existing chart rules relating to digital albums will continue to apply, including minimum PPD requirements.”

 

The move follows a similar revamp of the singles chart on January 1, 2007, when all digital sales became eligible for the weekly rundown irrespective of whether accompanied by a physical release.

 

That change led to a radical overhaul of the singles chart, which is now dominated by download sales.

 

The OCC did not wish to comment further on changes to the albums chart. However, it is understood that the move is intended more as a realignment of the two main charts, as well as a pre-emptive measure, rather than a radical makeover of the albums rundown.

 

At the moment very few albums are released without a physical product – although Demon Digital recently re-issued Al Green’s debut album Green Is Blues as a download-only 40th Anniversary Edition, complete with digital booklet.

 

However, this is expected to change, with sales of digital albums predicted to make up around 15% of total album sales by the end of the year, while physical sales continue to fall.

 

Source: MW

I thought they would have done this already!

But like the article said, very few albums don't have a physical format.

I dread the day albums go completely digital :/

This digital thing is becoming too much now. Okay singles is fine but Albums! :o

Edited July 27, 200915 yr by The Music Luva

The digital domination of the charts is being reflected by new rules that will allow download-only albums to be eligible for the Official UK Albums chart later this year.

 

The Official Chart Company announced the change in the chart rules, which come into effect in September, in a note sent to labels – and seen by Music Week – last week.

 

The memo stated that from August 30 (week 36) digital albums will be eligible for the Official UK Albums Charts “in their own right, with no requirement for sales to be combined with those of a chart-eligible physical format”.

 

About time!

 

I think it's a good idea, but the fact that they are doing it to try and get rid of physical albums is silly really, I much prefer being able to hold my album, even if I'm just going to upload it to my iPod

I think it's a good idea, but the fact that they are doing it to try and get rid of physical albums is silly really, I much prefer being able to hold my album, even if I'm just going to upload it to my iPod

 

I don't think it will kill CD albums - unlike CD singles, the market for them is stil very significant.

 

I wonder if it'll make a noticable difference to chart sales totals?

 

I don't think it will kill CD albums - unlike CD singles, the market for them is stil very significant.

 

I wonder if it'll make a noticable difference to chart sales totals?

I doubt it, as not many artists release d/l only albums, and most people prefer a physical copy

Edited July 27, 200915 yr by SecondTheoAround

The performance of the Michael Jackson material is strong evidence that people prefer physical albums. People downloaded individual songs almost from the moment his death was announced but waited for physical copies to be made available before buying the albums.

 

It seems a sensible move but I hope it doesn't lead to more download-only albums.

I doubt it, as not many artists release d/l only albums, and most people prefer a physical copy

 

Isn't this another chicken & egg scenario - maybe artists are put off releasing download-only albums *because* they weren't eligible to chart?

 

I agree that most people still prefer physical copies of albums, but that doesn't mean that non-physical album releases should be put at an inherent disadvantage.

 

On a side isssue, what is the highest weekly download total for any album so far? I don't think any have sold enough to go #1 without their physical sales too - but IIRC several have sold >10k/week?

I think it's a good idea, but the fact that they are doing it to try and get rid of physical albums is silly really, I much prefer being able to hold my album, even if I'm just going to upload it to my iPod

That's not true! In fact a bit of a silly statement.

 

A CD album don't have much profit anymore but still it is very popular. It was about time to open also for digital albums (better also for artists, record labels). OCC didn't do this to kill the CD album, that's totally stupid. In a digital world, where people like more and more to buy things on the internet (in fact I read somewhere that the UK has the biggest internet market in Europe), it was a bit late to introduce digital albums to the singles chart.

 

Not the OCC and the rules but the digital world and the internet kills the physical formats, which is also a bit of a stupid statement (from me) because the world, the demand and customs are changing. So it was actually obvious the CD will be an "old" format and will be replaced with something else (that happened to the old fashioned record LP and also to the cassettes).

 

BTW I do think to save and increase the album sales (and to save the album chart), the download sites should make the album songs album only tracks, that means those songs are just available if customers download the whole package (the whole album). Only songs could be downloaded separately that are actually released as singles.