COMPANY INFO

PRESS RELEASE: NEW CHART RULES

New rules to transform Official Singles Chart

~ Golden oldies and album tracks to compete in Official Singles Chart
~ Downloads help double singles sales
~ EPs expected to make a comeback

December 30, 2006: Just days after X-Factor winner Leona Lewis’s A Moment in Time became the fastest-selling download in the UK yet, the Official UK Charts enter a new era on January 1 with new rules expected to further drive interest in the singles market.

Downloads have already helped double the size of the UK singles market in just three years from 32.3m units in 2004 to 65.1m in the first 51 weeks of 2006.

In a dramatic rule change, album tracks and ‘golden oldies’ as well as current hits will be eligible for the singles chart if they are available as downloads.

At the same time, a relaxation of rules on CD singles is expected to herald the return of the EP, with so-called maxi-singles now allowed to contain up to four tracks lasting up to 25 minutes (compared with three tracks and 20 minutes under current rules).

Golden oldies and album tracks to compete in Official Singles Chart

The most dramatic change to the charts taking place on January 1 is the lifting of transitional rules which have meant that downloads have only been included in the Official Singles Chart if a physical format of the song is also made available.

From January 1 there will no longer be any requirement for record labels to make singles available physically.

This means that any currently available download will technically be eligible for the Official Singles Chart.

Official UK Charts Company (OCC) director Steve Redmond said, "January 1 2006 marks a dramatic development in the history of the Official UK Charts. For the past 54 years a single was a track selected by a record company to be pressed on plastic and distributed to stores on a particular date. From now on a single can be any track currently available as a download - even an album track or a golden oldie - as well of course as the established physical formats of CD, DVD, seven and 12 inch vinyl".

"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."

The first milestone in this process came in March 2006 when downloads were accepted in the Official Singles Chart one week ahead of physical release. The result was that in May Gnarls Barkley’s Crazy became the UK’s first-ever download-only Number One. The track has since gone on to become the UK’s biggest-selling download yet.

Downloads help double singles sales

The new rules come as downloads are already driving new interest in the singles market, which had been written off by commentators just a couple of years ago.

As the following table shows, downloads have helped double the size of the UK singles market in just three years.

-	2004	2005	2006 *
Physical singles sales	26.5m	21.4m	13.6m
Download singles sales	5.8m	26.6m	51.6m
Total singles sales	32.3m	48.0m	65.1m

(* 2006 sales to week 51 only)

Last week X-Factor winner Leona Lewis’s A Moment in Time sold 100,000 downloads in just two days.

EPs expected to make a comeback

Alongside the rule change for downloads, the Official UK Charts Company is also relaxing one of the restrictions on physical singles in a move which is expected to boost sales and lead to a revival of the EP.

There have always been restrictions on the number of tracks and the amount of music a single can contain – in order to differentiate them from albums. Until now the rule has been three tracks and a playing time of 20 minutes. These will now be relaxed to four tracks and 25 minutes, offering consumers even more value for money.

OCC Chart Director Omar Maskatiya said, "The EP - or extended play single - has an honourable history in the charts and EPs were popular in both the Sixties and then again during the punk period. We hope this rule change will lead to a revival of the EP and a boost to sales of singles through High Street record stores."