Chart shake-up allows download-only releases
Singles will become more relevant to the consumer next year
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Friday, 29, Dec 2006 06:09
A radical redefinition of what makes up a single release is to dramatically change the nature of the UK charts next year.
From January 1st any track made available for download which is unavailable in a traditional physical format will be allowed to enter the chart.
The move, announced today, means that b-sides and album-only tracks could, theoretically, force their way into the top 40 ahead of bestselling songs on sale in Britain's high street record stores.
"This new ruling changes the nature of a single and puts the consumer in the driving seat. Literally any track can be a hit - as long as it sells enough," Steve Redmond, director of the UK Official Charts Company, explained.
By making download-only tracks fully eligible into the weekly singles chart the company hopes to rejuvenate the singles genre, which has seen flagging interest in the last decade.
Under the new rules the chart will become more representative of which tracks are most popular in any given week, boosting their relevance to the iPod listener on the street.