UK Charts Discussion

[SomethingMore 1,701]

If you've read my posts around here, you'll know that I despise the pre-order system that's been all the rage this year. At this rate, Gaga's going to have to use it if she wants to stand a chance at another #1 again because everyone's at it, therefore meaning even more artists will have to give in too or a #1 will be impossible. I'm not against it just in Cheryl's case, but in everyone's case. I'm not criticising her promo for the song, but I am criticising the crafty manipulation of it all - all the promo is done before the release, meaning that it'll build up even more pre-orders. If the promo was done after the release, the sales might not have been as high. Her team didn't want spaced-out, gradual promo resulting in a slow-burning hit with longevity. They wanted instant, massive success for just one week. It's a sales tactic labels are using now that I cannot abide.

 

Your quoting of her record-breaking statistics for CSL are irrelevant because like I said, she only achieved all this because it had a two-month pre-order with promo and a music video all done before official release. Debuting with 118,000 sounds impressive until you realise it was on pre-order. Debuting with 118,000 with one actual week of sales is impressive. Attaining 118,000 sales in 2 months is pathetic for a lead single from an act who's supposedly one of the most successful in Britain. Call My Name sold 152,000 (including 97,000 on the first day alone) in just one week with no pre-order. 2 years later, she can't even achieve that amount with 2 months of sales. So, why are you praising her?

 

Clean versions are not the same as remixes. Fans are more likely to buy a clean version as opposed to a remix, which usually doesn't represent the original song in any way. Choosing an expletive-laden song as a single was another sales tactic as it would ensure that there would be two versions available, thus encouraging the fans to buy both to secure the #1 spot. Having two versions was what gave her the #1 - that's just a fact.

 

Considering Ed was at #1 on iTunes for 6 consecutive days (minus the hours that 1D temporarily took over) is proof that this battle was close. That, plus his streaming and remix charting would have pushed him even further up. It's pretty ridiculous how a song that was only #1 for one day can be #1 at the end of the week. I don't think alternate versions should count. Each version must stand alone.

 

Those tricks are the ones I've just been listing - a long pre-order, a whole bunch of promo before release, releasing an explicit single so two versions can chart and fans can double the sales. I understand perfectly well how the industry works. That's why I'm critiquing it and hoping more people wise up to its game.

 

That's the point I'm making - artists didn't use pre-ordering in the past, but they need to now, which shows that they're afraid of the low sales climate and aren't confident that they can have #1's anymore. If you didn't need pre-ordering to get #1's in the past but you do now shows that you can only get a "hit" by cheating the chart system.

 

The charts work very differently now from how they were years ago. You can't compare them. When Geri broke the record, it really meant something, because back then, only physical singles existed and people had to actually go to the shops to buy one and it cost more than 99p. To get so many people to do that 4 times in her career to give her 4 #1's is commedable. But the world of instant downloading and pre-ordering has changed the original vision of the charts. Cheryl breaking the record is meaningless when this much trickery and manipulation went into it. Most of the public can't even name any of her singles apart from Fight For This Love. No one will recall any of her #1's years from now (or the previous record holders Geri and Rita, for that matter). And I can confirm that public did not want her two new singles to go #1. I can't find anyone who liked them and even her fans weren't keen. Plus, Cheryl's performance last week got panned by the public. Breaking the record is bittersweet if the public don't think you deserved it.

 

You made this post earlier, when the song was still sailing on the buzz from its #1 announcement, but as you can see, it's falling heavily now.

 

I always find it pathetic and unfair when 1 person puts an effort to explain something and than the other person quotes that post and ignores 90% of it and makes an even bigger post....out of nothing!

 

So, here we go again :

 

1.) If you were talking about the pre-order system in general in the first place than you should have said it in the first place. And that's just your opinion. All major starts do it and especially the UK ones. You are acting like this is similiar to Gaga's $0.99 discount

 

2.) For some reason they released the single on Saturday night, it was supposed to be released on Sunday like usually and not just Cheryl's single, every other single that was supposed to be released on Sunday, got released on Saturday night. 

 

The song reached #4 based on the pre-orders, so not #1 it reached #4 !! Here is the proof (Nov 1 was Saturday) :

 

 

Than on Sunday morning (before the X Factor Performance) she reached #1 :

 

 

After the performance the explicit version reached #5 (it was at #8 before) :

 

 

So this proves you are completly WRONG. The promo didn't happen before the song was released. 

 

3.) Wait. What are you even talking about? Remix version? Ed also had a remix?

 

Explicit (the 2nd version) is nothing unsual for music industry. Have you heard Sexxx Dream's clean version? Well, it exists for a reason. If it was  released as a single both versions would be charting and the radio would play the clean one just like now radio is playing Cheryl's clean version. It's only cause it contains some explicit words? You do understand that, right? Cause I posted even an example (I Don't Care lyrics) in my previous post and you continued ranting about it.

 

4.) Crazy, Stupid Love wasn't as big as Call My Name. It is as simple as that. I never denied it.  In my post I was more talking about you saying how her sales are pathetic and extremely low, embarrassing etc. When in fact it was the fastest selling song of the year at that point, why would you compare a 2012 single? See what you are doing here? You are not just implying it's unfair how I Don't Care got #1, you are saying how CSL's sales are also pathetic and how she lost most of her fanbase. It's more likely you are pressed at Cheryl as a person and not just cuz of this single. Sad.

 

5.) Again, (I feel like I've said this 10000 times) - every major UK act releases a video a month or 2, sometimes even 3 before releasing the single on iTunes. It's a common thing!! 

 

6.) I Don't Care is currently #4 combined, considering the 1D song is pre-order we can say it's #3.

 

Also it's #8 on Spotify, her highest charting single since Call My Name back in 2012

 

7.) She was #1 combined til Thursday. So Saturday night - Thursday afternoon. She won fair. 2 versions is not cheating. Deal with it.

[Robotboy 1,700]

like i can deserves to be a smash.. shame he was so nervous on x factor.

[Gypsy Life 118,907]

Werk those essays gurls

[GagaMyBlood95 9,808]

like i can deserves to be a smash.. shame he was so nervous on x factor.

I thought he did a great job, his voice was on point

[Robotboy 1,700]

I thought he did a great job, his voice was on point

i think he held back instead of going all in and it sounded strange in the chorus

[craig 680]

First Week Sales:
1. Fight For This Love 292,845
2. Promise This 157,210
3. Call My Name 152,001
4. Crazy Stupid Love 118,000
5. I Don't Care 82,000

 

I think he means overall and not first week sales?

 

Yes, for debut week she'd be doing well to outsell the last album's debut.  

[craig 680]

Midweeks

 

1 Pink Floyd - The Endless River (76.3k) *
2 Foo Fighters - Sonic Highways (48.1k) *
3 Sam Smith - In The Lonely Hour (14.1k)
4 Queen - Forever (13.0k) *
5 Ed Sheeran - x (12.7k)

6 Cheryl - Only Human (11.3k) *

[ViviLittleM 3]

Midweeks

 

Where is Taylor

?

 

Albums

1 Pink Floyd - The Endless River (76.3k) *
2 Foo Fighters - Sonic Highways (48.1k) *
3 Sam Smith - In The Lonely Hour (14.1k)
4 Queen - Forever (13.0k) *
5 Ed Sheeran - x (12.7k)

6-10
6 Cheryl - Only Human *
9 Machine Head - Bloodstone & Diamonds *
10 Rumer - Into Colour *

11-20
13 Paloma Faith - A Perfect Contradiction
14 Donny Osmond - The Soundtrack Of My Life *
19 Foo Fighters - The Greatest Hits ^
20 Garth Brooks - Man Against Machine *

21-30
27 Royksopp - The Inevitable *
28 James Blunt - Moon Landing ^

31-40
31 Bryan Adams - Reckless *
35 Michael Buble - Christmas
36 Whitney Houston - Live - Her Greatest/Ultimate Collection *

[craig 680]

Taylor is #7, a little more than 4k behind Cheryl.

 

Wasn't the last Foo Fighters album the ONLY one to beat Adele before BTW was released?

They won't beat PF.

[Jase 12,196]

Midweeks

 

1 Pink Floyd - The Endless River (76.3k) *

2 Foo Fighters - Sonic Highways (48.1k) *

3 Sam Smith - In The Lonely Hour (14.1k)

4 Queen - Forever (13.0k) *

5 Ed Sheeran - x (12.7k)

6 Cheryl - Only Human (11.3k) *

 

Ouch. I predicted #05 for Cheryl so I was nearly right

[Jase 12,196]

iTunes Update

 

 

01. Wake Me Up (Official BBC Children In Need Single 2014) - Gareth Malone's All Star Choir

02. Where Do Broken Hearts Go - One Direction

03. Thinking Out Loud - Ed Sheeran

04. Steal My Girl - One Direction

05. You Ruin Me - The Veronicas

06. I Don't Care - Cheryl

07. 18 - One Direction

08. All About That Bass - Meghan Trainor

09. Real Love - Tom Odell

10. Like I Can - Sam Smith

 

11. Outside (feat. Ellie Goulding) - Calvin Harris

12. Shake It Off - Taylor Swift

13. Ready to Run - One Direction

14. I'm Not the Only One - Sam Smith

15. Wicked Games (feat. Anna Naklab) [Radio Edit] - Parra for Cuva

16. Blank Space - Taylor Swift

17. What Happened To Your Band - McBusted

18. i - Kendrick Lamar

19. Don't Tell 'Em (feat. YG) - Jeremih

20. Bang Bang - Jessie J, Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj

 

21. All of Me - John Legend

22. Blame (feat. John Newman) - Calvin Harris

23. I Lived - OneRepublic

24. Stay With Me - Sam Smith

25. Changing (feat. Paloma Faith) - Sigma

26. T.I.N.A. (feat. Angel) - Fuse ODG

27. Anaconda - Nicki Minaj

28. Bump & Grind 2014 (Waze & Odyssey vs. R. Kelly) [Radio Edit] - Waze & Odyssey & R. Kelly

29. Froot - Marina and The Diamonds

30. Blame It on Me - George Ezra

 

31. Beautiful to Me - Olly Murs

32. No Good in Goodbye - The Script

33. Break Free (feat. Zedd) - Ariana Grande

34. Let It Go - Idina Menzel

35. Prayer in C (Robin Schulz Remix) - Robin Schulz & LILLYWOOD

36. Budapest - George Ezra

37. Superheroes - The Script

38. I Don't Care - Cheryl

39. Don't - Ed Sheeran

40. Animals - Maroon 5

 

Bubbling Under

 

59. Real Love - Clean Bandit & Jess Glynne *Pre-order

70. Love Me Harder - Ariana Grande & The Weeknd

75. Listen to the Man - George Ezra

[StrawberryBlond 13,476]

I always find it pathetic and unfair when 1 person puts an effort to explain something and than the other person quotes that post and ignores 90% of it and makes an even bigger post....out of nothing!

 

I don't know what you're talking about - I replied to all of your post, because it's one of my pet hates when people don't reply fully to a long post too. I answered all your points fully and didn't go off on tangents. It sounds to me as if you're just annoyed because I don't agree with what you're saying and think that your explanation will magically make me agree. Well, sorry, no, I've researched the issue as much as you have and I have a very different way of viewing the industry to you and what constitutes a fair chart system. There was no need for any of your explanations as I already knew the situation. Just because someone doesn't agree with you doesn't mean that they don't understand or haven't done their research. On the contrary, it can mean the exact opposite. It's perfectly possible to come to different conclusions based on the same evidence. No amount of explanations can ever convince me that the ludicrous, self-important, cowardly pre-order system is acceptable and fair or represents the true success of an artist. I'm sure, deep down, you, as well as the rest of Cheryl's fans know, that without X Factor, she wouldn't be the solo artist she is today. God help her if she gets fired again and/or the show is cancelled. How else is she going she have a platform to win over the public then? Whenever she didn't have XF/BGT promo, she couldn't get a #1 or even something that vaguely approximated a hit (unlike many people, I know chart positions can be misleading - it's sales that matter). CMN was a fluke as radio stations support her for some reason (and they were likely paid to play it). Cheryl owes her entire solo career to Simon and his shows and I hardly think that's something that's worthy of praise or respect. Already, her album is flopping in the charts and its just been released. As we've seen this year, a #1 hit or even two, doesn't mean that the public are actually interested in your complete body of work. When her album sells peanuts and she can't pull off a sold-out UK arena tour, I'll be waiting for your rebuttal about her fanbase still being as strong as ever.

[SomethingMore 1,701]

As I've already said - this is not just about IDC, you dislike Cheryl a lot

 

I agree with some things you said like the first point here :

 

1. Is X Factor responsible for Cheryl's career - YES. 

2. Can she get a #1 without being on X Factor? YES . Call My Name was a big hit without her being a judge or perfoming.

3. Was Cheryl fired from X Factor? NO. She left Simon begged her to come back.

 

Isn't it ironic how you quoted just the part where I complained about your replies, ignoring the other 90% of my post, while saying how you haven't done the same thing the previous time

 

I don't have time to post some things for the THIRD time, so let's just say you hate both Cheryl & the chart system, while I am saying it's nothing unsual compared to other similiar acts. 

 

IDC is shaping up to be her biggest 2nd single

 

And yeah her album is flopping, she is turning out to be a singles artist. 

 

Funny how we started this conversation with I Don't Care and now we are mentioning her album sales, tour, X factor etc. Again, it simply confirms what I've already said :

 

[Cersei 56]

Midweeks

 

1 Pink Floyd - The Endless River (76.3k) *

2 Foo Fighters - Sonic Highways (48.1k) *

3 Sam Smith - In The Lonely Hour (14.1k)

4 Queen - Forever (13.0k) *

5 Ed Sheeran - x (12.7k)

6 Cheryl - Only Human (11.3k) *

 

Can't believe I didn't see PF coming, of course they were gonna have a #1 debut on lock

 

christ their numbers are fantastic and they are gonna block the foos i'm so sad about it  :emo:

 

sonic highways will never go #1... ever...

[craig 680]

Bonnie McKee â€@BonnieMcKee  33m33 minutes ago
OMG just scored my 10th #1 single in UK w Cheryl Cole's "I Don't Care"! Congrats 2 my brilliant co-writers, @johnstunewman & @AhlundJocke!