BPI also has plans for a Madrigal only chart

You might have thought that the Classical Music charts were already pretty specialist, but apparently they're not specialist enough: The Official Charts Company is launching a spin-off, proper classical chart:

Ginny Cooper, of the BPI's classical committee, said: "Within the classical sector, there are many first class performers providing first class recordings which were not registering on the chart radar as the crossover titles were obviously higher profile and selling more.

"We felt, however, that they were just as valid and wanted to provide an outlet to enable the public to see that sales of pure classical music are still alive and well."

Although, presumably, if the sales were that alive and well then the records would be doing well in the ordinary classical charts, wouldn't they?

The test of classical-ness is apparently going to be asking Paul Gambaccinni if he'd have played it when he was a Radio 3 presenter, and only allowing in things he wouldn't approve of.

The serious aim is to keep out recordings of light music written as popular entertainment, like Lloyd-Webber's stuff...

The first published chart is topped by the Gala Ensemble with their album The Best of Gilbert and Sullivan.

... although not Gilbert and Sullivan, it seems.