No Rock And Roll Fun

DOWNLOADS NOW SINGLES - IN THE US: In a move which finally places downloads on a par with proper singles, Billboard is set to incorporate download sales into its Hot 100 from right now. The already complicated chart, which factors in how many times records are played on the radio as well as the number of records sold over the counter, now takes on an extra level of complexity.

In addition, to make things even more confusing, Billboard is launching a companion chart, the Pop 100. This chart will add in digital downloads, proper sales in shops, and airplay - but only on stations which play chart music. If you think about this too hard you will fall over. Surely all a chart does is reflect what's popular? So isn't any chart a Popularity Chart by its very nature? And if you produce a chart that has rankings which are determined by how many times radio stations which programme according to how records are ranked in a pop chart are played, won't this in the long run lead to there just being one, super-dense record at number one forever? Probably Maroon Five?

You might wonder what's happened to the plan to add downloads into the UK chart. Well, apparently it's just not as simple as it sounds, you know:

A spokesman for the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) said the first combined UK download and sales chart was due to be compiled "within the first half of this year".

"Work is going on across the music business right now to make sure the new chart works to plan," he said.

Righto - so that would be what, then? Since you can already chart downloads - otherwise there couldn't be a download chart - surely it's just a matter of adding the download figures to the sales figures? Why does that require "work", unless there's some jiggery-pokery going on to ensure that the chart doesn't actually reflect the real numbers? What is the "plan" - surely anything more than "We add in the download sales and see who's sold the most" is just corrupting the data?

The BPI spokesman described the UK music download chart, compiled by the Official Charts Company, as having been "a great success" since its launch.

"It has provided a focus for the industry and has really driven interest in downloads among music fans," he said.

How sweet... the BPI are pretending that the download chart is making the kids go "Hey... what's that? You can get music on a computer? But how?"

music charts downloads billboard bpi