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Official Singles Chart on 10/3/2017

10 March 2017 - 16 March 2017

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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number9angel

0

the boomers in these comments were so pathetic 

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Joshua Sombra

0

They shouldn't of limited the artists songs to three because what if there is this song that deemed as popular for example 'I Don't Care' went at No.1 for 9 straight weeks and it went to stay at 2 weeks at No.2 then it dropped out of the Top 100 because of that stupid 3-track rule. They should bring album bombs back but not make every song of Ed Sheeran's new album on the Top 20. They should be spread out on the Top 100 and many other albums like Doja's Planet Her. It that one of her singles 'You Right' was also victim of this stupid rule. I hope it re-enters soon and knocks ou one of the others either 'Aint Sh*t' or 'Need To Know'.

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Mariana Linson

2

This is not an achievement, it's laughable and keeping out everyone else!!! 19 of his tracks are in the charts this week, 15 are new entries and 13 of them are by him!! Something's going on here. There are never that many new entries now, not even half that amount. He's becoming too overexposed, and looking to get banned from the charts at this rate. This way of compiling the charts needs to end now and go back to including paid downloads.

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Olli Manninen

1

This is just plain silly. The Singles Top 100 has totally lost its meaning. I mean, there were songs issued as singles back in the days when I was young....

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Prayogo Hartono

0

is this "Singles Chart" or "Album Tracks chart" ??? the tittle is Official Singles Chart Top 100, so it must be "single" that count on sale, download or stream ? ... Ed Sheeran dominated chart becouse of streams. in fact, Ed Sheeran just released 2 singles so far from his album Divide. But Why album tracks are counted too ? its not fair for other singers ? arrgggg chart are now a joke ...

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Vlado Danilov

0

This is not a chart, this is joke!

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Pekka Sahlberg

1

I used to listen to RADIO LUXEMBOURH (spelled wrong I know, sorry) back in the 80´s and up to 90´s and it was so exciting to hear something like Ultravox, Visage, Queen etc. enter the singles chart and really waiting for the next week to see how high those singles really end up. That´s all gone, so sad!!!!!

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James England

0

Yeah, things have changed. The internet - for better or worse - has changed the chart!

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Pekka Sahlberg

0

SO happy to see that SOFT CELL is back on the albums chart at #7!! I´ve loved their music ever since they started back in the 80´s and I still do!!!! YES!!!

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Pin Ball

1

Does anybody here remember the singles and album charts in 1982? For any of your trivia buffs who are old enough to recall that time, it was by far the most interesting year EVER for both singles and albums in that Gallup had just recently taken over its compiling, and boy, were there some interesting movements going on within both the top 75 singles and albums. There were some unprecedented HUGE leaps to number 1 from OUTSIDE THE TOP 25 - two of which happened weeks apart - 33 to number 1 [Captain Sensible's 'Happy Talk'] and 26 to number 1 [Musical Youth's 'Pass The Dutchie - which itself was part of the only ever trilogy of consecutive reggae number 1s - along with Culture Club and Eddy Grant - in chart history]. Some singles kept going up and down the charts from some strange reason - after entering in the top 40, they would oddly drop out, then re-enter again .... then we had quite possibly the single strangest event of all - a JOINT NUMBER 1 UK ALBUM in the same week. [Kids from Fame and ABC's Lexicon of Love]. It was a fascinating year for chart-watchers!!!

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James England

0

Any year is better than the first quarter of 2017, Pin Ball!

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Pin Ball

3

The singles charts [not the albums] have been absolutely effing meaningless since, oooh... from 2005 onwards... the inclusions of streams and downloads as well as physical formats only serves to show how the credibility of these listings has long fallen to farcical depths. The only way to curb this is to reintroduce physical formatting and *just* have downloads - NOT STREAMING - and vinyl format as well as the still just-about-hanging-on-for-dear-life CD format counting towards official sales. And, of course to BAN ALL ALBUMS TRACKS FROM THE SINGLES CHARTS AS ANY FOOL KNOW THIS DEFEATS THE WHOLE OBJECTIVE OF IT BEING CALLED A 'SINGLES CHART' DOESN'T IT? DUHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! Talk about dumbing down in the modern age!!

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James England

0

A potential way to resolve the problem with the chart:

Introduce a new album tracks chart. The album tracks chart will list the most popular streaming album tracks. For example, all of Sheeran's album tracks will be at the top of that chart. However, his single release - Shape of You - won't be in that chart, it will be in the official Top 40 Singles chart.

Spotify will also introduce a new album tracks chart so Spotify users can see what album tracks are popular.

If the OCC and Spotify were to agree on this new album tracks chart I think the singles chart can retain its legitimacy. The record industry, the OCC and Spotify (and other major streaming apps) would need to come up with a strict rule regarding what is a single. And the single would not be eligible for the album tracks chart. For example, Shape of You would never chart in the album tracks chart.

You should end up with a pure singles chart and a new album tracks chart. Depending on your preference you can choose to follow the singles chart or the album tracks chart or both.

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Rody Withers

0

The British "Singles" Chart is a joke. I've lost interest in it. I used to look forward to seeing it - now I simply roll my eyes when I see artists such as Ed Sheersn hogging the top spots notveith singles but with downloads. Bor-ing. Meanwhile other artists such as Katy Perry who release singles get jostled out by the download rush.

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Christopher Paul Steffison

2

What is going to be done to restore the charts back to how they where, or is the chart now dead Because the new way is redicules it as been spoilt, so what is going to be done????

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Nick Mpouzalas

0

This is the 9/11 of Brit music..

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Nick Mpouzalas

0

This is the WORST THING HAPPENED in music - after Glee mania...
Its the end of THE MUSIC as we know it.. Uuuuuuuust..

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etin

0

worst week of occ's history

SF

Simon Flynn

0

Knowone disputes Ed Sheeran is a nice guy but if you take his and stormzy entries within the last 2 weeks it is a joke. When will they just change it to account for single releases only, album tracks should NOT be counted it is unfair to other artists. I also feel that it should be based on sales also.

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Painmix King

0

As i've told many people, there is a seperate sales chart. Just click on the blue button. No one seems to look at it. I agree it should be the priority chart though

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J Hobson

0

Clearly streaming has killed the charts and putting in every track of an album just clutters it up. God help new acts. The industry will be dead in a decade if it allows this to continue. One track per album has to be the rule and soon.

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I Am A Stegosaurus

0

That Little Mix song No More Sad Songs... so they should just sing along a little f**king louder to a happy song!!! Haha... anyone here familiar with Bring Me The Horizon?

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Gore Nagy

0

It's been a long agony, now it's over.

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I Am A Stegosaurus

2

Ups and Downs for this abnormal week in the UK Charts.

Ups:
Well, I'm glad Divide hit #1 in the album charts, making sure Stormzy is off the top.
Some of the songs (Galway Girl and New Man in mind) on Divide are good so I'm happy to see them in.
Mr Brightside dropping out of the top 100 is good as I kind of don't want it to break Chasing Cars' record. You know the one.

Downs:
SHAPE OF YOU STILL #1.
I LOVE Ed Sheeran but this is ridiculous. Conclusive proof that album tracks should keep OUT of the top 40. 16 out of the top 20 Ed Sheeran songs, with only 3 being singles? There's no words.
The climbing of Solo Dance. Who (besides Calum Pk7) even LISTENS to that?

Yeah, I rushed it a little this week...

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Eddy Selby

0

Streaming is not reality, its virtual reality as far as a chart position is concerned.
Streaming is not good for NEW artists, as 100 stream equates to one sale. I've just released a charity song (for a laugh and not a career move and available from Amazon if your interested) and have a target of 2500-3000 songs in total, and or 2500-3000 in one week so that it may, may get into the top 100. But with streaming, I would not have any chance whatsover as I would need 25-35 thousand streams for the same effect..! Impossible for a new artist, impossible for me, unless I have a massive publushing machine behind me which I have not.
Seriously....when you bought a single, they did'nt count how many times you played it back in your bedroom. Thats exactly what they are doing now with streaming. Thats just not reality.
I fully agree that that the Official Charts need to keep up to date in the way people buy music so it reflects the charts, but streaming is not reality, its vertual reality, and one step to far for the charts.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/8c08ba312e2b475cc227a2dbb6dedf2f6add72170967181b2c77cc6820b9b0a3.gif

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I Am A Stegosaurus

0

Actually it was changed so 150 streams equals a sale

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pete2784

0

Yes, I gladly join the comments with the same flair. So, let me see, 13 new entries in one week from one artist inside top 20. Yes, there has been moments in chart history when artists re-released all their singles at once. Yes, there has been several singles from one artist in the charts simultaneously. So what happened this week? Is this singles chart, the variety of all sorts of music coming together from various artists? Yes, we have a problem, when every song can be on its own as a single. They are not glued together anymore by the constraints of technology from the yester-years, like they used to. This is when modernity meets the past! Here and now, singles and albums mean nothing anymore. There are just songs. The clue is how to adapt the charts to reflect these new times....Clearly, this feat of Ed here is a shock, but nevertheless a reality. What solution would be most appreciated and fair in order to reflect the most popular songs. Suggestions...?

KT

Keith Taylor

1

Absolutely ridiculous situation the charts are now a joke. I've been compiling an iPod playlist of every single number 1 since Al Martino in 1952 to the current Ed Sheeran single. 9started doing this way back in 2004 and been diligently updating every time a new single reached the top).This last couple of years when streaming was included and other tweaks are destroying what was once a very exciting weekly countdown. Streaming needs to be removed and if necessary listed independently on another chart. The system needs to be reset to reflect what is really happening.

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Sunshine Gal

1

anyone think ed will continue to lock the top 20 next week, or was this feat only for 1 week?

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I Am A Stegosaurus

1

I bet only like 5-10 will stay in the top 40 next week

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Sunshine Gal

0

that's crazy...cuz if he achieved that over here, he'd completely re-write history. so far, only the beatles have achieved 5 top 10's in the same week.

D

disqus_INfXmJAGl9

1

It`s official the UK Charts are well and truly dead.
Been following since 1975, NO MORE!

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DJColzz

0

Streaming music is not a sale it should not be included in the chart. Singles should be treated as just that a song specifically released as a single, Not plays of an album track. It is just a mockery and a sham. Streaming needs to go. Apple Music, Amazon, Spotify and so on need to go. Unless the users actually buy the single releases. This chart need to go back to basics. No more adding stuff to make it count. Streaming is useless there is no way possible streaming is accurate in figures. The chart should solely concentrate on single releases that are bought as a digital download or physical sales.

The music industry will collapse in this country if it continues. Everyone will just stream. As said before, everyone loves a bit of Ed Sheeran, but the entire album in the top 20 is nothing more than a complete sham. This is not a chart. It is an industry insider promotion package and nothing more. Ridiculous.

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Painmix King

0

There is a sales only chart, which should be publicised as the priority main chart. Also to make it into a singles chart all the tracks should not be available to buy individually as soon as the album is released. Maybe release a new track as a single every couple of months.

DB

Dave Brown

1

Oh dear. It all started so well back in 1952. When Radio 1 moved the chart to Friday afternoons, it seemed the writing was on the wall and now unfortunately it seems to have been proved right. Streaming has ruined the chart. Even the OCC only counts sales when talking about million sellers. We had the Drake debacle last year when apparently he was number 1 for 15 weeks even though sales showed he only had 3 weeks at number 1 with sales and now we have this situation. Real shame. It is telling that the most listened chart show in the UK now is Pick of the Pops on Radio 2 with the charts from previous years as opposed to the latest offerings.

PF

paul Freeman

2

I've just said to my 33 year old son that today ends my music collection addiction, having every charted song since November 1952, (not actual physical items) it's not that I am a fan of today's music, quite the opposite, False sounds & false vocals have destroyed the music industry, I will now spend the rest of my life listening to the the previous 65 years of music, Elvis has left the Building, thank you and Good night

D

disqus_INfXmJAGl9

0

Spot on!

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marcooni

0

Lets' not forget there are other charts on here. Sales, Physical, Downloads and none of them are swamped by Ed Sheeran. I wonder what his next single will be? That would be a bit pointless wouldn't it. By the way yes the BBC Chart show (4.00pm-6.00pm) Friday did play all of Ed Sheeran's songs - what else could they do?

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Kasper Elbjørn

1

This week's singles chart has nothing to do with a singles chart. I have nothing but respect for Ed Sheeran but listening to a song has nothing to do with buying a single whether physical or digital

K

Knight

0

Ahhh.. I am trying to imagine the nightmare the producers of Top Of The Pops will have if it was still being recorded. Mind you, they will just invite Sheeran and play his whole album!

K

Knight

0

This chart is a joke. There is no sense coming on here to see who has released a new 'single'. But then, nobody in 2017 buys a 'single' physical track like we used to in the 70's and 80s'. Back then it was a 'physical entity' - an artists released ONE track as promotional material for her/his new album - he appeared on TV to promote it, it was played on the radio if they chose to and a video was shot for it to take the promotion further. The consumer bought the track depending if they liked it. Today I can keep it on repeat on spotify and it will chart, therefore the joke above, hear it multiple times on you tube, and then convert it to MP3 using an array of software at our disposal. There the question must be asked - what is the meaning of the 'SINGLES' chart when actual PHYSICAL sales are irrelevant. BY SALES, I will include digital sales, but NOT a track being played - Playing it very different from parting with hard earned cash to OWN IT!.
This needs a serious rethink by the powers that be.

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James England

1

Another big problem with the current format, if you listen to Spotify (free) the streams are counted. This doesn't make much sense to me! Paid for streaming should count, not free streaming. Spotify has stuck with the free and premium models but it's time Spotify changed the streaming rules. Free streaming no longer counts to the chart.

R

RIME

1

Why wouldn't it? The ad model generates a sizable portion of revenue for the label and artist. The current formula accounts for the average between how much revenue is being contributed by the two pools since they get yearly consumption reports (to the effect of "this is the number of unique ad-supported users and this is our premium subscribership number, and this on average is how much the two groups listen to per day/year" but don't get separated stream numbers on a weekly basis.

S

Sean

2

I agree 100% with you guys mark McCabe, james England, dave Jackson, kevin Summers and the rest of you.
R.I.P the singles chart!!!.
we need to get rid of the STREAMING/downloads im lost for words, its the worst chart ive ever seen in my life, it just gets worse every week!!.
(FYI i do like Ed Sheeran)

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Patrick Nobbs

1

This is the worst chart I have seen anywhere in the world, ever...Billboard does not have these issues; a national chart comprising one artist does not represent anything other than one fan base across a range of products--the rules need to focus on what single the record company wants represented in the chart---or combine the artist's sales--when a chart so clearly does not represent the diversity of what the country is listening to and buying it will not survive---it has become a stilted chart with the same artists and songs dominating the top slots for much of a year--a dismal situation. It needs a radical overhaul. Including airplay might help.

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James England

1

We'll have to see if the OCC and the major streaming apps take any action, Will they? Given the outrage they should but if they don't care they won't do anything. Ed Sheeran's record label won't want any change, that's for sure!

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WinEr Pasquin

0

Now you know why radio airplay should still be incorporated in the charts nowadays.

RH

Richard Hewison

0

this is SUCH an easy scenario to resolve : the bottom track sold 31,718 - you simply subtract this from each other single and add to the album sales

thus shape of you would still be no 1, but with 108,909 not 140,627

Galway girl would be on 58,365 not 90,083, but still no 2 as deserved

castle on the hill would get 42,302 and end at no 4

perfect would score 30,881 and come in at no 7

only new man would have made the top 30 other than this

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James England

0

I think the OCC should enforce a one single per artist rule, Richard. This rule lasts for an eight weeks duration. After eight weeks an artist can release another song, Your idea will still result in multiple songs by one artist. The chart needs major change.

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Pekka Sahlberg

1

I´m speechless! This chart has nothing to with anything anymore. I have been following these Official singles and Albums chart for like 35 years now and....pure rubbish...doesn´t reflect the real situation.

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GirlPlz

0

Who is the director of the UK charts?

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GirlPlz

0

This methodology is only encouraging streaming. I thought artists preferred people buy their music
Plus - when you buy, it counts as one sale - the chart doesn't reflect that you may have listened to the song over and over.

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GirlPlz

1

What a joke. On the one hand, it may represent the most popular songs in sales/streaming for a week. On the other, the majority will be gone next week. It's also unfair to older acts (the legends) who didn't have this privilege. They need to tighten up the entry rules - only specified singles can chart. Not every song that happens to be available because of streaming and digital sales.

P

PMan

3

The charts are completely ridiculous! Have still never understood why a stream should get credit. Streaming the song is not the same as buying a song! I have Apple Music. When I add that to my play list, I download the song. If I listen to it 1000 times I doubt it gets counted towards the charts. So why should 1000 YouTube or Spotify listens get credit.

R

RIME

1

Actually, when you download through Apple Music, the song keeps cookies on how much you've listened to it when offline and syncs that info with Apple Music that send that info through their streaming numbers to OCC.

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GirlPlz

0

are you sure? Proof? Not to mention all the privacy breaches with this

P

PMan

0

Are you sure? Even if I download that into iCloud?
The point is, why should the number of times I listen to a song count? It's an inaccurate way of showing popularity among the population, especially when it costs nothing to listen to the song. If I buy a cd, no one can tell how many times I listen to it!

P

PMan

0

Also what about listening to songs through the wrong YouTube provide and not on official vevo accounts. The system is flawed!

R

RIME

1

It doesn't collect personal information, only the number of plays.

R

RIME

1

It matters because you don't own the song, you're basically renting it. Your subscription money goes into a pool to be doled out to artists based on how much their music gets played. In effect then, your play generates additional revenue by increasing their proportion of that pool. Based on the current economy, the current rate (1500 streams = 1 sale iirc) is roughly the average for how much revenue that proportion increase per play would be valued at.

R

RIME

0

YouTube isn't part of this chart in any case, so your assumption about how the system is flawed is itself flawed.

P

PMan

0

RIME - that's another flaw! Why should Apple Music get counted! Are you saying artists don't get revenue from YouTube!?

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GirlPlz

0

that is personal information. I doubt this true anyway

D

disqus_PzOreTIDRY

0

Then there should be a rental chart for singles. There used to be one for DVDs

AB

allan b

10

the entire album in the top twenty and at number one in the album chart GET RID OF STREAMING IT IS NOT A SALE go back to sales thats what the charts has always been about i have followed the chart since 1973 but now it has got stupid and is no longer an official chart when the bmrb did the chart none of this would have been allowed time for someone else to take over

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Kasper Elbjørn

1

I agree. Great album, very talented guy. But this has to change

NJ

Nigel Jones

1

Snap, I've been following the charts since 1973 too. I thought it had gotten bad in the late 90s with the continuous new entries by unknown acts at number one and the big tumbles that followed a week later. But this is just daft. TBH my fascination with the charts began waning when Whigfield entered at number one in 1994, and I stopped listening to the new chart every week around 6 years ago. But I still can't help sneaking a peak on here every weekend.

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Paul Mount

2

Absolutely ridiculous. Iv'e been following the charts since the 1970s but this is just pointless and meaningless now. A song should not be eligible for the 'singles' chart unless it's, you know, actually released as a single. It should be made impossible for peoplle to download individual tracks from albums. Utter nonsense.

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Naos

2

Oh god, and I thought the US charts were ridiculous with having the entire album on the chart. But this one... has his entire album in the Top 20. Why must you, UK? I thought you were better than this.

D

disqus_PzOreTIDRY

5

This week sees the exposure of how bad the chart has become. After decades of different rules that have distorted the chart till it's completely unrecognisable and has no credibility, implementing the streaming data has been the final indignation of the sad state of the UK singles chart. The result has been the complete appearance of 16 "album" tracks of Ed Sheeran split and spread across the top 20. It's a farce. We have to remember this kind of chart behaviour isn't new. The Beatles back catalogue was reissued in 1976 when 7 singles returned back to the top 30 and when Elvis Presley died in 1977, there was a succession of reissues that followed and more "recently" in January 1983, the entire Jam back catalogue was re-released following the breakup but they didn't occupy the dizzying heights of the top 20. It is clear that streaming data has a big part to play and now implemented as part of a "sale" which in my opinion is an example of a bad chart rule that was introduced but shouldn't have, because it doesn't constitute an actual sale more of a consumption. So the question is what is the chart suppose to represent ... sales or consumption? The singles chart can't represent both or we will continue to see more odd and extreme chart behaviour.

R

RIME

1

Easy, it's consumption announced in terms of sales. It's more easy to understand when you're saying "this song got 90,000 sales' worth of revenue" as opposed to "this song got 3,000 chart points, which is really big, trust us".

D

disqus_PzOreTIDRY

3

It's not actual sales. The streaming data is getting in the way of singles chart. Not true picture of people buying singles trust me.

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Odine Resear

1

If the total number of single entries match say 80% of an album listed contents. Those tracks should be considered an album downlad. The number of downloads should then be collated and translated as an album sale

BW

Bob Wood

2

Does this situation not now bring the whole idea of a "singles" chart into complete and utter disrepute. What's the point anymore? Maybe it should be discontinued immediately.
But, hey, Johnny Cash at 96....a true artist!

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Painmix King

0

Did anyone listen to The Chart Show on Radio 1. I just wondered how they presented it. I can't imagine they played over an hour of Ed Sheeran tracks, did they ?
R.I.P. The Official Singles Chart!

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James England

1

Greg James skipped most of the Sheeran tracks outside the top 10. He played all the Sheeran songs in the top 10. Very surreal chart show. Ed Sheeran was interviewed and he did suggest the chart needs changing. He was trying his best to downplay his 'achievements'.

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Simeon Davenport

0

If you're upset about streaming "ruining" the charts because of Ed Sheeran's album dominating the top 20, please watch this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AT8GgRpDDLI
It's about a year old and this guy talks specifically about the U.S. Billboard charts, but what he says there applies to the UK charts too.

R

RIME

1

See, here's what I don't understand from the criticism: Galway Girl was the second-biggest revenued song of the week, 3rd in raw sales and 2nd in streaming, a considerable quantity higher than Something Just Like This' #17 rank in the latter to compensate for the sales lead. In what world is it not the second-biggest song in the country? Just because it hasn't been pushed to radio? Who cares, that's not important and it's never been an actual factor in the chart as a metric. You guys get hung up too much on the word "single" in the classical sense. News flash: practically every song is a single because you can indeed purchase it as an isolated track. It'd be a move of ignorance to filter away the biggest songs of the week simply because people like stagnancy and don't like when an artist is extremely popular, and I don't even care especially about Ed Sheeran.

J

Jstar

1

I 100% agree with you.

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GirlPlz

1

the problem - inconsistent with history of the chart. We have two major eras. Pre-digitial and post-digital. Chart should be consistent throughout time.

P

PMan

-1

RIME - it's simple. You said with Apple Music the revenue is shared among the artists. Fine. But I subscribe to Apple Music. Just because I listen to his track 1,000 times, doesn't mean I'm spending more money to listen to his track. I'm still one person only. The number of times I listen to his track shouldn't distort the charts because then it is not a matter of popularity. For example, if Ed Sheeran fans like to download and listen on repeat, it's not fair if other fans do not have the same pattern.

R

RIME

0

Then go to the Physical Sales chart. The point of the charts is to be relevant: physical singles don't represent a large market share anymore, and if it were the only component of the chart, it would be largely ignored as irrelevant and not reflecting what was actually popular in the country. That's honestly not worth consistency in any practical sense, and it's not like it's completely ignored since it and individual downloads are still given their own charts.

KS

Kevin Summers

5

This week see's the death of the UK singles chart!

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Zoltán Oskovits

1

:(((( Agreed. At least we have the last 65 years.

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Kasper Elbjørn

0

Agree

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James England

10

I wish to echo David Poza's comments about this week chart. I have listened to the UK Top 40 Singles Chart since the early 1980s. Regardless of progress and technological change, the chart remained the standard measure of popular music. Each generation would follow their favourite singers/groups and buy their singles. It's such a shame that in 2017 the chart ended up with album tracks and multiple tracks by the same artist. This has destroyed the chart's legitimacy.

It's also a great shame the Official Chart Company were unable or unwilling to implement sensible change to the chart. Limiting the amount of songs per artist would seem a reasonable compromise but the OCC surrendered too quickly to the march of streaming. Had they respected the founding principle of the chart - a chart based on single sales - Ed Sheeran wouldn't have 16 songs in the top 20, he wouldn't have 9 songs in the top 10.

RIP UK TOP 40 SINGLES CHART

R

RIME

2

What's illegitimate? I'd consider it illegitimate if the third-biggest selling song (and second-biggest streamed) wasn't allowed on the chart at all because of some outdated rule. We Americans had a bunch of songs (Don't Speak, Torn, Men in Black, the list goes on) that were very prevalent in the country outright missing from the Hot 100 simply because of a stupid rule that there had to be a physical single. Filters have no place in talks of popularity.

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GirlPlz

6

Charts are a joke. No one takes them seriously anymore

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Andy Davies

1

I totally agree with you, this is a singles chart not a all songs on album chart as this week has proved. Its now a joke and is losing credibility when this happens. I have also been a longstanding listener of the Radio 1 UK Top 40 since 1984 in the days of Richard Skinner, later Bruno Brookes and Mark Goodier but not so much as we entered the 2000s. There should be some factor in place as to what is the song that the record company, radio and general public like the most which will be a single, generally radio will be playing one major track after a given release date so perhaps this has to be a deciding factor that this is the "single" to be counted for sales (streaming/downloads and the minimal physical releases). Something has to be done, streaming is ruining the charts now, One would argue its meant to reflect the popular music of Britain today and well the singles chart has done that for decades well until the digital era has almost completely replaced the physical format era (excluding the albums/LP vinyl revival). Allowing the same rules to stay the same when the platforms on which music is consumed on is proving a disaster as it allows album tracks to come into a "singles" chart. This week proves the Singles chart has to change as we are now taking in sales from a different platform entirely and though I personally don't really like it too much, I think radio airplay has to become a big deciding factor rather like the American Billboard and defunct R&R charts have done for decades. Some shake up needs to happen and the OCC needs to act faster than it is.

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Gore Nagy

0

At least we had some nice 90's style big tumbles this week.

KS

Kevin Summers

4

Why should streams count? People pay a monthly subscription, and then every time they play it, it counts as 1/100th of a sale? This is open to corruption by fans of an artist, who could put the track on repeat whilst they sleep/when at work etc.

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Pin Ball

0

I ceased to take them seriously ever since the passing of the 1990s. End of.

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Andii

0

Exactly! By all means, have a chart of streams, but it should never have been mixed in with the existing singles chart and then presented as if it's the same thing (e.g. pretending that Drake being streamed for 15 weeks is competition for Bryan Adams' 16 week run at #1 on sales)

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Naos

2

And radio is open to payola.

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Karl Macnaughton

0

I've been listening almost as long as you but couldn't disagree more about including airplay and feel that would be a disaster. I'd be against limiting the run of a song too. Ed Sheeran's album is a bit exceptional as practically every track does feel like a single. I think streaming is really important but would support further dilution of its impact over including airplay any day. Airplay would ruin it completely for me (though we'll all have our own opinions). I'm loving the charts as they are though, it feels like the public control them with the current rules and that's how it should be.

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Joshua Sombra

0

Charts are not really that important though.

J

Jstar

1

Congrats to Ed on the history making feats today. Having 16 songs in the top 20 is basically impossible. Way to go Ed. Also he had the highest debut ever for a male on the albums chart. Give it up to Ed. This is an extremely amazing accomplishment!

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Piran

1

Hey Jstar! Have you had a good week buddy? :)
Yeah, I still can't believe what Ed has achieved on both the singles & albums chart! :O
Have you been able to check out any of the album tracks then? :D

J

Jstar

1

I'm fine. Today is my late day at work though. So I can't talk to much. I haven't listened to the album but I still can't believe how impressive it was. Hope your week had been fine Piran.

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Piran

1

Fair enough. I'm actually about to sign off now too!
My week has been good thanks! Hopefully chat to you over the weekend. :)

A

Andrew077

1

This is getting ridiculous now. I can't understand why an artist can be allowed to have every track of their album charting individually in the "singles" chart and this has been happening for the past 2 weeks now. I think it's just pure monopolisation, and unfair on other artists who are trying to release new material. There ought to be a regulation on this.

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James England

1

Andrew, yes it's outrageous, unfair and made a mockery out of the chart.

J

Jstar

1

I actually agree with letting album songs chart. But I seem to be in the small minority on this article haha.

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Sakgra

2

This is The official Ed Sheeran Chart.most boring chart in history

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Techfan

2

On other news, HDD has reported that Sony/ATV Music Publishing has published or co-published the No. 1 single in the U.K. each week for an entire year (52 weeks) starting with Mike Posner’s “I Took A Pill In Ibiza".

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Sunshine Gal

1

any news on paul mccartney's pending lawsuit against them? oh did you know sony/atv has divisions in just about every language everywhere? even a latin sony/atv division...mj sure was a visionary!

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Techfan

1

I don't see any updates about the lawsuit. Yes, Sony Music is quite large and everywhere.

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Sunshine Gal

1

well, sony knows who to thank on that one ;) so will ed have any new top 10s over here next week?

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Techfan

1

Yes, MJ was quite an asset to them. ;)

I'm guessing among Ed's album tracks, Perfect would probably debut in the Top 20 and Galway Girl in the Top 40.

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Sunshine Gal

1

wow! think he'll get his 3rd top 10 hit with 'perfect'? if so, he's 3 away from matching george michael's 6 top 10's feat :)

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Techfan

1

I think Piran and I would probably agree that's probably one potential hit,not necessarily because we love it but because it does sound like one. ;)

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Sunshine Gal

1

same here...think he could match or even top george michael's 6 top 10 feat? so far, george still holds the all time record for a uk act with 6 top 10's off of the 'faith' album. i wonder if ed will have more than 6? ;D

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Techfan

1

It turns out those 6 Top 10 were also Top 5s which is quite a high bar. Since Castle on the Hill just missed the Top 5 (for some reason US Radio simply refuses to play it), the latter record is probably beyond reach. But the former could come into play at some point depending on how people receive the other singles. How Would You Feel was a promotional single that I wasn't expecting to do that well in the US, but has done well as least in the UL and Australia.

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Agenor Mark

3

Perfect is expected to debut in the low 30s (38), and Galway girl in the low 50s (58). :-)
http://i.imgur.com/gMoUe1m.gif

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Techfan

1

First time I see you here! Thanks for the update.

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Agenor Mark

1

I visit this site every friday, to see the charts, but I don't comment. If I remember correctly there were not that many comments in here before, but I see that most of the hot 100 commenters are here. These are simm's early predictions for hot 100, found them on that forum he is a member of and he posts them regularly there. :-)

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Techfan

1

I see. You're a "lurker" (non-participant) of the Official Chart discussions. We'll see how those predictions play out by Tuesday at the latest. simm's predictions are at ATRL? ;)

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Agenor Mark

1

You make me sound creepier than I usually am :-D
Yes, at ATRL, in the charts section, BB charts thread. ;-)

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Techfan

1

Yeah, you got that I was kidding. Of course, it's up to you whether you want to participate or not.

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Agenor Mark

1

Of course I got it! :-) I think I'll restrain from commenting here in the future, especially since I see that the person that soured me on commenting on hot 100 is also commenting here. It's really annoying when someone jumps on your every comment, not invited. At least I can report such person on that forum site. :-D
Talk to you on the next article about some other extraordinary thing that happened in the music industry. Hope you're doing well... the job thing turned out ok? :-)

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Sunshine Gal

1

hey guess who emailed me? gary trust! he tallied 'hysteria' @ 78 wks in the top 10 and told me they appreciate my comments on all the articles :D i wrote him back telling him what a longtime fan of bb i am and to say hi to fred bronson and keith caulfield for me. but also, def leppard is never incl. in the short list of albums spending 1 yr in the top 10...oh gary's a big fan of theirs!

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Sunshine Gal

1

here's gary's email:

Hi Sunshine Gal! :)

The set has spent 78 total weeks (so exactly a year-and-a-half total, although not consecutively) in the Billboard 200's top 10. Not sure what we've written or not, I'd have to search. But I'm a fan of theirs!

Hope you're well. And always appreciate your comments on our stories!

Gary

J

Jstar

1

Hey Agenor. How is everything going. I haven't seen you on billboard in awhile.

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Agenor Mark

1

Hi, Jstar! :-) I'm pleasantly surprised, I thought nobody (except from Techfan) even remembers I used to comment on BB. I'm doing quite good, everything's in a right place now. :-) I stopped commenting on BB (I'm pretty sure I won't be going back) because of a certain individual who kept jumping on every comment I wrote, always trying to start a fight. Also there were some personal things needed sorting out at that time. Nowadays I just go to BB to read the articles. I must say that I miss your weekly lists though :-)
How's everything with you? Doing ok? :-)

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Techfan

1

Hopefully, you'll get featured in an Ask Billboard column as Joseph did! ;)

J

Jstar

1

You use to comment all the time. I definitely remember you. I came back in around September but I really haven't seen you since I came back.

But I understand taking care of personal matters. I was gone for over 4 months. But I'm glad to hear you are doing fine. I'm sorry to hear that you had to deal with problems on billboard while I was gone. But hopefully you can return one day. But if you can't that's perfectly fine. I am currently doing a series of lists based on the year end lists. On Monday we will be picking our top 10 favorite songs from billboards 2010 year end list. We have done 2015-2011 so far. We are going back each year.

But I am doing well right now. Thanks for asking though.

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Agenor Mark

1

Yes, I was quite a regular in the comment section. ;-) I stopped at the beginning of August, I promised my son we'll go on a two week vacation in Spain just the two of us (he's way too dependent on me so we had an agreement that if he spends summer with grandparents from both sides, we will go on a vacation when he gets back), and when we came back I didn't have any desire to go back and comment. I just popped up once to post one of those year-to-date album sales lists that I used to do regularly, I promised Techfan I'll do it.

I'm glad to hear you haven't ran out of ideas for lists, I'm sure you're all still having fun. :-)
I'd ask you to say hi to other commenters, but I'm pretty sure none of them care, so why bother, right? ;-) I'm glad to hear that you're doing well. :-)

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Techfan

1

Too bad for that! Anyway, things didn't turn out too well for me selling on the street. My partners had even more financially issues and it was getting to be a no win situation for me. Plus, it got dangerous. I actually had three guys surround me and try to mug me but somehow I resisted and they did steal anything before running. I've been working in a friend's wife handbag making factory helping her with some administrative issues (mostly inventory) for almost a couple of months. Thanks for asking. Don't be a stranger. ;)

J

Jstar

1

No problem. Sometimes you do lose the desire. Some days I hardly want to comment. But I do it anyway lol.

But that is nice you went on vacation and spent time with your son. My Sister actually went to Spain too. It looks like a great place. I'm sure there are still some people who remember you. But enjoy your self in whatever you are doing. I hope to talk to you in the future again though. Well it was good talking to you Agenor.

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Agenor Mark

1

Thankfully everything turned out ok and you weren't hurt. It's good to hear you found a more secure job. :-)

You know me, I pop up out of nowhere and surprise you from time to time. Be well, talk to you soon. :-)

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Agenor Mark

1

It's beyond your control, the commenting, right? :-)
Also it's not like we lack time together, since it's just the two of us, but a promise is a promise. And Spain is wonderful, indeed. I don't regret it at all. :-)
Nice talking to you, too. All the best! :-)

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Techfan

1

BTW, I saw both your NBA teams lost yesterday and the Warriors play the Spurs 2night! Too bad both teams have major injuries ... ;)

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Sunshine Gal

0

yeah i know....steve kerr made the decision to rest the star players. i mean, we're in the playoffs and all, but i was looking forward to the game all wk. ok buddy, i'll see you on the 200 and hot 100 articles :)

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Sunshine Gal

0

well if not, the thought is very cool to respond back considering all the emails he must get each week ;). and the fact he knows who i am :))))))

FG

Frank Griffin

1

why so many ed sheeran songs in the charts?

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Sunshine Gal

0

i think he had the highest downloads and streaming to warrant all the top positions.

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Painmix King

0

I may be wrong but i think it was the release of his new album

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David Poza

3

RIP Singles Chart. Today all the remains of variety and common sense have been destroyed by an over-hyped red-haired. I bid farewell to the chart which has seen good times, bad times, near-coma times, and their ultimate death today.

1952-2017.

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Lelly

1

That Ed Sheeran needs to step his game up. He let 4 of the top 20 slots go to other acts. Disappointing. Maybe next week he'll sort it out?

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FairiesInferno

1

It's not Ed Sheeran's fault though it's the people running the chart and it needs changing

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mildredfarts

2

ffs...this is just nonsense now. i like Ed Sheeran,we live just 15 miles apart but i don't want this type of singles chart anymore..where one act can totally dominate the top 5,the top 10..but ridiculously the top 20?! it's a sheer-annihilation of everyone else's output.

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FairiesInferno

1

I love Ed's new album but this is the worst chart in it's history even Ed says that things need to change but congratulations to him anyway

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Christopher Bebbington

0

Really pointless chart this week. He didn't release an album of singles, he released album tracks. Remind me again what's the name of this chart ?

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Piran

0

That's the only problem I have with all of this Ed Sheeran dominance; why are non-singles charting in a singles chart? Regardless, the songs are still very good.

MM

Mark McCabe

9

A shake up needs to be done as as you said it's the official chart singles and other artists aren't getting the credit anymore, no one is going to want to release a single anymore. I've been buying singles since 1983 and now pay for Apple Music just so these artists can at least get some money from their recordings, even thou I have Apple Music I still buy the cd album just so I can read who wrote it who knicked music from who and so on, the digital world is killing all the stuff what music was about not just a stream or a download, most music not all has had peoples hard work and heart put into the songs they put out.
PS I don't mind Ed Sheeran but it seems to be a lot of people's album chart songs like with stormzy last week

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Naos

2

Maybe they need to pull from Billboard in the US and include radio airplay. Because Sheeran likely won't be doing something similar over there. Sure, his entire album may debut, but it won't take up the whole Top 20.

MM

Mark McCabe

-2

If they went by radio1 playlist Coldplay would be no1 every week, I remembered years ago saying turn TFM off as it's 'same hits all day TFM'. But I now feel like radio 1 are doing the same but there is no way I'm going to the dark side (radio 2) as I don't feel old enough for that station

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Mariana Linson

1

Actually Radio 2 has a huge demographic of young people - a lot of which are much, much younger than you!!

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Karl Macnaughton

0

I prefer the chart to be decided by what people are choosing to listen to (rather than what radio stations decide they should be). Occasionally that might mean a huge artist like Ed Sheeran has a lot of tracks in the chart for a few weeks, but really 4 or 5 of them would have been singles at some stage anyway. Streaming seems a more accurate way of deciding on a track's popularity as it shows what people are actually listening to. What people buy has always been a good proxy for this too, so using a combination of both does seem best and leads to what feels like the most democratic chart in the world. I'd be utterly devastated if airplay started to be included as that would just open it up to corporate control with record companies buying airplay from radio stations and the like and I feel that would be the deathknell of the chart. I remember hearing of things charting on airplay alone in the USA, which is farcical. It was a bit crappy back in the 90s when everything went 1-7-29-oblivion; the turnover was far to fast and I hated having a new number 1 practically every week. It's the opposite way round now but these things come in waves and it'll likely sort itself out over time :-)

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Naos

0

Actually, songs that were mainly airplay such as Will Smith's "Men In Black" were not allowed to chart. Record companies can't really buy airplay - payola is illegal, and with technology, it's easier to track. And plus, these days, the radio needs record labels more than labels need radio.

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Karl Macnaughton

0

I definitely heard of one song doing it. I think it was Mariah Carey. I could have misunderstood though as I don't follow the Billboard chart.

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Joshua Sombra

0

Exactly, and this stupid 3-track rule makes things inaccurate. The right interpretation of the charts is about what people are listening to the most. If album bombs came back in the charts then I highly doubt all his fifth studio album will do the same as Divide because there are new artists that will be more successful than him in the years to come.

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Sunshine Gal

1

hey congrats to ed on occupying 9 of the top 10 entries on the uk singles chart! i thought it was just only 6...anyone think he'll lock up most of the top 10 for next week too?

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Bengy

1

Its even better in the Irish charts - Ed has got the top 16, with "Galway Girl" at no. 1. Mind blowing.

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Sunshine Gal

1

isn't ed irish? i mean, esp. with that flaming red hair :D

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Piran

2

No, he's British. 'Galway Girl' is a pop-folk song, so that's what helped it get to #1 in Ireland! ;)

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Sunshine Gal

2

he has no irish blood? i'm really surprised on that, with all that red hair :D oh mate, i just looked @ the whole chart, now i get why you wanted me to take a look ;) i didn't know ed locked almost the whole top 20. so, is that a history making feat over there?

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Techfan

1

His paternal grandparents were Irish. ;)

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Piran

1

I think his grandparents were Irish & he was referring to them in 'Nancy Mulligan' if I remember correctly. :)
Yeah, Ed is the first ever artist to get all of his album tracks inside the Top 20 in the same week!

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Sunshine Gal

1

i was about to say, he's gotta have @ least 1 drop of irish blood or enough for all that wild red hair :D

so, on the uk charts, if you achieve a history making feat, does the guiness world records memorialize it like on the bb charts?

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Sunshine Gal

1

hey there you are! so aside from the beatles having 5 singles in the top 10 on our chart, would usher, 50 cent be in 2nd place? they both had 4 singles in the top 10 each right? and didn't ariana grande achieve something like that too?

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Piran

1

Yeah, of course the Guinness World Records are going to recognise Ed Sheeran's achievements! Have you heard any of the album tracks I recommended then? :)

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Sunshine Gal

1

oh ****, sorry mate i forgot :D what were the tracks again? i'll hop over to youtube and check 'em out.

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Techfan

2

I'll have to check those out. I think Ariana probably had 3 songs in the Top 10 but one was as featured act in Fancy. The others would be Problem and Bang Bang.

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Piran

1

My favourites are: 'Castle On The Hill', 'Perfect', 'Happier', 'What Do I Know?', 'How Would You Feel [Paean]' & 'Supermarket Flowers', so I recommend checking those out first. :)

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Piran

1

Hey Techfan! Did you see my review? ;)

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Techfan

1

Yeah, I'm a bit busy right now to respond fully. But I'll be eating lunch pretty soon. Just to let you know IFIC's video came out. ;)

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Piran

1

Awesome! Hopefully that will push 'I Feel It Coming' back into the Hot 100's Top 10. :)
Well I hope you're having a good morning & I'll chat to you later!

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Sunshine Gal

1

i'm very confident both usher and 50 cent had 3 or 4 top 10's in the same week. i can't think of anyone else...? did katy perry achieve something like that?

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Sunshine Gal

1

ok, i'll hop over to youtube and check them out right now ;)

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Techfan

1

I'll look them up. KP probably didn't since her Top 10 streak depended on the different songs to be mostly in the Top 10 at different times, with only 2 maximum at the same time.

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Piran

1

Awesome! Let me know what you think of them. ;)
Oh I forgot to mention 'Galway Girl' too!

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Sunshine Gal

1

i got his album up now, i got 'perfect' on right now, was that one of the top 10's he had over here? it's a lot like 'thinking out loud', very acoustic.

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Sunshine Gal

1

let's see...jt only had 2 top 10s @ a time, right? never 3 unless 'ayo technology' was in the top 10 with any of his other stuff. other than usher, 50 cent, i can't think of anyone else...adele? tay-tay?

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Piran

1

Haha! I responded to you a minute ago literally saying the same thing...
'Perfect' would be the most likely album track to reach the Hot 100's Top 10, but we'll wait until Sunday to see what Ines & Simm predict! ;)

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Sunshine Gal

1

what?? he'd already have had 3 top 10's on his new album over here? i'm on 'galway girl'...like the flute in it! but i gotta say, i can't understand some of the things he says :D

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Piran

1

If 'Perfect' does reach the Top 10, then Ed Sheeran will indeed already have 3 Top 10 hits from his album in the US. :)
Well the fiddle was my favourite part of 'Galway Girl' & it's cool that he managed to get a Gaelic choir at the end of the song. I didn't understand much of the verses either, probably because he's rapping in that! LOL

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Techfan

1

Probably not. I know Adele had 3 songs (SLY, RITD, STTR) in the Top 10 the week after the Grammys after winning AOTY with 21. ;) TS might have done so with a hit song and a couple of track songs selling well for Fearless or Red. I'll have to check ...

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Sunshine Gal

1

wow! then he'd be really close to matching and even topping george michael's feat of 6 top 10's off 1 album....it took george about a year to do that though.

and yeah LOL! i can't get into his 'rapping' too much, i'm not used to british rappers :D but 'hearts don't break around here' is actually quite good. & 'nancy mulligan' is on right now...um, too folksy? ;)

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Sunshine Gal

1

ok...can you see if usher and 50 cent both had 4 top 10's in the same week?

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Piran

1

I thought 'Hearts Don't Break Around Here' was decent & 'Nancy Mulligan' is really good. I think it's cool that Ed Sheeran had two folks songs in his album! :)
Yeah, the rapping is the only part of '÷' I didn't really like that much.

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Sunshine Gal

1

hahah! yeah i can't picture him as a rapper esp. with the rappers over here i've grown accustomed to. well, looks like i checked out all the songs on the album...well, very simple, acoustic and even sad...but, maybe that's what he wanted everyone to focus on, his vocals and instruments. so far the only song i really like would be 'perfect'.

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Piran

1

What about 'Shape Of You'? I remember you gave that a 10/10 once! ;)

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Sunshine Gal

1

'shape of you'...lemme re-listen to it, brb ;)

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Piran

1

Yeah, because that's what's been #1 on the Hot 100 for six weeks & the UK for the past nine consecutive weeks! :)

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Sunshine Gal

1

6 wks already? dang...if he were a group and notched 3 more wks he'd top the beatles' hey jude @ 9 wks! oh yeah, i got the song on right now, it's pretty good, 'perfect' is better :D

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Piran

1

I think you liked 'Castle On The Hill' as well if I remember correctly! :)
Yeah, I think 'Shape Of You' will probably get 10+ weeks atop the Hot 100 in total.

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Sunshine Gal

1

i'll re-listen to 'castle on the hill'...but wow, 10+ wks! but you know, i did hear 'thinking out loud' on the radio constantly! oh, who's 'steps'? well if ed can go 14 wks that'd be an amazing feat, esp. if he notched 15 wks. he'd top elton john as longest #1-run for uk solo act.

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Piran

1

I'm not too sure if 'Shape Of You' will get as far as 14 weeks atop the Hot 100, but he might do that over here! :)
Steps are a British dance-pop group who have had two #1 singles & 14 Top 10s! Their new single, 'Scared Of The Dark', is currently #1 on iTunes over here.

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Sunshine Gal

1

and yeah i got 'castle on the hill' on right now and yeah it's pretty good. ok, it'll tie 'perfect' as my 2 fave songs off the album :D

well, looks like our mate ed has some good shots @ achieving some unique feats on the bb charts, esp. on the hot 100! ;). where is 'perfect' gonna debut @?

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Piran

1

I'm really not too sure about where 'Perfect' will debut, but my guess would be at least Top 40 & maybe Top 20. We need to wait until Sunday when the Hot 100 predictions are posted though! :)
So have there been any other British artists to have three songs from the same album debut inside the Hot 100's Top 10? That could be a unique achievement for Ed!

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Sunshine Gal

1

didn't you say it'd debut in the top 10? or do you see it climbing up into the top 10? if he lands outside the top 10 somewhere, i have a good feeling, he'll have a very big leap the following week ;)

no i think ed would be the first...unless adele debuted in the top 10. i'll double check though, but bb would've mentioned it by now. in fact, isn't ed the first artist to achieve that feat?

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Piran

1

I think 'Perfect' has the potential to reach the Top 10 if it's released as an official single, but I'm honestly not sure if it will debut inside the Top 10 or not. No early predictions were posted on the Hot 100 article this week, so it's not as easy to tell this time! :P LOL
Three Top 10 debuts from the same album? I'll need to check to see if Tay-Tay has done that before.

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Sunshine Gal

1

oh mate, i just checked adele's 21 album and so far, no top 10 debuts. 'skyfall' did debut @ #8 for the hot 100 on 10/20/2012...and look who debuted @ #3 and had the then-highest debut for a uk group? ;) those were some fun times!

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Piran

1

'Best Song Ever' has the current record for highest Hot 100 debut from a UK group, right? That entered at #2 if I remember correctly! ;)

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Sunshine Gal

1

yes, but i meant for that week when 'skyfall' debuted @ #8...did you see who debuted @ #3? @ that time, it was the highest debut on the chart for a uk group. bb even did an article on it....google 'one direction highest-ever hot 100 debut for uk group'. after this article came out, that's when the wanted started fighting with them on twitter :D i mean, grow up!

oh i'm listening to that chainsmokers/coldplay song you like, it's not bad. oh does the official charts do a yearly awards show like bb does?

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I Am A Stegosaurus

0

No but there's lots of Irish music influenced in the / album (that's how I'm forced to write it)

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Sunshine Gal

0

i think he has some irish blood...someone mentioned he has an irish grandparent. do you like any of his new songs? me, just 2 i really like 'perfect' and 'castle on the hill'.

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I Am A Stegosaurus

1

Those two and Galway Girl are probably my three favourite

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Sunshine Gal

1

piran really loves the album, so i'll give it another listen ;). he did really good here, got the #1 album and #1 single. in the same week.

J

JulianM

3

I'm not against Ed Sheeran or his popularity, but come on - this is ridiculous. I get that the 13 album tracks are popular, obviously I get that they're the most streamed and bought this week, but the OCC needs change the rules. Only proper singles, conformed by the record company, should chart - after all, it is a 'singles' chart. Otherwise you get things like this - although laughable, 16 songs by the same artist is a bit - erm - excessive.

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Piran

12

My thoughts & observations on the Official (Ed Sheeran) Charts as always…
- ‘Shape Of You’ by Ed Sheeran leads the singles chart for a ninth consecutive week. This means that it ties ‘Rockabye’ by Clean Bandit ft Sean Paul & Anne-Marie for the longest #1 this decade by a British act. ‘Shape Of You’ might’ve lost a lot of airplay this week, but it continues to have huge streaming & YouTube. It is also atop the sales chart thanks for the four different versions of the song that are available on iTunes: single version, album version, Stormzy remix & Major Lazer remix.
- ‘Chained To The Rhythm’ by Katy Perry ft Skip Marley is the new #1 on UK airplay.
- The release of Ed Sheeran’s third studio album (called ‘÷’) has helped him to set multiple new chart records. Here are some of the achievements he made that impressed me the most…
1) Ed becomes the first artist in the history of the Official Charts to occupy the Top 6 spots on the singles chart in the same week!
2) ‘÷’ has the biggest first week sales for any album by a male artist of all-time, accumulating over 672k copies in just seven days! This figure consists of approximately: 63% pure sales, 31% downloads & 6% streaming. It has outsold the rest of the Top 500 albums combined!
3) Ed has nine songs inside the Top 10 this week & all 16 songs from ‘÷’ inside the Top 20! The song that is most likely to be the next #1 appears to be ‘Galway Girl’.
4) Earlier in the week, Ed had occupied all 16 positions in the Top 16 of the UK Spotify chart.
5) Ed also sets a new global streaming record for his album, with a huge 56.73 million in just 24 hours! This soars past the previous record set by ‘Starboy’ by The Weeknd, with 29 million plays.
6) Ed already has 10 Top 10 hits from ‘÷’, passing Calvin Harris’ previous record of nine Top 10s from one album.
- Here’s my opinion on the ‘÷’ album itself.
Best Songs: ‘Castle On The Hill’, 'Galway Girl', ‘Happier’, ‘Perfect’, ‘What Do I Know?’, ‘How Would You Feel [Paean]’ & ‘Supermarket Flowers’.
Worst Songs: ‘Dive’
Rating: 8/10
- The part I liked most about this album is Ed being experimental with his musical style here & adding in elements from other genres. For example, there’s: folk in ‘Galway Girl’ & ‘Nancy Mulligan’, rock in ‘Castle On The Hill’, rap in ‘Eraser’, tropical-dance in ‘Barcelona’, pop-dance in ‘Shape Of You’ & his usual acoustic ballads are still there in ‘Perfect’ & ‘How Would You Feel [Paean]’.
There are still lots of parallels between this & ‘x’ though, like ‘Supermarket Flowers’ to ‘Afire Love’ or ‘Perfect’ to ‘Thinking Out Loud’. What stops ‘÷’ from being a great album is that his rapping isn’t as good as it used to be & some songs can get repetitive & boring near the end of them.
I would still recommend this album; there’s a lot of tracks to relate to here & even though I know him changing his sound slightly can be a big risk, it was certainly a brave one & for me, it was one that worked very well.
- However, I’m ambivalent about seeing so many album tracks enter today. On one hand, if these songs gathered enough sales & streaming, then it would be unfair not to include them. On the other hand, it’s called the Official SINGLES chart & seven songs in the Top 10 are NOT singles. Maybe change the name to 'Official Songs Chart' or something?
- Moving on from all of the Ed Sheeran accomplishments (you’re probably all tired of him by now!). Further down the chart, the only notable climb in the Top 40 was ‘Solo Dance’ by Martin Jensen, jumping 39-25. I expect to see this in the Top 10 in the next week or two.
- We still got two debuts inside the Top 40 that were not from Ed Sheeran. The first of them was ‘Green Light’ by Lorde, which is a new entry at #28 today. When Lorde started out with ‘Royals’, I honestly never understood her appeal. ‘Green Light’ is much better in my opinion; the song seems to have two personalities. There’s the verses that are simply just piano notes over Lorde’s angrier vocals, before a full piano line & drum beat kicks in during the build up to that upbeat chorus! Her lower range is solid here & the song-writing is impressive too, with “green light” being a metaphor for her to go & part ways with another person. The cheery production in the chorus makes it sound interesting with the lyrics. This is my favourite song from her already & I really hope it can climb in the coming weeks.
- Little Mix now have 16 Top 40 hits, as ‘No More Sad Songs’ debuts at #39 today. The song is the third single taken from their former #1 album ‘Glory Days’ & now features American rapper Machine Gun Kelly. Once again, I love the harmonies here & I like Perrie’s lower vocals at the end of the chorus & especially her part in the final chorus, showing she has a great vocal range. It’s also interesting to hear electronic inspired choruses too! So overall, I’m really starting to like this a lot!
- While ‘÷’ has debuted at #1 on the albums chart, the rest of the Top 5 is as follows: ‘Human’ by Rag’n’Bone Man (stationary at #2), ‘Gang Signs & Prayer’ by Stormzy (1-3), ‘x’ by Ed Sheeran (3-4) & ‘+’ by Ed Sheeran (12-5).
- As for next week, possible Top 40 debuts could come from: ‘Scared Of The Dark’ by Steps, ‘No Frauds’ by Nicki Minaj ft Drake & Lil Wayne & ‘Best Behaviour’ by Louisa Johnson.
- I like Ed Sheeran a lot, but there are so many other artists that deserve the #1, so I really hope things return back to normal next week. Thanks for reading & have a good weekend everyone! :)

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Sunshine Gal

2

hey good morning mate! now that's some review :) can you imagine if ed achieved the same feat in the u.s.? all heck would break loose on bb and in the music industry ;)

S

shekar

1

Wow you are very updated to the chart

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Piran

0

Thanks! What do you think of the Ed Sheeran album then? :)

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Piran

2

Hey Sunshine Gal! Yeah, apparently it's over 1000 words... :O
Apparently, Ed Sheeran has said that he thinks the chart rules should be changed due to how streaming has helped him get nine songs in the Top 10. I wonder if the Official Charts Company will do anything to their formula now after he said that.
Yeah, Ed would break multiple records across the Billboard charts too. Apparently, all 12 songs on the original version of '÷' are in the US Spotify Top 50 this week according to Techfan!

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Sunshine Gal

1

haha! yeah you told me, great job typing 1000 words :) so, if a post is over 1000 words, it won't post up?

what does ed mean about the chart rules changing? meaning bb or the uk charts? well, if he landed 6+ songs in the top 10 over here, he'd top the beatles who still hold the all time feat of occupying the entire top 5 back in 1964. not just that, nobody since has been able to even match the beatles' feat...and we've had tons of big acts get 2+ more top 10's in the same week over the years.

how many top 10s will he have over here on monday?

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Piran

1

I think the exact word count was 1022 & no, I don't think there's a limit to how much you can type in a post. :)
Ed was referring to the UK charts I think. I know nine songs in the Top 10 is an unbelievable achievement, but is it too much? :O
Regarding the Hot 100, I think 'Shape Of You' will be the only song he has in the Top 10. I expect all of the songs from the original version of '÷' to make the Hot 100 though. 'Perfect' might be able to make the Top 10 though. ;)

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Sunshine Gal

1

oh really! well, if the hot 100 had allowed mj's songs to chart the week after he passed away, he'd lock up the top 30 :D i don't think it's too much per se', i mean he would've obviously had the highest sales and streaming to earn those spots. i think all heck would break loose on the hot 100 article if he did that there :D but for the uk charts, i consider it a well-deserved feat.

i'm was on 'dive' and now on 'bibia be be'...i think that's what it's called. well, so far a very acoustic album and some songs are quite simple. so far, my fave would be 'perfect'.

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Piran

1

I know that MJ had something like 27 songs inside the Top 100 in the week after he died, so imagine how many he would have on the Hot 100! :O
'Dive' is actually my least favourite song from the album & I never really liked 'Bibia Be Ye Ye' that much either (the latter translate from Ghanaian as "all will be well"). Oh you might like 'Barcelona' though.

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Sunshine Gal

1

he did? are you sure it wasn't the hot 100 recurrents chart? because i thought the hot 100 didn't allow older songs to chart @ that time. cuz i have the physical mag. and they noted if he were allowed to be on the hot 100, he'd have 3 top 10s. on the hot 100 recurrents chart he had something like 80-90 entries.

ok i'm done with 'new man' and i'm on 'barcelona'....not bad, but perfect so far is the best one. and check him out huffing and puffing on barcelona :D

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Piran

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No, I was referring to the UK Singles Chart when MJ had 27 songs inside the Top 100, What I meant is that, if MJ could re-enter, he'd do even better on the US Hot 100! :)
'New Man' is alright & yeah, I wasn't expecting all of that panting at the start of 'Barcelona'.

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Techfan

1

First of all, it seems that Stormzy got his prediction right! Also, I'm not that thrilled that New Man is #5 while some better songs from the album ended lower than it. The actual breakdown for ÷ ended up being physical 62%, downloads 25% and 12% streaming equivalents. Another feat accomplished was having the biggest vinyl selling week in more than 20 years. I pretty much agree with your review! ;)

Regarding the climbers, you probably know that I'm happy for TWIL and not so much for Solo Dance. I still am puzzled by Hurt charting in the UK.

Hopefully, will be spared from having a Drake album release a bit longer ...

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Piran

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Yeah, I actually predicted around 600k, so it's cool that Ed exceeded that! So it looks like the breakdown for '÷' shifted towards streaming a bit more than expected. I just found out about the vinyl achievement & Ed says that's his favourite achievement that he's made today! :)
Thanks for commenting here as always! I'm really pleased about 'That's What I Like' ascending too & I have mixed thoughts on 'Solo Dance' for now.

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Sunshine Gal

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sorry mate, i didn't see these other posts of yours. oh i see, the uk singles chart ;) yeah cuz the hot 100 wouldn't allow any of his older songs post. if you can find the hot 100 recurrents chart, you'll see what i meant about him dominating the whole chart :)

hahaha, i know right! i was like 'what's with all the huffing and puffing'? maybe in rememberance of the barcelona olympics?

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Piran

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Haha! That's an interesting idea about the Barcelona Olympics. ;)
Well I think you need to sign up to Billboard's website to get archives for the Hot 100 recurrents chart. How did he do on Catalog Albums then?

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Techfan

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Fortunately, the Hot 100 includes Radio Airplay so that streaming and sales for several songs by the same artist can't all chart that high when missing that component. Plus with the Hot 100 formula being revised, hopefully, each year, there's no long-lasting "combined chart sales" for singles.

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Sunshine Gal

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oh yeah i don't expect ed to do the same over here...but imagine if he did? ;)

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Amber M.

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the end of the chorus & the part in the final chorus on Little Mix's No MOre Sad Songs is Leigh-anne not Perrie. Im pretty sure

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GirlPlz

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what's this "combined chart sales" thing

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Techfan

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You know how streaming of tracks counts toward the weekly total of equivalent albums total for the BB 200? You basically have a similar situation with Singles in the UK. To the actual sales of the track they add now add the total of streams divided by 150 (revised from 100 previously) to get the "combined chart sales". Its barely less awkward to explain than the equivalent albums for the BB 200, because at least the streams are from the actual song.

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GirlPlz

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Oh I get ya. All this streaming is so stupid. All they have to do is have a main sales chart and the combined chart if they want. The formulations for streaming are so arbitrary

S

shekar

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I was not really a fan of ed sheerens songs but after hearing songs on his new album I'm biggining to like his songs I really like galway girl, shape of you ,castle on the hill ,eraser he has experimented on his music in this album every song is way different from other unlike Justin bieber

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Techfan

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Hey Piran! I'll answer that for you. He had all the Top 10 in Catalog Albums with a Jackson 5 slipping in there on the July 18, 2009 issue (see below how to access it). Both Thriller and Number Ones outsold the #1 in BB 200 during two weeks, the E.N.D. and then Now 31.

Regarding the BB Mag issue in question, you can actually find it in Google Books to peruse. Just look for the July 11, 2009 issue. You can't see the whole Hot 100 Recurrents but in Between the Bullets it said he had taken over the Top 19 positions and 24 out of the Top 30. They also mention that if the songs would have been allowed to chart, he'd have gotten 3 songs in the Top 10 of the Hot 100. ;)

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Techfan

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They got the current 150 stream is equivalent to 1 sale from RIAA I think.

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GirlPlz

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is that even a good measure though?

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Techfan

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Oh, RIAA actually changed that back in February LAST year and the UK charts only started to use it this year. They should do like Billboard has done the last two years for the Hot 100 and adjust the equivalency on a yearly basis. Unfortunately, they still use that for the BB 200, though.

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GirlPlz

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seems like such a small figure. Should be more like 1000 or better yet, 1,000,000 haha

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WinEr Pasquin

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Didn't the UK Charts only consider the two most streamed tracks in computing the album equivalents?

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Piran

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Really? I'm sure I read that it was Perrie on Wikipedia & in other reviews, but I'll give it a few more listens.
Do you like the song then? :)

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Piran

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Well I've liked most of his music, but I think '÷' is his best album to date! :)
I love all of those songs that you mentioned except 'Eraser'. Yeah, I'm also really pleased that Ed tried different sounds here.
Regarding Justin Bieber, I really enjoyed his 'Purpose' album as he tended towards dance music, but his previous albums were only alright for me.

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Piran

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Thanks for the information Techfan! :)
Also, when did recurrent rules start? I know that the 52 week one was very recent (I think that was in the week that 'Hello' spent its fourth week atop the Hot 100), but what about the 20 week recurrent rule?

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Techfan

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Hey Piran! You mean the 20 week one. The first chart I see for Hot 100 Recurrents is dated November 30, 1991 (got that from Billboard Biz). You're right about the 52 week one, which also was the first Hot 100 to count toward the 2016 Year-End. ;)

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Techfan

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Not quite. Here's their take:

"The reason for the down-weighting is to ensure that if an album features
up to two runaway hit singles, streams of these tracks do not skew the
performance of their parent album in the Official Albums Chart.

Official Charts will take the 12 most streamed tracks from the standard
version of the album, the top two songs will be down-weighted in line
with the average of the rest. The total of these streams will be divided
by 1000 and added to the physical and digital sales of the album (the
1,000 ratio is used to reflect the broad difference in value between a
track stream and the price paid for an album)

The reason for the down-weighting is to ensure that if an album features
up to two runaway hit singles, streams of these tracks do not skew the
performance of their parent album in the Official Albums Chart."

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Techfan

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Well, it turns out each stream is worth roughly half a US cent, pence or .01 Euro in revenue. So 150 streams gives roughly .75 of the currencies listed which is probably the earning from a regularly priced single. Turns out its not far off although the value per stream is actually decreasing as streaming grows.

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Techfan

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Revenuewise compared to a single its comparable, although as prices per stream are reduced they should revise it at least once per year.

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I Am A Stegosaurus

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I hope Galway Girl doesn't hit #1, an album track being OFFICIAL number 1 is straight up stupid

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shekar

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So which song do you think that might replace shape of you on chart

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Piran

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I think 'Galway Girl' will probably be the next #1 & maybe even as soon as next week.

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Piran

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Well I love the song (one of my favourites from '÷'), but like you, it would be strange seeing an album track at #1 on the singles chart. Has something like that ever happened before?

NJ

Nigel Jones

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I just think 'Pah' to any so called new chart record being set these days. Not impressed at all.

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I Am A Stegosaurus

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Can't think of any instances

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Piran

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Fair enough. It looks like 'Shape Of You' might be getting a tenth week at #1 after all according to the Official Chart Update.

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Techfan

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, just noticed Solo Dance at #10 in the mid-week update ... :P

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Piran

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Yeah, I knew you'd be a bit annoyed by that!
There still appears to be a huge number of Ed Sheeran songs in the Top 20 though; it's predicted to go from 16 to 12. :O

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Techfan

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, I hope Drake doesn't achieve a similar level of success in the Singles chart or otherwise, there won't be too many positions for songs from other artists to chart. :P

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Piran

1

Drake would be more likely to do that on the Hot 100 than the Official Charts though.
Speaking of the Hot 100, most of the Ed Sheeran tracks that debuted this week will probably drop out again next week. It appears that the entire '÷' album is still in the Top 40 on the Official Chart Update! :O

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Techfan

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That's expected in the Hot 100. Since those didn't debut that high, I don't think they'll stick around for that long.

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Paully Em

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Thank u Patrick Bateman

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Mariana Linson

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He isn't the first though. Had this happened back in the 90s, he would never have managed two singles in the top 10. He's the most 'successful' of the streaming era - the era that people listen to music, but have no intention of buying it.

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Mariana Linson

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If he did this in America he'd end up banned. Look at what happened to a lot of great over-saturated artists in the past in the US.

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Mariana Linson

2

They wouldn't stand for it in the US though. He'd end up blacklisted if he did.

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Mariana Linson

1

Anything that isn't by Ed Sheeran

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Sunshine Gal

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what do you mean? i don't think he'd be banned, it'd be just a history making feat.

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Half Giant- Ethan

1

wow you really have been doing this for a while havent you

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Piran

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Yeah, haha, hopefully they can make a return very soon, when we know that all of the trolls are gone again. :)

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Joshua Sombra

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They should change their name to the Official Song Charts. Even in 2021. Album bombs back, no ACR and certainly no 3-track rule. Charts are not really important but it can be quite hard for underrated artists to chart on here which is ok. There are other charts that focus on the underrated artist. It should be same as the Billboard charts which excludes airplay.