Glee Cast fastest ever to score 20 Official Singles Chart Top 40 hits

23/01/2011

Music and TV sensations the Glee Cast have smashed the record for the fastest ever act (solo or group) to score 20 Official Singles Chart Top 40 hits, the Official Charts Company confirms today.

The Glee Cast has taken just 57 weeks to achieve 20 Top 40 hits in the Official Singles Chart with their first hit Don’t Stop Believin’ peaking at number two in January 2010 and their twentieth, Toxic, entering the Official Singles Chart this week at number 40.   The previous record holder, Elvis Presley, took 88 weeks to reach 20 Top 40 hits, back in the fifties. The Glee Cast’s total includes three Top 10s and six Top 20s.

Official Charts Company managing director Martin Talbot said: "This is a quite amazing achievement by the Glee Cast, to be in the same company as the likes of Elvis Presley - in fact, beating his 50 year old record! The success underlines just how popular this TV show has become - as well as emphasising how digital downloading has transformed the consumer's engagement with music. The Glee Cast are superstars of the digital music age."

The Glee Cast are also record breakers in respect of the Official Singles Chart Top 75 as Toxic gives them their 50th Top 75 hit and The Only Exception, a new entry this week at number 45, gives them their 51st Top 75 hit, also in 57 weeks. No other act has achieved as many Top 75 hits so quickly.  Previous record holders The Shadows took almost seven times as long (392 weeks) to achieve 50 Official Singles Chart Top 75 hits.

The Glee Cast have now sold over 2 million singles over a million albums in the UK.  Worldwide, over 13 million Glee songs have been downloaded and more than five million albums sold.  In the UK, Glee have had five consecutive Top 5 hits in the Official Albums Chart.

Last week, the Glee Cast were nominated for this year’s Brit Awards International Breakthrough Act.

The mini album Glee: The Rocky Horror Glee Show will be released on Monday 7th February to coincide with the Rocky Horror Show themed episode which is based on Richard O’Brien’s cult musical masterpiece.

The album Glee: The Music, Volume 4 is released Monday 21st February.

Glee Season two is currently airing on Mondays on E4.

Notes to Editors
 
1.   Chart information quoted from this release must be credited to The Official Charts Company
 
2.  The Official Charts Company (OCC) is a joint venture between record labels’ body the BPI and ERA, the Entertainment Retailers Association.   The OCC is responsible for the commissioning, marketing, distribution and management of the UK’s industry standard music and video charts and is endorsed by the BVA (British Video Association).
 
3. The Official Charts Company compiles its charts from sales information gathered across all key distribution (or entertainment) channels including all major high street retail chains, independent stores, supermarkets, mail order internet retailers and digital music service providers. This market research sample equates to 99% of the total UK Singles market; 98% of the total UK Albums market and 90% of the total UK DVD market.
 
For further information contact:
Amy Howard, Official Charts Company.
T: 01480 860 530  M. 07768 891 264
E: amy@theofficialcharts.com
W:  www.theofficialcharts.com
The Official Chart Update with Greg James, 3.30pm-4pm, BBC Radio 1
The Chart Show with Reggie Yates, Sunday 4pm-7pm, BBC Radio 1.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/chart/
Ends.                                                                                                                                            

 

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