The first official UK music download chart will launch on September 1st according to the Official Charts Company. They along with the IFPI say that music downloading is the future. The chart will cover downloads made from Napster, iTunes, Mycokemusic.com and other legal download services. The BBC is considering broadcasting this chart on BBC Radio 1 like with the CD singles chart.
A BPI spokesman did not expect a download chart to rival the CD singles chart, however he claims that download chart is not a competitor to the singles chart. He said that the download chart marks the most significant change since the CD chart began 20 years ago.
The music industry aims to improve the sale of singles with this chart. A current test chart is taking place including iTunes and Mycokemusic.com. Pixies' Bam Thwok
topped this week's test charts; a single made exclusively online via Apple
iTunes. Quakester2000 and GristyMcFisty both used our news submit to send in the following news:
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"The rapid growth of legal download music sites has shown the music industry that downloading is the future," an OCC statement said. The chart will be drawn from downloaded tracks bought from Mycokemusic.com as well as Napster, iTunes and others. The BBC is thought to be considering a broadcast of the chart on Radio One. The announcement of the chart follows the launch of iTunes and Napster in the UK in recent years. A British Phonographic Industry spokesman said he did not believe the chart would rival "physical formats" such as CD singles. "I think it's going to be a shot in the arm for music generally," he said. "This is not a competitor to the singles chart. It is a different kind of thing entirely. Read the full story here. |
With legal music download services continuing to improve in popularity both in Europe and the US, it is the right time to start publishing a download chart like the current CD singles.
The only downside I see is that it will be the first time two single's charts will be published (one for CDs and another for downloads). While CD Singles may currently still be the recognised method of how well songs are selling, confusion may arise later on who is selling the best. For example if one song is #1 on the downloads chart and another song is #1 on the CD Singles chart, it will be hard to tell which song is actually doing better.
Source: BBC News - Music Entertainment
