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THE DAWN OF A NEW ERA
So, the downloads are now folded into the old style gojng-to-a-shop charts, and so things will be different. The world we knew we have left behind. From today, everything must change.
What is the sound of the chart in this new, connected digital world? Tony Christie "and" Peter Kay are at number one for the fifth week. Razorlight, at number two, are where they would have been. Elvis has, as everyone expected, had his re-release hit by the influx of electrosales - but only down one place, to number four. There have been winners and losers further down the chart:
22. Gorillaz - Feel Good Inc (gained 175 places [compared with shop sales only chart])
27. Basement Jaxx - Oh My Gosh (gained 18 places)
34. Stereophonics - Dakota (gained eight places)
Obviously, it's worth remembering that down past the top ten, the sort of sales returns are so low adding a few dozen sales can have an enormous effect on chart placings. So Basement Jaxx tootling up a few slots is hardly worth rushing to the newsroom for. But what of Gorillaz, leaping up 175 places? Well, yes, that would be noteworthy. Except the single isn't available in shops yet, so its 197 position in the shop sales chart isn't actually that unexpected.
What about the losers?
30. Melanie C - Next Best Superstar (lost five places)
32. Daft Punk - Robot Rock (lost five places)
33. Elvis Presley - Crying in the Chapel (lost nine places)
Again, then, the world isn't exactly going to be spinning off into the darkness of space as a result of this. Some minor reshuffling down in the lower end of the Top 40.
It seems, then, that the Chart Company have managed to pull in the supposed chart revolution and turn it into something that won't upset anyone much in the larger boardrooms tomorrow morning. Their masters will be delighted. Unfortunately, that means the new chart is set up in such a way as to completely render the point of including downloads neutered. What was meant to be a kick up the arse has become a slap on the back.
3 comments:
In fact, there was a limited edition 7" release of Feel Good Inc this week. Funny this should happen in the week downloads are included, isn't it?
Bloody lack of post edit function.
The figures have come out, anyway, and Amarillo sold, ooh, 4661 downloads plus about 65,000 physical singles (that's totalling about 800,000 now - who knew?) Anyone reading this thinking of having their own no.22 hit should make a note that Gorillaz sold 125 7"s and 3,965 downloads.
Thanks for fleshing out the figures, Simon - what's doubly interesting, of course, is that 125 singles sales would have been enough to get into the Top 200 prior to the introduction of the download elements
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