Originally posted by MikeG:
Originally posted by Newvox
[b]Even more sad, if 'Europe After The Rain' was re-released now, as vinyl or download, what would be the chance of it even getting to number 40 this time
How many sales does it take to get to number 40 in the UK charts these days? I'm guessing somewhere between 2 and 3,000. On that basis I would say it would have no chance. I would be surprised if it could make that total over the lifetime of a re-release, let alone in one week. Even the mighty Depeche Mode are struggling these days - 'Peace' was only in the top 100 for one week and never made the top forty! (probably no air-play mind, which would be the same problem 'Europe After The Rain' would encounter) [/b]I have no idea what happens with charts these days, and suspect that now downloads are counted, they are largely meaningless.
But back in the 1980s they seemed really important, not just because of that rivalry you had with your schoolfriends and "my favourite band is bigger than your favourite band" arguments. A high chart placing brought with it more exposure in the form of TV and radio appearances and the artist's records were more widely available.
I'm not even sure what constitutes a "single" these days. To take the Depeche Mode example, surely "Peace" has been available for months to download as part of the "Sounds Of The Universe" album. If there's no physical product, how does it become a single exactly and not just an album track?