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UK to finally include streaming in its singles music chart
The UK could soon join its US and European counterparts by using streaming play counts to help determine its top 40 singles chart. BBC News reports that music streamed on services like Spotify and YouTube could be included later this year, expanding the traditional sales-based chart metrics to better reflect the tastes of the British public. The Official Charts Company, which compiles CD sales and music downloads from services like iTunes on behalf of the British record industry, already offers a separate Top 100 music streaming chart, but has not set a date to roll out the new changes. It'll have to take into account what services will be included and work out how many plays of a track constitutes as one sale before it does. Given that streaming now accounts for almost 10 percent of UK music revenue, it's about time its public's love of Daft Punk is recognized.
UK music charts want to add rhythm game DLC tracking
UK's aptly named Official Chart Company has a fairly progressive idea for how to more accurately tabulate the sales success of musical artists on its Official Download Chart -- by including the sales statistics for tracks offered as downloadable content for rhythm titles such as Rock Band, Guitar Hero: World Tour and SingStar.To compile and include this data, it would take a great deal of negotiation between the record companies, the Official Chart Company and the game's developers, but we think it's definitely worth the trouble -- if only so we could try to get Stephen and the Colberts on the UK Weekly Top 40.
Blu-ray lifts UK disc sales
Blu-ray sales in the UK didn't keep up their mind melting increases from earlier in the year, but considering the economic slowdown worldwide, a 378% jump from 2007 doesn't seem too disappointing. The British Video Association and Official Charts Company numbers point out a 1.9% lift in DVD sales as a whole in 2008, including 3.7 million on Blu-ray. The Dark Knight finished the year moving 281,000 Blu-ray copies as the UK's best selling HD release. We'll see how things proceed in '09, hopefully with cheaper players on the way.
