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Official Singles Chart on 23/2/2018

23 February 2018 - 1 March 2018

The Official UK Singles Chart reflects the UK’s biggest songs of the week, based on audio and video streams, downloads, CDs and vinyl, compiled by the Official Charts Company. The UK Top 40 is broadcast on BBC Radio 1 and MTV, the Top 100 is published exclusively on OfficialCharts.com. View the biggest songs of 2023.

 

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ROBERT YOUNG

-1

When charts started in 1952 it was based on sales and no freebies. So it should still be based on sales of a single and not free downloads

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Painmix King

0

There still is a sales chart. It should be made the priority

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James England

1

Perhaps the OCC should consider implementing a similar rule to the Billboard chart?

"Beginning in 2018, plays occurring on paid subscription-based services (such as Amazon Music and Apple Music) or on the paid subscription tiers of hybrid paid/ad-supported platforms (such as SoundCloud and Spotify) will be given more weight in chart calculations than those plays on pure ad-supported services (such as YouTube) or on the non-paid tiers of hybrid paid/ad-supported services.

The Billboard 200 will now include two tiers of on-demand audio streams: paid subscription audio streams and ad-supported audio streams. The chart will continue to not incorporate video streams. The Billboard 200 ranks the most popular albums of the week based on multi-metric consumption, which includes traditional album sales, track equivalent albums, and streaming equivalent albums."

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Not sure how this works in terms of actual chart positions but Billboard is making a distinction between paid and non-paid streams. Assuming this makes paid streaming a priority - in other words all paid stream songs end up higher up the chart than 'free' stream songs - I think this is a great change to the chart format. I think this should be introduced in the British chart. Hopefully one day *all free streams* won't be counted to the chart - I don't know why/how that was allowed in the first place (!) - but I guess that will mean streaming chart sales will be as low as physical chart sales. Will enough people want to pay to listen to streaming songs if they can hear them for free? Seems unlikely.

The free version of Spotify is arguably the worst thing that ever happened to internet chart music. I like the idea of hearing free music but I don't think it should be eligible for the top 40/100 singles chart!

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Foxes

0

I've mentioned this a couple of times as well (and I think I've mentioned it to you before), and I fully support the idea of prioritising paid streams over free streams on the singles chart. I think that something like 100:1 for paid streams, 200:1 for free streams and 400:1 for YouTube could work very well (or 150:1, 300:1 and 500:1). I wouldn't support the idea of removing free streams from the chart as the chart is supposed to be a measure of a song's popularity, and free streams still measure a song's popularity, but I would definitely like to see paid streams be worth more than free streams.

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jayaston

2

To me, the charts should be a measure of songs that have been actively purchased. Back in the Jurassic age (the 1980s) people used to record songs off the radio and then listen to them over and over but that,obviously, didn't count towards the chart position because it didn't involve a transaction. So why should something that's listened to for free have any impact on where a record lands on the charts?

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James England

0

Jayaston - you make an interesting point! Yes, "listening for free" contradicts the very point of the chart! There is no other industry in the world that is dependent on 'free sales'. You can't download free tv shows/films on iTunes/Google Play/Amazon. You have a choice to stream a rental or stream buy the download but no free streaming. Netflix isn't free to stream. You pay a subscription. A decent compromise could be a two tier chart format. The official top 40/100 is based on paid streams and broadcast on Radio 1 and the second chart is based on free streams. This second chart would not be broadcast on Radio 1. Personally, I'd prefer one paid for streams chart only, but i can't imagine Spotify removing its free model so free streaming is here to stay.

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James England

0

The problem with ratio streaming sales is its arbitary nature. In the real world a physical or digital sale is a real 'sale' - ratio streaming 'sales' seem too abstract. If each chart stream were based on a sale - an amount debited from your online account - that's a true measure of a song's popularity.

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Painmix King

0

I agree with jayaston and as always on the same side as you James. But pretty much of what you're saying is just making the "Sales Chart" the priority chart, which i've been saying for months and months. It's that simple

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Spaceman

0
There is no other industry in the world that is dependent on 'free sales'. You can't download free tv shows/films on iTunes/Google Play/Amazon. You have a choice to stream a rental or stream buy the download but no free streaming.

Wrong. There are many sites that offer free, legal streaming for TV shows. For example, you can watch almost all of The X-Files for free on Fox.com. A few weeks ago, you could watch every episode for free, but they've since locked a few. Also, you can stream live sports games for free on Facebook. And on top of free streaming, there is also free broadcast.

Free streams and broadcasts are included in the TV charts, and while separate, they are considered equal to paid streams and cable. If it's ok for TV to count "free sales", why can't it be ok for music to count "free sales"?

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James England

0

With respect, you mention Fox.com having free content but then add its now locked! Fox realised free content is not a good idea. Anyway... we all know any free content is paid for by advertising. Uk Freeview tv is free to watch but dependent on ad revenue. Spotify free version is full of adverts. If you keep listening to 'free' Spotify it gets interrupted with audio adverts! The only truly free music online is of the file sharing kind which copyright law frowns upon! Every major industry (cars, electrical goods, white goods, financial services, the list is endless!) cannot rely on free content - that was my main point - and yet much of the official chart is based on free music sales.

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Spaceman

0
With respect, you mention Fox.com having free content but then add its now locked!

Which is normal. It happens with music too. For example, Drake's last big hit, One Dance, was and still is blocked on YT. You can still listen to covers or pirate the song for free, but then again you can pirate The X-Files too, so there again isn't much of a difference.

Also, I said only a few episodes are locked. You can still watch almost all of the show for free, and Fox isn't changing that. In fact, they're adding more free content as they make it. See for yourself, your favorite new show might be available there for free.

and yet much of the official chart is based on free music sales.

It's called the official singles chart, not the official sales chart. It measures the popularity of singles and hit album songs, not revenue generated from sales. Even before streaming, the chart didn't actually measure revenue.

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I Am A Stegosaurus

0

Wahey! Thought Contagion at #76. It should get in the top 40.

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Scott Harris

0

"FRIENDS" has already reached the top 10 in the UK and the top 5 in Ireland in only its 2nd week! Possible contender for #1?

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Dan Love

1

I doubt it. There are other songs which are also climbing quickly, namely 'Feel It Still' and 'All The Stars' which are bigger contenders for #1 simply based on their higher positions.

Also Drake's streaming numbers, which were already massive, have risen even more after a music video was released and Post Malone has released a new single which is also gathering lots of streams.

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Piran

3

My thoughts & observations on the UK charts as always…

- ‘God’s Plan’ by Drake remains at the top of the singles chart for a fifth consecutive week. This is its strongest week in terms of streaming performance, receiving 7.6 million plays over the past seven days across the country.

- ‘For You’ by Liam Payne & Rita Ora becomes the new #1 on the airplay chart. ‘God’s Plan’ drops 20-23 in this metric, so it might have already peaked on the radio.

- ‘The Middle’ by Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey climbs 50-37 in its fourth week on the chart. It’s not the first time Zedd & Grey have joined forces, as they teamed up with Hailee Steinfeld for ‘Starving’, which turned out to be a considerable hit here & a song that I was a big of, but for those of you who don’t know Maren Morris, she’s an American country singer who has already released four studio albums of her own. That said, I think her pop vocal is even better & her powerful vocals packed to fit the emotional content is the main reason why I like this far more than ‘Stay’ & while Alessia Cara is a good singer, I did find her range to be a lot more limited on that. However, the production isn’t much different to ‘Stay’, with the clicking beat that sounds like a car indicator & the synth-heavy verses which I think are cool, but I’m not a big fan of the drop & it’s not like the song in general has much momentum to it. The lyrics look at a relationship falling apart & the need to find a middle ground to try & keep it together & even though the content is emotional like I said earlier, the EDM production uplifts this well. Overall, an impressive collaboration & I hope this becomes big!

- Finally, ‘Capital Letters’ by Hailee Steinfeld & Bloodpop leaps 59-32 after last week’s debut, becoming Hailee’s fourth Top 40 appearance & Bloodpop’s second. So I don’t really have an overall opinion on Bloodpop just yet, as the only chart hit I’ve heard of his is ‘Friends’ with Justin Bieber, which I liked a fair bit. As for Hailee Steinfeld, as some of may know, I’m a massive fan of hers & even though it’s only got four songs, I highly recommend checking out her ‘Haiz’ EP & I can only hope we get a full-length debut album from her soon. As for this, even though I wouldn’t even put in my Top 3 favourite songs she’s appeared on, I still adore this, but I went in with high expectations anyway! It has a surprisingly deep meaning, with Hailee wanting to deliver a darker message as she sings about exploring new sides of life after following in love with someone who is adventurous & mentions the “capital letters” to emphasise that. I think it’s more Hailee’s cooing over the shimmery synths courtesy of Bloodpop that makes this fit the ‘Fifty Shades Freed’ soundtrack so well & her vocals here show why she’s such an incredible rising talent! I’m not sure how high up the charts this’ll reach, but this big second week climb is a good sign, so let’s make this a hit!

- On the albums chart, ‘The Greatest Showman’ soundtrack remains at #1 for a seventh consecutive week!

- The rest of the Top 5 is: ‘÷’ by Ed Sheeran (stationary at #2), Dua Lipa’s self-titled album (11-3), ‘Human’ by Rag’n’Bone Man (12-4) & ‘Camila’ by Camila Cabello (14-5).

- Other albums that got a boost from Brits performers include: ‘Gang Signs & Prayer’ by Stormzy (41-10, up 89% in sales from last week), ‘.’ by Kendrick Lamar (21-14), while two Oasis albums appear inside the Top 40, with ‘Time Flies’ at #27 & ‘What’s The Story Morning Glory’ at #35. It’s cool that all of these big gains happened after just two days!

- Looking ahead to next week, these songs could be entering the Top 40 for the first time: ‘Want You Back’ by 5 Seconds Of Summer, ‘Psycho’ by Post Malone ft Ty Dolla $ign, ‘Paradise’ by George Ezra, ‘Lullaby’ by Sigala & Paloma Faith, ‘You Are The Reason’ by Calum Scott, 'Wavey' by CLiQ ft Alika & maybe even more.

- Both new arrivals this week were amazing, but elsewhere, I also like seeing ‘All The Stars’ & ‘Friends’ hit the Top 10, as well as the big climb for ‘Mine’! Speaking of ‘All The Stars’, the 11-5 gain for it makes it Kendrick Lamar’s highest charting song as a lead artist in the UK (passing ‘Humble’, which reached #6 last April).

- Finally, I was happy with most of the winners at the Brits, especially Dua Lipa & Stormzy both winning two awards. I liked the performances in general, with ‘Supermarket Flowers’ by Ed Sheeran being my favourite of the night, just because of how much I love the song (although I was expecting him to do ‘Happier), but I loved Stormzy’s rap/speech in his performance & the fact that he made that much of a statement means his performance was a close second for me. The worst for me was Kendrick Lamar surprisingly, because I felt like his performance took too long to get going, while his flow & intensity weren’t up to their usual standard unfortunately.

- Thanks for reading everyone! I hope you all have a good weekend. :)

- My latest Crown Note chart: https://crownnote.com/charts/piran-delves/pirans-top-40-64

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Marcothedonjuan

1

I'm happy to see both Man Of The Woods and Say Something (a new peak) rise from just one day of activity following the Brits. Where do you think Say Something will peak next week? It will be another new peak as the song is currently leading the UK itunes chart with Rudimental's These Days close behind. I'm not sure how the UK weighs streaming versus sales but Rudimental should be the next #1 (of course not next week with Drake's massive streams).

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Foxes

0

Hey Piran! I think that 'God's Plan' will be the #1 for a quite a while longer yet, as there were no performances at the BRITs that could really challenge for the #1 spot. 'Say Something' may manage to enter the Top 10 come Friday, but if it does it will be lower down. It's climbing on streams but is still currently #28 on Spotify, and it had a really good day or 2 of being #1 on iTunes, but now it's #2 and is falling pretty fast. 'God's Plan' has a simply unbeatable amount of streams at the moment. Even 'Psycho' by Post Malone is over 300,000 streams behind on the latest Spotify chart.

I think that 'Supermarket Flowers' may be able to re-enter the Top 40 next week due to Ed's performance of it at the BRITs, but it will definitely be low down. It's doing reasonably well on iTunes, at #11 or #12 for most of the time since the BRITs, but its streaming performance will be what lets it down. Since Wednesday it's followed a pattern of 190 - 62 - 85 - 88 on Spotify.

I was very surprised when Ed performed 'Supermarket Flowers' instead of 'Happier' at the BRITs. I prefer 'Happier' but still like 'Supermarket Flowers', but I think that it was a bad move for Ed chart-wise. I could quite easily see 'Happier' going to #1 after a few weeks on the chart following a BRITs performance, but I'm not even sure if 'Supermarket Flowers' will re-enter the Top 10. 'Happier' has already proven itself to be much more popular, with 278m streams on Spotify, compared to 'Supermarket Flowers' which has 168m.

Speaking of streams for '÷' on Spotify, though, 'Bibia Be Ye Ye' passed 100m streams today, which means that all 16 songs on '÷' have now passed 100m streams! It's the first album to even come close to the achievement, beating out albums from streaming powerhouses like Drake and Justin Bieber, and beating out albums that would have to get much fewer songs to the landmark. '÷' is now the 2nd most streamed album on Spotify with 5.2bn streams, ahead of Ed's own 'x' with 5bn and Drake's 'Views' with 4.7bn, but behind Justin Bieber's 'Purpose' with 5.4bn.

I really like seeing 'The Middle' enter the chart this week, and I like seeing 'Capital Letters' enter. I also love that 'All The Stars' and 'FRIENDS' entered the Top 10, and that 'Never Be The Same' managed to re-enter for the 3rd time.

'The Greatest Showman' has now had a longer consecutive run at the top of the albums chart than anyone other than Adele or Ed Sheeran. The only albums that can beat or match it are Adele's '21' (11 weeks) and '25' (7 weeks), and Ed's 'x' (8 weeks) and '÷' (9 weeks). I do hope that something can replace it soon, though. I've never really liked the album and, for me at least, it's really overstaying its welcome.

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Piran

0

I'm happy to see those two JT songs gaining as well! :D
'Say Something' was fairly stable anyway, even before the Brits, but I think it could end up around #15 on Friday. It's sales lead dropped a lot today & the streaming rebound hasn't been anything massive, but at least either that or 'Supermarket Flowers' is going to have the biggest boost among the songs that were performed at the Brits.

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Piran

1

Hey Gameskiller! :)
Yeah, I even think that 'God's Plan' might even be #1 for 10 weeks, until it gets hit by the 300:1 streaming ratio.
I was also surprised by Ed's choice to perform 'Supermarket Flowers' as well, unless 'Happier' is now no longer the next single. I think that's the first time he's performed it live, considering it wasn't on any of his setlists on his tour last year. I think it'll enter the Top 40 though as it has consistently decent sales, but not very high up.
I think 'Psycho' might just make the lower Top 10 if its streaming continues to hold up well, but sales for that are dropping fast.

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Foxes

0

Yeah, if 'Happier' isn't the next single I will be pretty surprised given how well it's been performing. I don't think that 'Supermarket Flowers' will be able to reach as high of a chart position as 'Happier' would be able to.
I can see 'Psycho' entering the Top 5 with streams like it's getting now. Even if it doesn't sell well, being the 2nd most streamed song of the week should allow it to reach Top 5.

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Piran

1

'Supermarket Flowers' is definitely the most personal song on the album, so that's another reason why I think it would be better as an unreleased album track.
Yeah, looking at the Spotify figures for 'Psycho', Top 5 is certainly possible for it. What do you think of the song?

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Foxes

0

I think that 'Psycho' is an alright song, but it's definitely not as good as 'rockstar' for me. It's not a bad song by any means, but it's not really a song that stands out to me.

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Piran

1

I'm listening to it now & the production is so relaxing which is cool, Post Malone sounds fine, though I'm not a big fan of Ty Dolla $ign's part. As usual from the rapper, the content isn't all that interesting. Overall, probably a light 6/10 from me for now, which is slightly more than what I would give 'Rockstar'.