ben08

Another golden oldie certified this week. What were the original physical sales? Foundations - Build me up buttercup (Silver) 200,000 digital sales in 11 years.

Whereas OCC sales go back to 1994 the BPI commenced in 1973 based on sales levels at the time - 250,000 for silver. The OCC may rely on known sales data (e.g. Record company shipments, Alan Jones) and be able to combine sales (physical and digital). Just like they did with albums earlier this year.

As regards Simon and Garfunkel The Sound of Silence the BPI say, Re the Simon & Garfunkel query below – Alan Jones is right, it has passed 200k but that’s across several versions listed on the Official Charts database. As the certifications are automatically generated off the ‘main’ version (usually the one that has the most sales attributed to it, and is still definitely active) that’s why it hasn’t yet been allocated a Silver award – it’s not far off on that one however, so I think we’ll not have to wait long for it to go Silver anyway. So does that imply that sales of the same track from different albums are not combined, just the main version is used? Surely a modern computer should be able to total all versions? Alan Jones seems to be able to do that task. Perhaps they treat live versions differently. Spelling makes a difference! MICHAEL JACKSON - DON'T STOP 'TIL YOU GET ENOUGH Silver Certification (Single) 22 April 2016 SONY MUSIC (EPIC) Released 05 March 2006 MICHAEL JACKSON - DON'T STOP TILL YOU GET ENOUGH Silver Certification (Single) 01 October 1979 CBS (EPIC) Released 24 August 1979 I contacted BPI and got this reply. Thanks for the email re Michael Jackson and the below. We’ll be working on the awards database in the second half of the year and are hoping to put in place a system that, where possible, adds Official Charts-era sales onto previous certifications so they can be updated. Just like the album updates earlier this year! Expect DON'T STOP TILL YOU GET ENOUGH to be certified GOLD when combined.

The sound of silence - Simon & Garfunkel's biggest seller in the digital age, with 209,022 sales (including from streams). So why has it not been awarded a BPI Silver Disc?

To Brian Quinn. Is it really necessary to quote ALL the certifications if you only want to refer to one certificate? Surely it is easier (and more readable) to do this: Makes more sense to me.

The best-selling single of 2014 - ‘Happy’ by @pharrell has gone 4x Platinum. That's 2.4 million!

I got a free album a few weeks ago. I have not purchased one under this new discount. I checked today and I could still get a 75% discount. Maybe it is only available for certain customers - those who signed up for Google Play streaming.

You have to click on it and put it in the shopping basket. It is definently £1.50 for me. Try again. Good luck.

Can't find a thread for this topic. If you discover any special discount deals post them here. Up until 5 May selected albums on Google Play can be downloaded with an up to 75% discount. For example. The Beatles 1 can be downloaded for £2.50 instead of the usual £9.99 price. Yet iTunes still sell it for £11.99.

Ahead of this year's Record Store Day on April 16, Official Charts have revealed the biggest selling vinyl albums and singles of the year so far. It's looking like another big year for vinyl, as the surge in demand for the LP format continues to strengthen. The BPI reports that so far in 2016, LP sales are up 60% compared to the first three months of last year, at just under 640,000. The continued growth means vinyl sales are likely to top 3 million by the end of the year, compared to 2.1 million at the end of 2015, which marked a 21 year high for the format. The Official Top 20 biggest selling vinyl albums of 2016 so far are... 1 BLACKSTAR DAVID BOWIE 2 BACK TO BLACK AMY WINEHOUSE 3 I LIKE IT WHEN YOU SLEEP FOR YOU ARE SO 1975 4 25 ADELE 5 THE STONE ROSES STONE ROSES 6 NOTHING HAS CHANGED - THE VERY BEST OF DAVID BOWIE 7 GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY - AWESOME MIX 1 ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK 8 THE RISE AND FALL OF ZIGGY STARDUST DAVID BOWIE 9 LEGEND BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS 10 RUMOURS FLEETWOOD MAC 11 HUNKY DORY DAVID BOWIE 12 SAINT CECILIA FOO FIGHTERS 13 IF I CAN DREAM ELVIS PRESLEY 14 NEVERMIND NIRVANA 15 AM ARCTIC MONKEYS 16 SGT PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND BEATLES 17 PULP FICTION ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK 18 UNPLUGGED IN NEW YORK NIRVANA 19 A HEAD FULL OF DREAMS COLDPLAY 20 X ED SHEERAN

Boosted by last night's Liverpool football win and the 27th anniversary of the Hillsborough tragedy, 187 Gerry & The Pacemakers - You'll Never Walk Alone 923 Gerry & The Pacemakers - You'll Never Walk Alone

357 The Sweet - Ballroom Blitz 521 The Sweet - The Ballroom Blitz 1051 The Sweet - Ballroom Blitz and 316 Gerry & The Pacemakers - You'll Never Walk Alone 1098 Gerry & The Pacemakers - You'll Never Walk Alone

Making steady progress (due to Sky Arts HD Liverpool documentary). 315 Gerry & The Pacemakers You'll Never Walk Alone

Some golden oldies on iTunes today. All trickle sellers. 329 The Sweet - Ballroom Blitz 590 Gerry & The Pacemakers - You'll Never Walk Alone 609 Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up

That was due to Easter holidays obviously. Digital edition is available on Tuesday.

Front page of this week's Music Week magazine.

Guinness Book of Rock Stars gave 776,000. Plus 214,000 gives 990,000. However I was informed in February by the OCC that it was just over 3,000 short of the million mark. Maybe 7,000 catalogue sales between end of 60s decade and 2005 when it was released digitally. Or maybe OCC used an EMI figure or an Alan Jones estimate?

OCC said its sales were 1.12m by October 2015. If physical sales were 900,000 (or less) then that would be 220,000 digital sales. That is impossible as it would have a BPI Silver award. I have seen physical sales as high as 940,000 - by Chartfacts on HAVEN. (as below) Hey Jude (released 26th August 1968) 850,000 or 930,000 to 940,000 Shipment figures are as follows: 04-09-1968 250,000; 27-09-1968 558,535; 30-11-1968 700,000; 31-12-1968 800,000 [The Long And Winding Road] and [Coryton/Murrells]. The 1976 re-issue reached number 12. [The Rock Lists Album] top 100 of the sixties has Hey Jude at number 24. Sales are estimated at around 820,000. Hey Jude is at number 38 in the [Radio 1 20th Birthday Top 100], which corresponds with sales of 930,000 to 940,000. On its 20th anniversary re-issue in 1988, it got to number 52 and sold around 5,000. In [40 Years Of NME Charts Top 100] Hey Jude is at number 75 with sales of around 850,000. The OCC and Alan Jones must have different estimates for physical sales.

Some Beatles sales figures in this week's Music Week, by Alan Jones. In May 2012 OCC gave a figure of 1.06m for Hey Jude. In June 2013 Hey Jude sales were 1.08m. In October 2015 Hey Jude sales were given as 1.12m. So why are sales now only at 1.038m?? If original sales were 900,000 then Hey Jude has 138,000 downloads in 5.25 years (an average of 500 per week). But Gerry has 214,000 downloads. Interesting that 15 Beatles songs have sold upwards of 500,000 (I suppose that means more than). So either Paperback Writer or Yellow Submarine sales are less than half a million.

Beatles 1 now up to no. 14 on iTunes and In my life at no. 188 following death of Sir George Martin.

Here's a golden oldie from the past. 502 Gerry & The Pacemakers You'll Never Walk Alone Must be close to the million mark by now.

VARIOUS ARTISTS - THE SOLID SILVER 60S - GREATEST HITS Silver Certification (Album) 19 February 2016 UNIVERSAL/WARNER (UMTV/WARNER MUSIC TV) Released 11 September 2015 Certification History: Silver Certification 22 July 2013 This is obviously wrong - You can't get a Silver certification in 2013 and another one in 2016. There are two different albums with the same title. Surely BPI could distinguish them by their catalogue numbers?

How does it work? * The Official Trending Chart will rank all tracks which are climbing the Official Singles Chart since the previous week’s chart, ranking the tracks in order of sales / audio streams (100 streams being equivalent to 1 sale). * It will be based on data collected for Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday and published on Tuesday, three days before the Official Singles Chart is unveiled on a Friday. * The chart will limit each artist to just two tracks each – to prevent the chart from being dominated by multiple tracks from a brand new superstar artist’s album. * It will only count “new” tracks – in other words, tracks which have never been Top 10, which have been released within the past 24 months, and have 52 chart weeks or fewer to their name.

Do BPI add on Music Club sales (mainly for the 1990s) to ALL album figures?

^ Depends whether sales of Thriller 25 were added on. MICHAEL JACKSON - THRILLER 25 Platinum Certification (Album) 14 August 2009 SONY MUSIC (EPIC) Released 11 February 2008 Maybe they were confused by the various Dirty Dancing albums. I know I am. :rolleyes: VARIOUS ARTISTS - ULTIMATE DIRTY DANCING 2 x Platinum Certification (Album) 15 March 2004 ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK - MORE DIRTY DANCING - OST Platinum Certification (Album) 08 November 1988