Tom Hark - Skint behind us - all systems go!!

[eastlondonseagull]

Biscuit - this way we most certainly can get it into the chart. Copies ordered online elsewhere in the Uk are valid chart sales just as much as copies bought in the shops in Sussex. If we sell 5000 in the first week of Jan we will definitely be top 30, probably higher! Exactly where depends on what else happens.

You sure about this John? I thought that sales in outlets like Woolies were the only way you got in the charts these days, no matter how many other sales you have.

I LOVE the idea, but playing devil's advocate, will sales in Sussex and via the internet be enough to get it decent publicity?

Also, I'll pay more if you can press a few onto vinyl so I can play them out! Let me know!

 

[Cian]

Ordered online from HMV would be valid, Amazon I'm not sure. Woolworths use weird distributors so they might not be valid either...

It has to pass through a store/storeroom with a proper terminal.

 

[Faldo]

I think he said woolies coz some crappy chart or another is sponsored by Woolworths. I spotted it bleary eyed though my hangover last Saturday. I was the first thing I noticed after I realised I'd left the TV on all night...

 

[eastlondonseagull]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Woolies basically IS the chart.

Their top 40 shelving on the walls is their prediction for the following week's top 40, and it's all down to what they DECIDE to put as their number one. If they don't think it'll sell, it doesn't go up on the wall, and consequently if it doesn't sell in Woolies it never makes it into the official Top 40. They have this strange power thing over the charts.

I await iminent correction

 

[Cian]

As I said, I'm not even sure Woolworth's sales get run through the OUKCC.

Remember also that Woolworths are the sole dealers for some acts and banned from selling some other acts entirely, so the OUKCC wouldn't be too happy dealing with distorted sales.

 

[Faldo]

I seem to remember there were a number of charts about. A network chart (now the pepsi chart), a gallup chart (which i think was sales based). Now i dont know - i think Eastlondonseagull may well be right - I seem to recall Destinys Child getting into the chart last week "on the strength of airplay alone".

Tis a load of hairy bollocks - we should start our own chart! Every other buggers doing it, and we get our number 1!

 

[Cian]

The real charts, e.g. the ones that have been around since 1952, are the OUKCC ones. Which are sales ONLY.

There are airplay ones, and other private company ones, but the one authorised by the music industry and used by the BBC is the Coca Cola-sponsored OUKCC.

 

[Gazwag]

Basically .....................

The Official UK Charts Company Limited (trading as Official UK Charts) administers and markets the official chart and is a joint venture between BARD and BPI.

Official UK Charts is governed by the Charts Supervisory Committee comprising representatives from retailers, record companies and broadcasters. Sales data is supplied by over 5,600 retailers including all the major high street chains as well as 600 independent stores covering 99% of the singles market, 95% of albums and 80% of the video market.

On average 1.5m singles and 2m albums are sold each week and this information is compiled between the close of business on Saturday for noon the following day in the official weekly charts. The chart rundown at 4pm on Sundays is still the most listened-to programme on BBC Radio 1.

For more information on the UK charts – from chart-related music trivia, chart history, and stats and facts visit The Official UK Charts Company website.

Links

The Official Charts Company

 

[Faldo]

I getcha.

 

[Gazwag]

From the Independent online:

Two thousand reasons why a Top 40 hit is nothing to sing about
By Anthony Barnes Arts and Media Correspondent
24 October 2004


It has never been easier to have a hit record. Singles sales have slumped so low that just 2,000 copies are enough to crack the Top 40. The figure is less than a third of what it would have taken to make it into the chart as recently as six years ago, and is a clear sign of the decline of the singles industry.

The number one, long viewed as the ultimate prize in the music business, reached a new low last week when Swedish DJ Eric Prydz had the worst sales ever recorded for a chart-topper.

His song "Call On Me", a cover of Steve Winwood's "Valerie", shifted just 23,519 copies, a figure which a decade ago would not have made even the top five.

 

[eastlondonseagull]

Sales data is supplied by over 5,600 retailers including all the major high street chains as well as 600 independent stores

Is there a definitive list of these independent stores? Seems that if we can get it into the chart with just 2000 sales, as long as we distribute it to the correct shops, we could get a Top 20!

 

[Gazwag]

As stated in the first post by Attila ........................

National distribution of the single is pointless. It means big distribution costs, heavy discounting to retailers and as with all singles even a Top 10 would mean no profit for the club whatsoever. Everyone outside (and inside) Sussex will be able to order it online through HMV or Amazon, and these will count towards the chart.

So we are going to pick 10 major outlets in Sussex, with Chichester, Eastbourne and Crawley at the outer perameters, and the single will only available there with no retail discounting necessary and no heavy promotional budget (we can do that!) Obviously once the outlets are selected everyone will make sure everyone else knows where they are! It's sales that matter, not their geographical distribution, so that's no problem

 

[Dave In Gloucester]

Sales information is supplied by 5,900 retailers that are members of the Official UK Charts ‘Defined Universe’. This is approximately 99% of the total UK singles market, 95% of the total UK albums
market and 85% of the total UK video market.

These retailers include all the major high street chains such as HMV, WH Smith, Virgin and Woolworth’s, Supermarkets, such as Tesco and Asda, as well as approximately 600 independent shops and a number of Internet Retailers.

Every shop is fitted with either an EPOS or Epson machine. The barcode of every record/video that is purchased is downloaded
direct to Millward Brown, the research agency commissioned by The Official UK Charts Company to
compile the charts.

The raw sales processed are weighted up from a 'sample' of approximately 5,300+ stores to the
universe of 5,900 shops. This produces the Defined Universe Sales figure. In practise the industry
prefers to estimate how the whole market has performed, so 'multipliers' are used, which are average
guide figures calculated periodically for each format and applied to the D.U.S. figure to give an
approximated total market figure.

We aim to recruit any store in the UK which sells in excess of 100 pieces of audio or video product per
week (excluding record/video "clubs" whose trading terms don’t comply with the current chart rules).
Each connection to a store does take up extra resources however, so we do reserve the right to
decline any requests to connect to the chart panel.


From Official Charts Website Info Pack...

 

[Cian]

Hrm, so Woolworths do submit to OUKCC

Assumed they might havebeen banned for having their weird supplier deals. Some artists are locked into Woolworths only.

 

[Gazwag]

At the end of the day the record will appear to only be available at an outlet that will "count" therefore the important thing will be to make as many people as possible aware of the record and where thay can buy it from.

 

[Bob!]

Hrm, so Woolworths do submit to OUKCC

Assumed they might havebeen banned for having their weird supplier deals. Some artists are locked into Woolworths only.

As a Woolies Store Manager I'm not aware of wierd supplier deals nor artists locked into woolies only.

We are supplied by Entertainment UK. EUK is owned by Woolworths, but managed seperately. EUK also supplies other outlets including many of the Supermarket chains, including Tesco & (I think) Asda.

The only thing I can think of along the lines of Artists locked into woolies only, Is that the latest Chris De Burgh album was a woolies exclusive, though that was probably 'cos no-one else would want to stock it!!!!

 

[Cian]

Chris De Burgh is now virtually Woolworths only as HMV and a fw others dumped him in annoyance.

I read something about weird disc supply deals, in the Examiner a while back (crappy Irish paper). I'll see can I find it. If not, it was probably them being bitter for the Cork Woolworths closing down in the 70's...

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Skinhead Moonstomp. Liquidator. 64-46.Trouble in the Town.Skinhead Train.2000 Tons of TNT. Hee Cup. Trojan Ska! Someone here talks my language!

Anyway, had a good chat with Bob Grover tonight. He doesn't want to be involved but has given us his 100% blessing and he likes the new lyrics. Total respect. Vault, Buccaneer, Alhambra, Marquee......great memories of the Piranhas, and it will be good to reclaim that song for Brighton!

Now we do it. Hopefully we'll have the finished article on the PA for Burnley.

I thought the ad-hoc version on Saturday was total quality. Y'know, where the whistling held the whole thing together and you were just sort of grumbling and muttering over the top, with the occasional deadpan tuneless weary-sounding 'We Want Falmer' struggling out of the mix. Looking around, there was loads of people whistling along. I thought it was a classic there and then - in fact I thought that WAS the new tune & you were just giving us a preview listen to it. IMHO could well be an inspired idea to ditch the new lyrics and just go with THAT.

Also, maybe it could be recorded in the bogs at Withdean. The acoustics are just perfick in there for some curious reason.

 

[DTES]

As a Woolies Store Manager I'm not aware of wierd supplier deals nor artists locked into woolies only.

We are supplied by Entertainment UK. EUK is owned by Woolworths, but managed seperately. EUK also supplies other outlets including many of the Supermarket chains, including Tesco & (I think) Asda.

The only thing I can think of along the lines of Artists locked into woolies only, Is that the latest Chris De Burgh album was a woolies exclusive, though that was probably 'cos no-one else would want to stock it!!!!

Glad you said that, I was beginning to think I'd missed something too. Not a manager mind, but even with my lowly RP status I like to think I know what's going on

Unless you count our wonderful "Winter Wonderland" CD, featuring Wooly and Worth

 

[Bob!]

Glad you said that, I was beginning to think I'd missed something too. Not a manager mind, but even with my lowly RP status I like to think I know what's going on

Unless you count our wonderful "Winter Wonderland" CD, featuring Wooly and Worth

How many partners did you sell today?