No Rock And Roll Fun

ALWAYS DOES WELL TO ASK AN EXPERT: "Singles chart doomed" wails Paul Trynka of Mojo, pointing at the decline in singles sales - he speculates that "In America, singles charts include airplay, and I could imagine that five years from now that could be the case here. Or maybe even sooner, since two out of the three major single charts, erm, already are. But Paul's not finished yet, oh no... "To some extent their role has been taken by the internet. Many bands will give away a track to promote a new album." Well, some do - not many, and a lot of those whose albums get promoted by free tracks online tend not to be doing it actively (hello, Radiohead; hello, Madonna). What's really doing for singles, though, is them cheapy album deals - you go to Virgin with a fiver, and have a choice between a Madonna single and an old Madonna album for roughly the same price, what are you going to choose?