BBC Launches Downloaded Music Charts

PReDiToR writes "The BBC today aired its first chart rundown of downloaded music. 'The Official UK Download Chart is based on the most popular, legally downloaded tracks in the UK. It's compiled from the sale of permanently owned single track downloads and doesn't include streamed downloads, subscriptions or free downloads.' The Chart played on Radio 1, the UK's most listened to station, and will be a regular feature."

Comments

Good Statistic??

[artlu]

Can this be a reasonably good statistic? Most of the music that I listen to online either comes from online radio stations, Poisoned (mac app), or iTunes. What clout would this have over any other song statistics?

gShares.net - Stock Forum

Re:A Hit Chart...

[th1ckasabr1ck]

...as well as The Who, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, and every other band that matters.

Wouldn't it be cool

[shfted!]

Wouldn't it be cool to link such a list to bittorrent for automatic downloading? That way, you'd get fresh music that's supposedly good every day. I'd love it. And it would be user selected music -- not the crap the recording industry feels like feeding us this week.

Re:Wouldn't it be cool

[emm-tee]

Yeah, they entertain. They wouldn't claim anything else. They come from a shit town, and they take the piss out of it, themselves, and anyone else that strays near. They've been making records for years, giving them to their mates, having a laugh.

Now the media has picked up on the comedy (and genius), so they get their moment of fame. I think they're pretty realistic about it though. As they say, they're out for a laugh, they fully expect to be back working the tills in supermarkets before long.

They're fucking funny though. If you don't knows it, download some of their stuff, it's funny as fuck. Their website is http://www.youknowsit.co.uk/.

Re:A Hit Chart...

[Anonymous Coward]

Dad?!?
=)

More Information

[Feneric]

It would be nice if they posted a bit more info. Like for example exactly how the figures are tabulated -- is it a straight weekly sum, or are past results worked in somehow either through strict accumulation or a weighted average... Furthermore, do audio books get tossed into the mix (not that one is apt to win)? It would also be neat to see what formats people were downloading the music in.

Re:A Hit Chart...

[dpfau]

Not to mention The Beatles, The Who, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, The Clash, The Smiths...

I can keep going.

I wonder...

[jmcmunn]

I wonder how long it takes for music companies or artists to artifically inflate the "legal downloads" of their music so that people think it is "popular" when they hear it on the radio on the Top 20.

And of course once it is "popular" people will start buying it to see what the fuss is about, thus selling more. Maybe I'm just a skeptic, but it seems like another way to get the same stuff to sell even more. Oh well.

Nitpick alert

[T-Kir]

I RTA earlier, but IIRC Radio 2 is the most listened to radio station in the UK, not Radio 1.

Yes I know, nitpick alert... but the subject matter is relating to chart positions :-)

Re:Nitpick alert

[ed_g2s]

YRC: Radio 1: 9.73 million Radio 2: 13.43 million Radio 3: 2.02 million Radio 4: 9.51 million Radio Five Live: 6.15 million

Official Downloads Sites:

[usefool]

At the bottom of the article is a list of "Official Downloads Sites", it'll be interesting when we can get the sales figures from each one of them for the complete chart.

• iTunes
  
• Napster
  
• MyCokeMusic
  
• Streets Online
  
• 7 Digital Media
  
• Playlouder
  
• MSN Music
  
• Big Noise Music
  
• HMV
  
• Virgin
  
• Tiscali Music
  
• Sonic Selector
  
• Wanadoo
  

peel

[justforaday]

give me a site that lets me download whatever song john peel is currently playing and i'll be happy.

Copyleft my ass

[RabidChicken]

I am greatly disappointed in so far as the chart offered automatically discounts legitimate artists that do not choose to sell their tracks online but give them away for free. Examples being Brad Sucks and the Acedia Music Netlabel under licenses such as the Creative Commons music license. It will take something like the BBC or other mainstream music outlets (MTV or other such dribble) to recognize this music distribution model to get artists any exposure. That being said I can see how from a purely practical level that one would have to rely either on the artists themselves or mirrors to provide statistics which may be skewered. In addition, artists like Brad Sucks may get significantly more downloads from the simple fact of being free (in every sense) rather than another indie band that has only pay downloads.

Bah humbug.

P.S. Brad Sucks is one of my favourite bands

A positive development

[Sanity]

Those familiar with the BBC will be familiar with "Top of the Pops" - a long-running BBC show targeting teenagers which used the TV station we all pay for to funnel the greatest pile of unbelievably crap commercial noise (the term "music" doesn't really apply) into the eager ears of Britain's youth. This was based on the UK singles chart which is widely regarded to be completely manipulated by the music industry. Why exactly the British public must pay for this weekly infomercial for the worst the music industry has to offer is quite beyond me.

With any luck, the music industry will have a more difficult time in manipulating this chart, and it will therefore more accurately reflect the musical tastes of the UK's youth.

Re:A Hit Chart...

[fiannaFailMan]

Yeah. I'd rather have a chart from the country that brought us Britney Spears, such prolific artists as Vanilla Ice, and a legion of sentimental teenage dramas.

[ducks]

Re:A Hit Chart...

[Gooba42]

Despite your beliefs on the matter, you don't actually have to be gay to have taste.

It is refreshing to see you use the phrase in a positive manner though.

Re:A Hit Chart...

[Stween]

... Pink Floyd ...

Chart Inflation

[xombo]

This will help online music sales in the long run but it will cause the same effect as "top sellers" in the CD market. Of course they're top sellers and they will continue to be since they're the most played music on the radio. That's why radio stations should promote new and notable artists instead of the same crap we've heard for the last three months, maybe that would help artists and encourage a better rotation on the air waves.

Re:I feel old

[Frogbert]

Don't worry they are exactly the same as the ones you know, just with rap lyrics.

Meanwhile

[jb.hl.com]

All sensible people use Audioscrobbler and get their charts. They take into account what people listen to and not what they buy, meaning that it is less skewed towards teenyboppers and one hit wonders (which have low replay values) and fairer towards good bands.

Re:A Hit Chart...

[Infonaut]

every other band that matters

Including the only band that mattered.

The British impact on popular music over the last fifty years is arguably greater than that of any country in the world, including the US.

Re:A Hit Chart...

[panaceaa]

What about Sweden??? Come on man, they brought us ABBA, The Cardigans AND Ace of Base!!!