Official Record Store Chart Top 40 unveiled!

Alabama Shakes' Boys & Girls album is today confirmed as the first Number 1 in the new Official Record Store Chart, which is unveiled on the eve of tomorrow's fifth annual Record Store Day.

The Official Charts Company has teamed up with Record Store Day UK to launch the brand new chart, which reflects sales through 100 of the UK’s coolest and most vibrant independent record shops.

The full Official Record Store Chart Top 40 is being unveiled this afternoon at 5pm at OfficialCharts.com and on the legendary Steve Lamacq’s BBC 6Music radio show. From this week on, the new weekly chart will be revealed at 7pm every Sunday at OfficialCharts.com - and circulated to all participating retailers for display instore.

Official Charts Company Managing Director, Martin Talbot, says: "The first Official Record Store Chart underlines exactly why this is going to be an important way of promoting new music, with Alabama Shakes leading the way in a Top 10 featuring Shins, Jim Lockey and Trembling Bells, among others. The fact that there are also places for established acts such as Adele, Lana Del Rey and Graham Coxon underlines the catholic tastes represented by independent stores.

"It is also particularly apt that the first Number 1 of the new chart is released by the Rough Trade label, which grew out of the Rough Trade record store in Ladbroke Grove founded by Geoff Travis - who continues to run the label to this day. The label is, of course, totally unconnected to the now legendary record store today."

Commenting on his own label act Alabama Shakes topping the inaugural Official Record Store Chart, Rough Trade store founder and current Rough Trade Records label head, Geoff Travis says, “Very proud that we have not entirely lost our musical marbles! Alabama Shakes deserve every accolade and success that may come their way. They do it right.”

You can read a full interview with Geoff here.

The first Official Record Store Chart Top 10 is below. You can see the full Top 40 here.

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