No Rock And Roll Fun

ARE THEY STILL GOING?: Apparently Virgin Radio is still on the air, and they've just signed one of those deals that looks more than a little rushed to ensure that the history books will insist that Virgin was the first radio station to broadcast a download chart in the UK. Although Virgin's run down will only feature the top twenty tracks downloaded by Napster users - which, in old media terms, is like drawing up your list of best selling singles on the basis of what's selling well in John Menzies. Of course, Chief Executive of Virgin Radio, John Pearson, doesn't even drop a hint that he's launching a chart which ignores iTunes and OD2, the two leading download companies:

"This groundbreaking chart with Napster puts Virgin Radio at the innovative edge of the radio industry. Napster is the premier online music partner in the UK and this is the first step in what will become a much broader partnership."
He said Virgin Radio's 4.4 million listeners were more au fait with downloading technology than those of any other radio station, with the station's research showing they were more likely to purchase tracks online and more likely to own an MP3 player.

Curious that a station which relies mainly on the old medium wave for its transmissions is making such a bold claim about its audience - they've all got MP3 players but they're listening to a radio station which is primairly a service that isn't even listened to in stereo? But then again, anyone who believes that Napster is the "premier online music partner" rather than an ill-judged attempt to revive a defunct brand name probably hasn't got the tightest grip on his cue cards.