Gennaro Castaldo watch: Mercury rising

Gennaro Castaldo has been doing some sums since watching last night's Mercury Prize and reckons the real winners aren't the ones who pick up the big prize:

HMV spokesman Gennaro Castaldo of HMV said the Mercury awards have a "halo effect" on sales.

"This year we're expecting an even bigger sales lift, as more people are now also downloading and buying online," he added.

(Yes, the BBC Report did call him HMV spokesman of HMV.)

Richard Hawley has seen sales rise by 336%; Lou Rhodes also saw a tripling of sales. Even the Arctic Monkeys have seen a small sales rise, although having flogged a few more already the multiples won't be quite as astonishing.

music gennaro castaldo richard hawley arctic monkeys lou rhodes