No longer single: So, what happened in the UK's first 100% download-friendly Top 40 chart, announced yesterday? Now any track can make the chart, whether released as a CD single or not, making the countdown a truer reflection of the music the public are actually buying. Album tracks, golden oldies and songs from bands with no record contract whatsoever - they're all now eligible. Suddenly the UK has a songs chart rather than singles chart. Should we be worried? Not on the basis of the first chart, which is still remarkably similar to last week's Top 40. X Factor winner Leona is still triumphant atop the stack, and the top 5 contains new entries from U2 and Eric Prydz who would have charted anyway. But there are a few peculiarities further down as a result of the new rules, thanks to the continued popularity of certain downloaded songs. What remains to be seen is if these are post-Christmas peculiarities, or whether wholesale chartwise evolution is afoot.
9)Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars (re-entry): Lost from the charts when this single was physically deleted in November, but in download-world it's been at least Top 20 ever since. 15)JoJo - Too Little Too Late (new entry): Under the old rules this wouldn't have charted until next week, because it's not being released as a single until the week after. But the old rules are dead. 30)Gnarls Barkley - Crazy (re-entry): The best selling single of 2006, still selling strong over the web into 2007. 32)Eminem, 50 Cent and Lloyd Banks - You Don't Know (new entry): It's been out on CD since mid December, but the record company packaged the single with a free sticker which made sales ineligible. Under the new rules, stupid old promotional stickers don't matter, so the song finally charts 3 weeks late. 33)The Automatic - Monster (re-entry): Altogether now... "What's that coming over the hill? Is it a monster? Is it a monster?" This one may never go away (which could be annoying for the band because they have a new single released today). 37)Cast Of High School Musical - Breaking Free (re-entry): Aaagh! Disney's sickly sweet Grease pastiche digs its pre-teen claws back into the charts. The soundtrack album is also spawning simultaneous lesser hits at 60 (We're All In This Together), 72 (Stick To The Status Quo) and 90 (Start of Something New). Maybe we should all be extremely worried after all.
No longer single: So, what happened in the UK's first 100% download-friendly Top 40 chart, announced yesterday? Now any track can make the chart, whether released as a CD single or not, making the countdown a truer reflection of the music the public are actually buying. Album tracks, golden oldies and songs from bands with no record contract whatsoever - they're all now eligible. Suddenly the UK has a songs chart rather than singles chart. Should we be worried? Not on the basis of the first chart, which is still remarkably similar to last week's Top 40. X Factor winner Leona is still triumphant atop the stack, and the top 5 contains new entries from U2 and Eric Prydz who would have charted anyway. But there are a few peculiarities further down as a result of the new rules, thanks to the continued popularity of certain downloaded songs. What remains to be seen is if these are post-Christmas peculiarities, or whether wholesale chartwise evolution is afoot.
